Identifying Barriers To Success

Although a person may seem to have all the skills needed to perform a job or be successful, any real or perceived barriers may nevertheless jeopardize one’s chance of excelling. It makes sense to think ahead of time and identify any potential barriers so that we are in a better position to deal with the judgments that others (including ourselves) may make about us. Sometimes the barriers are in ourselves. We may not want to venture into something new or different because we are not sure if we will be able to do it.

Employment Roadblocks

Clearly identifying where you are in the job search process is half the battle in re-entering the work force. Understanding what information and skills you need to overcome roadblocks and gaining that information and skills is the other half.

Future Plans

It is important to write down your goals in order to achieve them. For instance:
 What do you want to do?
 Where do you want to do it?
 Can you travel or are you limited to the local area?
 How much do you want to be paid?
 How much do you need to pay your bills?
 Do you want to work for yourself or for someone else?
 How do you start?
 What do you need to do first?

You may find this an easy process, or a very difficult one. For help in setting your goals and action plan, you can set up an appointment to meet with a counsellor to discuss the steps you need to take to set up your personal action plan.

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Values

For each list, check off the values that are important to you. Once you have done this, evaluate your choices and list them in order of importance as follows:

A – very important
B – important
C – somewhat important

What are your Work Values?

High Income – finding a job that will allow me to make a lot of more
Prestige – having a job that will give me visibility or status in my community
Professional Recognition – earning the respect of colleagues in my field
Helpfulness – doing work that directly helps people in need or serves a cause
Fast Pace – having work that requires me to be thinking or doing almost all the time
Autonomy – being able to work independently and make choices about priorities and organization
Leadership – using my ability to motivate and direct others in a supervisory capacity
Time Flexibility – being able to set my own hours and arrange my day as I think best
Intellectual Challenge – having work that stimulates my mind and requires me to stretch intellectually
Physical Challenge – having work that involves physical effort to get the job done
Sense of Mission – using my job to make the world a better place to live
Creativity – having the opportunity to express myself through my work
Team Member – working in a group toward a common goal
Personal Recognition – working for a boss and/or organization that notices and rewards my efforts
Contact With Others – having a lot of face-to-face interaction with the public or co-workers
Sociability – being ale to enjoy camaraderie with others at work who share my interests
Pressure – working under the stimulation of deadlines
Diversity and Change – participating in work activities that are often different day to day
Security – being able to have a reasonable expectation that my job or skills will remain in demand
Problem Solving – finding solutions to significant problems as the main focus of my work
Influence – having work that allows me to have a direct impact on people’s lives
Excitement/Adventure – having responsibilities that often involve risk taking and/or a degree of excitement
Predictability – having a job with day-to-day responsibilities that hold few surprises
Power – knowing I’m “in charge” and that people look to me for direction and authority




What are your Life Values?

Accomplishment - achievement, aspiration for excellence

Aesthetics – appreciation of beauty, art, music

Affection – satisfying love relationships, caring, becoming close and intimate with another person

Appearance – physical attractiveness, sex appeal

Autonomy – independence, self-direction, freedom, the right to do what I want

Career – satisfying and successful

Creativity – using imagination, being innovative, problem-solving abilities

Devotion – strong spiritual belief, religious faith

Economic security – comfortable life, freedom from financial worry

Education – intellectual achievement for self, family, or others

Emotional well-being – peace of mind, contentment, freedom from inner conflicts

Excitement – adventure, new experiences, challenges, exploring, being enthusiastic

Family well-being – taking care of loved ones, good family relationships

Friendship – having close friendships, companionship

Health – physical well-being

Helping others – humanitarian desires, serving and working with others

Home – home as an anchor, having a lovely home in a beautiful setting

Leadership –influence, power, control over others, being persuasive

Personal growth – development, use of potential, self-realization

Play – pleasure, fun, leisurely life, travel, sport

Prestige – visible success, recognition, status

Responsibility – accountability, reliability, dependability

Stability – order, predictability, tranquility

Other _______________________________________________



Best of Luck in your job search......need help, contact me

Fran Watson
www.franwatson.ca