Why Is Self-Assessment Important?
Self-assessment provides the opportunity to discover where a person’s true interests, talents, values and abilities lie. Having this information can be essential to determining a satisfying career path. It is also helpful when creating goals and understanding one’s personality.
Self-assessment can take place at almost any point in a person’s life. Completing a regular self-assessment, such as every few months, can assist in determining whether one is meeting personal or professional goals. As a student, self-assessment may aid in the learning process. It can assist students in realizing and learning from past mistakes, determining what course needs to be followed in continuing education and identifying strengths and weaknesses. Participating in self-assessment can help to determine what factors should be considered surrounding a particular situation, such as what makes an employee successful in business or a student in academia. To perform a self-assessment, it is necessary to ask questions that receive an honest answer. Some items included in a self-assessment are developing a priority list; generating a goal list; analyzing past performance at work, in school or in relationships; and assessing thoughts, feelings, actions and behaviors to determine why a certain reaction to a situation occurred and if it was the best way to react.
