"Where do I Start?"
This is one of the most frequently asked questions about the job search. The answer: "Start with you." Launching a job search can be a confusing, anxiety-producing process under the best of circumstances, and it's even worse when you can't answer the question everyone is asking you: "What do you want to do?"

The problem is that until you can answer the question, your job search isn't going to get off the ground. That's not to say that you need to have just one narrow answer to that question, but you do need a direction to pursue. You need to know what you're good at (your strengths); what you're not so good at (your weaknesses); what you like doing (your interests); and what's important to you (your values). Without those elements, your job search will lack focus, and you could fall into another trap: you could be trying to fit yourself into a job, rather than trying to find a job that fits you.

Text in this article was adapted from "Your Job Search Starts with You," Planning Job Choices, 1997.
Lists in this article were adapted from Discover the Best Jobs for You!, by Ronald L. and Caryl Rae Krannich, Impact Publications, 1993.