✨ Activity: Uncovering Professional Assets Worksheet

Instructions

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Download the Uncovering Professional Assets Worksheet (PDF)

The worksheet includes four steps:

1. Compose three short stories
2. Identify skills, values, and strengths
3. Discover recurring themes
4. List your non-negotiable personal factors

Start by expanding on the three accomplishments from page 2 of the RRU Professional Assets Inventory or recall key professional or volunteer moments—times you overcame a challenge, acted on inspiration, or felt proud.

Why Create Stories?

• They reveal insights into your career goals (explored further in the Career Planning module)
• They help you to understand where you have developed your personal skills and assets
• They are useful anecdotes during networking conversations and  answering behavioural interview questions

When ready, move to Step 1: Compose three short stories.

Step 1. Compose Three Short Stories

Reflect on three meaningful professional or volunteer experiences: times when you overcame a challenge, acted on inspiration, took on a leadership role, or felt fulfilled. Write short stories (3–4 lines each) describing these moments.

The STAR (Situation, Task, Action, Result) method is a structured way to answer behavioural interview questions by clearly outlining past experiences. It helps job applicants showcase their skills and problem-solving abilities.

Use the STAR approach to ensure you provide a detailed story that includes a clear beginning, middle, and end:

Beginning

• What was the Situation?
• Why did you get involved?
• Who else was involved?

Middle

• What Task were you trying to complete?
• What Actions did you take?
• What skills did you use and enjoy?
  (Think action verbs: writing, leading, planning, researching.)

End

• What was the Result or outcome?
• What strengths or values did you demonstrate?
  (Examples: learning, teamwork, recognition, or reward.)

Use the downloadable worksheet, a journal, or another format (e.g., audio recording) to capture your stories. Add a title or keyword for each to help you remember.

Step 2. Identify Skills, Values, and Strengths

Before you proceed, here are a couple of terms for reference:

• Skills are abilities that can be learned or developed.
• Values are core beliefs or principles that guide decisions and give work meaning. Examples include job security, independence, or helping others.

After writing your stories, reflect and create your list of skills and values you demonstrated; add these to your worksheet. Repeat this process for your second and third stories. Pay attention to recurring and patterns of skills and values that may inform your career direction.

Use the upcoming "Drag and Drop" activities for help:

• Skills: Drag and Drop
• Values: Drag and Drop

Remember to use the Drag and Drop activities for all three of your stories!

Skills: Drag and Drop

Starting with one story, drag and drop the skills that you demonstrated in that story into the allotted space in the worksheet. Click and hold on any of the words on the right, and drag them into the box.

• Once you are satisfied with the skills you have chosen below, copy them to the worksheet or your journal for safekeeping.
• There are additional skills listed in the websites below for your reference.

Remember to use the above Drag and Drop activity for all three of your stories!

You can also refer to these additional skills lists for reference:

Employability Skills consists of fundamental skills, personal management skills, and teamwork skills.

The Innovation Skills Profile 2.0 includes creativity and problem-solving skills, which are highly in demand skills (focused on in the Defining Resources unit).

The Commercialization Skills Profile can be helpful to review for the collaboration and networking skills.

Skills and Competencies Taxonomy entails seven categories, one of which is skills (foundational, analytical, technical, resource management, and interpersonal).

Values: Drag and Drop

Starting with one story, drag and drop the values that you demonstrated in that story into the allotted space in the worksheet. Click and hold on any of the words on the right, and drag them into the box.

• Once you are satisfied with the values you have chosen below, copy them to the worksheet or your journal for safekeeping.
• Don't forget to also identify the strengths you exemplified in the story and write them in the allotted space on the worksheet, too!

Note: Sometimes our personal values can be just as connected or influential in our professional lives.

Remember to use the above Drag and Drop activity for all three of your stories!

Step 3. Discover Recurring Themes

On your worksheet, identify and circle or highlight the skills, values, and strengths that recur in the stories. Make note of these themes in the space provided.

These common themes are highly significant! They illustrate how you function in the world, what is important to you, and what you enjoy doing. Your themes are guiding your for your vision and next steps for your career! 

Step 4. Identify a List of Non-negotiable Personal Factors

Choose the personal attributes that are significant to your career and life.

What we mean by non-negotiable personal factors is, there may be significant aspects in your career and life that you cannot live without or must be included in your decision-making. Reflecting on these personal factors and how they impact your career and life follows the Systems Theory Framework (STF) of Career Development (Patton & McMahon, 2016).

Taking the time for reflection and self-awareness is the foundation of career management. This knowledge will come into play, for instance, when you are career searching, job searching, and meeting potential employers, or developing your community/network.

Next, continue on to Summary: Personal Assets.