The Seven Stories is a great career-related exercise to analyze your past and present. You examine your accomplishments, looking at your strongest and most enjoyable skills- the ones you are motivated to use. It is work and does require time, but will yield important results. It will help you determine your career direction, develop your resume, and improve your interview performance.

To get started, make a list of all of your most enjoyable accomplishments over the course of your life- those things you enjoyed doing and also did well. Aim for 25 accomplishments, which can include work, volunteering, hobbies, and your school years. Allow yourself  4-5 days to accomplish this exercise. Keep a slip of paper with you so you can jot things down when they come to mind. 

When you have 25, select the seven that are most important to you. Then rank them, listing the most important first, etc. 

Next write a paragraph about each accomplishment. Then find out what your accomplishments have in common. You may uncover that you are especially good interacting with people, but it's something you've always done and have taken for granted. You may find that you'll be unhappy in a job that doesn't allow you to deal with people. In other words, you will uncover what elements of a job are important for you to be satisfied. You may decide to go in a new career direction or find a different job or even stay put where you're at.

The above is excerpted from "Targeting a Great Career" by Kate Wendleton. The methodology is based on years of research by the Five O'Clock Club, America's premier career coaching and outplacement network. Joan Runnheim, President of Pathways Career Success Strategies, is certified as a Five O'Clock Club Career Coach.

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