Download Rabbinic Career Inventory Form

‫לך לך‬
Lech Lecha
SUPPORT AND STRATEGIES FOR THE SUCCESSFUL
RABBINIC JOB SEARCH
RABBI ELLIOT SALO SCHOENBERG
RABBINICAL ASSEMBLY
2012 * 5772
APPENDIX C - Career Inventory
Name:
Email address:
Ordained by:
Date:
Cell phone:
Date:
Current employment situation:
Title and role description:
The purpose of this worksheet is to prepare you for the rabbinic job search process. It is
your personal document, for your eyes only. The deeper the reflection and the greater the depth
of self-knowledge will serve you well in resume writing, interviewing and finding the right fit for
your interests and skills.
I. Strengths (list three):
What are you good at? A strength is something you yearn to do, learn quickly and find
satisfying. When you are not doing a strength you miss it. A strength is something you are proud
of. Some examples might be: ideation – coming up with new ideas; analysis – you see patterns;
communication – you like to speak in public and to write.
1.
2.
3.
II. Workplace Values
Workplace values have a direct impact on your satisfaction with your job, your career
and the rest of your life. When you understand what you cherish most, you can do a better job of
evaluating possible places of employment – does your future employer support those values?
For a list of values go to http://www.quintcareers.com/workplace_values.html. Some examples
are variance of work or stability of work place or intellectual atmosphere.
Three core values you cannot live without in the rabbinic workplace?
1.
2.
3.
III. Rabbinic Values
What do you want your employer to know about what motivates your rabbinate?
What are your key rabbinic values to your work? A value is a belief that you feel strongly about.
You consciously choose your own values. You should be willing and able to proclaim a
cherished value publicly. A value releases your energy. A value energizes your work. Some
examples might be: justice, excellence, family, wealth, democracy, egalitarianism.
List three:
1.
2.
3.
IV. Metaphor
What is your rabbinic metaphor? A metaphor is a figure of speech in which a word or
phrase that ordinarily designates a thing is used to designate another, thus making an explicit
comparison. A metaphor can be a tool to see the world. Peter Senge in the Fifth Discipline calls
them mental models – internal images of how the world works. Symbolic modeling teaches that
with metaphors we are working with the sub-conscious bypassing of cognitive processes and its
limitations. With metaphors, we can unlock feelings, beliefs, and experiences that can powerfully
convey to others our rabbinic value system. Some examples might be: Rabbi as Park Ranger –
teaches within a specific environment and enforces the rules. Rabbi as drop of water; the
presence that starts it all.
My metaphor for the rabbinate is:
V. Accomplishments
Think about specific, concrete contributions. What did you create, invent, reinvent?
What did you resolve, overcome, demonstrate? What, when and where did a colleague, member,
or participant tell you how you made a difference for them? Use the PARS Formula. Describe a
Problem, the Action you took, the Results you achieved and the Skills you applied. For example
– “Attendance at a Friday night service was on the decline. Took initiative to reorganize by
introducing lay-led divrei Torah. Service attendance tripled. Applied my leadership and conflict
resolution skills.”
Using strong verbs and PARS model, list three:
1.
2.
3.
VI. Religious Leadership
When looking for employment as a rabbi, employers want to know about the rabbi’s
personal religious practices and theology.
Write a few comments about your religious/theological commitments.
1. Where are you on the religious practice spectrum personally?
2. Attitude towards the inclusion of women in religious service? Imahot in the liturgy?
3. Attitude towards the inclusion of gays/lesbians in your congregation?
4. Style Torah reading you prefer – full or triennial and why?
5. Which mitzvot are most important to you?
VII. Holland's Occupational Themes (RIASEC)
John Holland developed a theory to link personality with career choices. The parameters
he measures are usually displayed as an interactive hexagon. The six corners are: realistic,
investigative, artistic, social, enterprising, and conventional. In 1974, the theory was
incorporated into the Strong Interest Inventory. Research was done to link personality types to
college majors and career choices, building a huge database of information. The results involved
correlating aptitudes along these six dimensions with self-reported aptitudes of people across a
wide variety of fields. Although you have already decided to be a rabbi, the Strong Inventory
will still be helpful: a) for deeper insight into your work personality and b) to drill down which
aspects of the rabbinate most appeal to you. The Holland Inventory is now available free on line
at: http://www.mynextmove.org/explore/ip. Click on "tell us what you like to do."
My Holland Code is:
Which aspects of your personality drive your rabbinate? e.g., Social: I am always mindful of
what others think. Investigative, e.g., I push truth to power.
VIII. Myers-Briggs Type Indicator Instrument
The MBTI is an instrument designed to validate C.G. Jung’s theory of psychological type
and make it practical and useful for people. It is a self-reporting instrument. MBTI is the most
widely used psychological instrument in the world. There is a free instrument at:
http://www.humanmetrics.com/. On the site it is called the Jung typology test, just different
nomenclature for the MBTI.
http://www.myersbriggs.org . Good introduction and background to the inventory, also a good
bibliography.
http://www.personalitypage.com. Good place to get a picture of the 16 types, excellent place to
validate your type.
Much of the work of the RA Career Office is based on the client knowledge of their MBTI. It
can be helpful to better understand your interviewing style, your decision making style and your
choices for employment.
My type is:
IX. Geography is Important
I want to relocate to
I need to relocate to
Thank you for your participation. Now apply your increased self-knowledge to your rabbinic job
search. I wish you well on your journey.
Rabbi Elliot Salo Schoenberg
RA Career Center
Revised Summer 2011