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Career Tests Identify Your Potential

What can career tests tell you that you don't already know? Hmmm, good question. Maybe nothing.

But it is possible that an assessment will open doors of opportunity that you didn't even know were there.
career tests success
A career assessment is an excellent way to help you make the right choices about your career.

A word of caution though. Career assessments will not give you exact answers to your career concerns.

Completing a personal analysis will give you a better understanding of your skills, interests and abilities. It will highlight career options that you might not have thought about yet. But it cannot tell you what to do.

Think of it as a tool that you use. At the end of the day you need to take all the information you gather and make a final decision about the career changes you wish to make.

My guess is that you're interested in an evaluation for one of two good reasons. Either you want to confirm that the career you've got in mind is right for you, or you are not sure which career to follow and want some good ideas.

If you're nodding your head then a test will give you answers you need. Best of all the results will give you confidence to make a decision about your career.

Career tests are excellent for...

anyone thinking of or making a career change.
anyone feeling "stuck" in a job and wanting renewed energy in their work lives.
those of us entering the workforce after a break.
making career decisions after losing your job or being retrenched.
people starting work for the first time.
anyone looking for a career that includes a sense of meaning and purpose.

You can even advance your present career as a test will give you insight into your abilities and help you market yourself strategically.

What else is a career assessment good for?

Good question!

Many online career tests are really interesting and can be fun - and they'll give you good suggestions about the right career for you. But take care that you know what you are completing...more about this later...
You'll discover more about your personality and your character (your interests, values, preferences, motivations, aptitudes and skills, for example).
You can also use a test to get a sense of how satisfied or successful you are likely to be in different work environments. When you know that a career area is right you'll be positive and confident in your work.
An assesssment can suggest career ideas that you had not thought about before.
An assessment can simply help to give you a sense of direction regarding your career.
Sometimes a career assessment is useful to rule out some of the career ideas you have.

This list could just go on! Completing a career test, especially a holistic career assessment, is always going to benefit you.

So - Which career tests are best for me?

Well, that really depends on what you want.

If you're just doing a career quiz for fun or out of mild interest in the end result then many of the free online tests will meet your needs.

But as soon as you are taking career assessment more seriously, and are really wanting to use the results as a guide, you need to be looking for a more serious test.

Why? Because you want to trust that the career test is actually measuring what it says it measures.

Look for career assessments that promote their validity as a selling point. The test should have references to studies published in peer reviewed scientific journals.

You should look for, or ask for, references and/or a professional manual. If these aren't available then the test is not valid and you should avoid it. A recommendation by a large organisation is not enough.

Another option you have is to use a professionally
trained career counsellor who understands the
importance of validity.

Online or Offline career testing?

There are some important differences between online and offline career assessments:

Online career tests are all the automated tests, assessments, and inventories available on the internet. You select answers to standard questions and a final page gives you instant feedback.

Use these if you're having fun, but don't take the results too seriously. There are good online tests, but look for evidence that the online career test is valid.

Some online tests do require payment, but generally the fees are not expensive.

The only trouble with an online career test is that you don't have access to someone to help you make sense of the information. You might consider taking the results of the tests you do to a career counsellor who can help you apply the information to particular career areas.

Offline career tests are career assessments used by professionals in various settings. These are generally standardized tests and can be computerised or paper and pencil tests.

Licenced or registered professionals should only be using valid tests, but there's no harm asking for evidence of this. There may be a delay between completing the test and receiving results and feedback. You should expect to pay for the service, although discounts or group rates may be offered.

Holistic Career Assessments

These days many career counsellors talk about using holistic career assessments. Usually this means that you're getting more than a dude in a suit telling you what job to do after you've filled in a questionnaire or two.

Career testing used to be done this way - it was based on a traditional logical-positivist worldview that believes everything, including your abilities or personality, can be measured and compared to some kind of 'normal'.

You would complete a career test that simply compared your answers and 'personality' to some kind of standard and then pushed out an answer, an ideal career, for you.

No-one tried to understand your context or the meaning you attach to particular qualities.

Fortunately this has changed. There's a growing awareness that humans cannot just be measured and expected to conform to particular laws and principles. More emphasis is placed on understanding your qualities with in the context of your life and the meaning that this has for you.

Rather than answering "what job can I do?", holistic career assessments answer "what should I do with my life?". Holistic career tests take personal contexts and how these influence your career decisions into account.

You'll find there's less emphasis on the scoring of tests and more emphasis on understanding the results in the context of your life.

In a dramatic turnaround, you are considered to be the expert in your life, rather than the person assessing you.

This kind of career test is not readily available online and you will need to find a career counsellor who understands the concept of holistic career assessment.

If they're talking about 'holistic' career assessment check what they mean by this and what they are offering you. Find out how long the assessment process will take. A holistic career assessment is not usually completed in one session.

A few more thoughts before you take a career test...

Okay, so you're aware that before you commit to a career test you might want to know

If the test is valid, and
If the assessment is holistic or based on scoring particular qualities (or both).

In addition to this it's useful to ask

What does the career test measure? Career assessments are designed to assess different qualities.
For example, a test known as the 'Values Scale' measures your values and needs, while the '19 Field Interest Inventory' measures your interest in specific activities.
Career tests might focus on measuring skills, values, personality, aptitude, or interests. Be aware of the tests being used. It's best to complete a number of tests that measure different attributes.
Who is the target customer? Some career tests are broad and are designed to be used by anyone looking for career guidance. Others are aimed at specific target groups such as school leavers, school subject choice, adults considering a
career change, or people wanting to develop
their current careers.
Career Test Resources
Personality Tests
If you know your personality type then you can apply that knowledge to a career and discover which career 'fits' best for you. That's the theory that drives much of the personality based career testing.
The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator® (MBTI) personality inventory is a popularly used career test.
According to the Myers & Briggs Foundation:
"Personality type is a practical tool for investigating what works for you, then looking for and recognizing work that satisfies your preferences...There are no right or wrong preferences...There are many benefits to understanding your own preferences, including how they affect you, how they affect your style of communication, and how they are different from what other people prefer...Knowing these personality strengths and challenges for yourself and others can help you understand and appreciate how everyone contributes to a situation, a task, or the solution to a problem."
Myers-Briggs Type Indicator® (MBTI) personality inventory: Find out more about the test and how to access it. There's often a fee associated with this test, but it varies a lot depending on who is offering the test.
Other resources for online career tests based on the MBTI personality inventory include:
Keirsey Temperament Sorter: This is a useful test and the free basic report gives you, well, just that, basic information.
You are required to buy more in-depth reports to access more information. The career temperament report will give you your personality type and career suggestions based on your temperament. The basic report gives a good overview but leaves you guessing at your specific personality type.
There are 71 short questions to answer and the basic report is free, although you are asked to register before you complete the test.
The Jung Typology Test from HumanMetrics is a useful free test. There are 72 short questions and you get an instant short report indicating your personality type.
It also includes a description of your personality type and a link to a list of careers associated with your personality type.

What Color is your Parachute?
Don't forget to get a copy of What Color Is Your Parachute? if you are serious about finding the right career. This book is updated every year and will give you up to date practical examples, instructions, and advice for choosing a career.

Interest Inventories
Interest inventories work to find a match between your interests and a career.
Career Key: The Career Key is based on John Holland's theory of career choice and is one of the few web based career assessments that gives a lot of information about its validity. It takes about 15 minutes to complete. Costs $9.95 and gives you the option to convert and pay in your own currency.
Campbell Interest and Skill Survey (CISS): This will take about 30 minutes to complete. The CISS is a very useful tool and gives a comprehensive report. Costs $18.00.
Great FREE career tests
CoachCompass® Assessment: Excellent test to discover areas for further development and coaching, but does not give useful ideas for career direction. Very simple report after completing an easy test consisting of 16 questions. You need to register first!
Future Proof Your Career: Completing the Future Proof Your Career questionnaire gives you a free online Personal Career Profile, designed to help you "Discover Your Work!"
Based on self assessment of your abilities and enjoyment of activities this test is a useful place to start. You need to register for this career evaluation and you'll be offered an e-book for $29.90 to help you interpret the results. There is a 60 day money back guarantee on this offer. Your results are available immediately and are also emailed to you a few hours later.
Careerlink Inventory: Measures aptitudes, interests, temperaments, physical capacities, preferred working conditions, and the amount of time you're prepared to give to studying or becoming proficient in the career.
This is easy to complete and excellent for opening up many career opportunities linked to your abilities. The assessment gives a percent match to a career area and offers specific ideas within that career area. You'll need to make careful decisions or consult a professional coach or career counselor for further assistance.
CDDQ.org: The Career Decision making Difficulties Questionnaire.
This free resource is designed to help you make career decisions. There are five different tools provided. Each has a slightly different emphasis to assist you with your career decision.
- Tool 1: Career Decision making Difficulties Questionnaire. What difficulties do you have in making a career decision and how can you overcome these?
- Tool 2: Career Preferences. Do you know what you're looking for in your future career?
- Tool 3: Discover your career decision making style.
- Tool 4: A systematic, 3-stage process leading to making a better career decision.
- Tool 5: Broad prescreening stage, then helps to locate promising career options, and then assists you to get relevant information about the careers.
This career assessment provides information about validity, but you'll have to read through a comprehensive Powerpoint presentation in the "for career counselors" area to get it. The career test is easy to complete and the feedback at the end of each of the career tests is useful. You're given plenty of information and recommendations. Definitely recommended.

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