When I was in graduate school, I was taught to never call career inventories ‘tests.’ The reason is taking a test presumes that there are right or wrong answers.
Not at all. A career self-assessment is just that – an opportunity for you to learn more about your interests, values, skills and strengths, and to make you aware of areas that can be approved.
I explain to clients that these assessments are guides, to open a conversation to understand yourself better. Career coaches are trained to assist clients in interpreting these assessments.
An assessment that I prefer is CareerExplorer which is chock full of career info, client interests and trait and skills reports. The results are presented in an attractive visual format. When working with students, they would often just ‘look at the pictures.’ There is so much more to learn; it gives a person the language to talk about strengths, areas for improvement (that famous “what are your weaknesses?” question). In addition, an individual can learn more about a career field and the strength of the match according to their own results.
Some other assessment tools that you may have encountered are 16 Personalities based on the Myers Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI), the Strong Interest Inventory, Clifton Strengths, and even simple card sorts from Richard L. Knowdell. These are fun!
“Hence, career assessment and career counseling do not solely involve job related issues; rather, career assessment and counseling concern viewing the individual holistically and integrating career and personal information.”
Principles and Applications of Assessment in Counseling
By Susan C. Wilson
