July 2005
"To thine own self be true"
The World of Self-Assessment
By
President of Workforce Associates
and author of
NetWork: Maximizing Your Career Resources on the Internet
Available online and in print from Author House
July 2005
"To thine own self be true"
The World of Self-Assessment
By
President of Workforce Associates
and author of
NetWork: Maximizing Your Career Resources on the Internet
Available online and in print from Author House
It’s the beginning of the second half of 2005 and the economy is improving slightly. It’s a great time for you and Polonius to re-assess your skills and talents. So, if you're in a career transition or want to make a better move, now is a good time to use the Internet to see where your interests lie. If you haven't ever taken a self-assessment test, you may be surprised to find out what your values are. If you haven't taken a test in quite awhile, you may also be surprised to note that earlier interests and talents have melded into new combinations. The great thing about these tests is that there are no right or wrong answers. And because you can take them online, you'll get quick results to start your next career search with more confidence.
The world of online assessment tools is broad. Practically every university career resource center has information for its students to use in starting their careers. I have reviewed many of the links that these centers offer and have come up with a "hit" list of free or inexpensive resources for you to consider. Since none of them takes a lot of time, have fun taking at least three of these tests to see what patterns in your values and interests emerge consistently.
The Birkman Method
This is short, simple forced-choice free test that asks respondents to choose between two categories, even if they don’t particularly like either one. After you have answered the 24 questions, you will get a general description of your interests, skills, and preferred style (described in terms of the "Birkman Colors"), as well as a list of career areas that all of this points to, chosen from a list in the Princeton Review's Guide to Your Career and the online SSI Career Profile that is available for a fee.
Campbell Interest and Skill Survey (CISS)
The CISS® (Campbell Interest and Skill Survey) assessment uses targeted questions and analysis to help you understand how you will fit into the world of work after some post-secondary education. This test is provided by NCS Pearson, a leading publisher of career assessments for nearly 30 years, and author David Campbell, Ph.D., an internationally recognized expert in the field of career exploration. The fee for this test is $17.95.
The Career Interests Game
This is a quick, fun "game" designed to help match interests and skills with similar careers. It can help you begin thinking about how your personality will fit in with specific work environments and careers.
This game is based on Dr. John Holland's theory that people and work environments can be loosely classified into six different groups. Different peoples' personalities may find different environments more to their liking. While they may have some interests in and similarities to several of the six groups, they may be attracted primarily to two or three of the areas. These two or three letters are their Holland Code.
The Career Key
The Career Key, Lawrence Jones's interactive instrument, is a test that is also designed to determine your "Holland Code." It's relatively brief to take — though longer than the Career Interests Game — and does well at linking its list of occupations directly to the renowned Occupational Outlook Handbook in its current edition. By clicking on any occupation in Career Key's list, you will be taken to a detailed description of that occupation online. The inventory can be completed in ten to twenty minutes. Bookmark the results page so you can return and explore more career options!
Self-Directed Search
The SDS, developed by John Holland, can help you find careers or educational programs that match your special skills and interests. This $9.95 assessment tool is well-known and very popular among career counselors. The test takes only 15-20 minutes to complete online. Then a personalized report, based on your responses to the SDS questions, will appear online. SDS is a product of PAR, Psychological Assessment Resources, Inc.
Skills Profiler
Anyone can use this free tool from America’s Career Infonet to:
- build a list of skills that they currently have,
- identify occupations that require their skills,
- identify gaps in their skills and/or education for each occupation so they can get any necessary training to be most successful.
The Skills Profiler is helpful for anyone initially entering the workforce, students considering potential careers, or persons considering a jump from one occupational field or industry to another.
Let me know which tests you find most worthwhile. In the meantime, have a wonderful July 4th holiday and a terrific month of sun and fun! "Talk" to you next month.
Jane M. Lommel, Ph.D.
jlommel@WorkforceAssociates.com
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