Very few people know exactly what they want to do at the beginning of and throughout their career. Sometimes the responsibilities and experiences of a job change or the career path you are on, just aren’t a good fit anymore. Regardless of the reason, there are a number of powerful tools that can help those who are looking to find a fulfilling career.
Most of us are familiar with career and self-assessments. It is common for high school and college students to take skills, personality, and interests assessments to assist in planning a career path.
These tools are not only helpful for young people at the start of their careers; they can and should be used at any point to fine-tune employment goals and career direction as well as successfully help transition from one industry or job to another.
Fortunately, there are a wealth of options that provide insight and can lead to advantageous career choices. Some tests evaluate personality and temperament, others skill or natural affinity, and still others values and interests. While no test is perfect, the process of evaluating a person based on questions alone is not an exact science, these assessments can help identify qualities you may struggle to analyze alone. Utilizing a combination of assessments and inventories can deliver a more complete and useful bank of data as well as personal information.
Even with the results of self-assessments in hand, it can be difficult to parse and utilize the information gathered.
Working with a career professional not only offers a second, unbiased opinion, but also provides a source of knowledge on the most useful assessments as well as an understanding of the results.
With or without the aid of a professional, there are a broad variety of useful assessments available today, several of which we will discuss in more detail.
Two popular personal assessments are the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) and the Gallup StrengthsFinder. Both are personality and skills-based assessments that relate these factors to work environments, team dynamics, and the types of jobs that are most likely to help the test-taker thrive. Other personality tests are frequently used in professional environments, such as the Holland Code, DISC, and MAPP. The Strong Interest Inventory is commonly used to help job seekers determine which careers most closely suit their interests and MyPlan is a multifaceted assessment that takes a comprehensive approach to interests, values, skills, and personality in order to generate career suggestions.
Career assessments are powerful tools that can add value to career decision-making and the job evaluation process. Anyone seeking new challenges or interested in a deeper understanding of their personal traits as they relate to career choices can benefit from career assessments and positively impact job success and satisfaction.