A Closer Look at Career Tests
I’ve heard many mixed opinions about career assessments. Many make use of career assessments such as high school students, university students, those who are changing careers later in life, etc. In fact, there exists a wide array of career tests that are readily available either online, on magazines or during a visit to a guidance counselor at your school. However, misleading career tests can have extremely detrimental consequences such as leading people in an unsuitable career path. So how do we know to pick which test to do? This is not an easy task!
Prior to writing this blog, I completed some career tests online. Among few things that I noticed was that not all career tests arrive to the same conclusion even thought I was being honest and consistent between tests. The variability of the content of the questions is very high between tests, which might in fact explain the inconsistency in the conclusions. Career tests do not provide fixed choices of jobs but rather a broad description that may fit several careers.
Therefore, I did research on how to choose a career test that will yield a more accurate portrait of myself. First of all, it is important to verify the reliability and validity of the tests prior to fully adhering by the results of a test. There are many invalid tests online that one should be alert of. Another very important tip is to adjust the expectations of taking a career test because many believe that following the completion of this test, they will have a concrete answer for their future but this is not the case. Career tests are meant to guide a person in their choices, help a person explore different options and to provide recommendations based on their personality but no test can definitely point toward one option that is the best suited path. Career tests shouldn’t be considered a short cut for being fully involved in the process of exploration. Finally, answering honestly is very important rather than trying to fit answers that are consistent with a certain type of career.
References:
http://www.cnn.com/2007/LIVING/worklife/09/21/cb.career.tests/
