Career Assessment Tools |
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Career assessment tests and tools are an integral part of defining one's ideal career and the key ingredients needed to reach one's career goals. A good assessment test, in addition to providing you with "3rd person analysis", also provides a written synopsis detailing your career-related strengths, key skills, and personality attributes. It helps one to know yourself which is the first step in deciding on any type of career path, career change, or work setting.
An assessment test will also help you clarify such areas as what type of working environment you are best suited for, motivational factors, coachability and collaboration, what size company, the percentage of group work vs. solo work, and how much freedom you need. It will provide another perspective in addition to your own and scientifically quantify your strengths, attributes and interests. When working with clients, I describe an assessment test as the "third person in the room"; there's the client, the assessment test, and the career coach. The key to using an assessment test is to look for the similarities regarding your test results as they relate to your key skills, traits and interests in comparison to other career-related exercises and discussions.
Ascend Career and Life Strategies recommends the following career assessment tools:
- CenterMark- personality
- MatchPoint- interests
- ValueBase- values clarification
CenterMark (Myers Briggs)
Understanding ourselves and others better is one of the keys to successful career development. The more you understand about yourself, the better your decisions will be and the more effectively you will be able to implement those decisions. Your personality preferences can help you define your ideal career and then how to improve your chances for success when making a career transition or change.
CenterMark is an assessment based on the research of Myers Briggs. It has a comprehensive database for each of the 16 types and emphasizes twelve areas of success in one's worklife, including:
| • | Unique Characteristics |
• | Approaches to Problem Solving and Decision Making |
| • | Contributions to the Organization |
• | Conflict Resolution |
| • | Successful Careers |
• | Motivators |
| • | Management Style |
• | On a Team |
| • | Communication Style |
• | Change Management |
| • | Learning Style |
• | Opportunities for Growth |
Taking the CenterMark inventory and receiving professional feedback will help you identify your unique gifts. The information enhances your understanding of yourself, your motivations, your natural strengths (when your preferences are developed) and your potential areas for growth. It will also help you appreciate people different from you. Understanding your MBTI is self-affirming and encourages cooperation with others.
CenterMark can be used for a wide variety of purposes:
| • | Self understanding and development |
• | Management and leadership training |
| • | Career development and exploration |
• | Organizational development |
| • | Identifying potential career fits |
• | Problem solving |
| • | Team building |
• | Academic counseling |
MatchPoint
One of the most important challenges facing individuals today is finding the type of work that will maximize their career satisfaction and productivity. Career satisfaction has been related to satisfaction with life in general, the turnover rate within the organization, and productivity. Individuals who are well matched to their jobs are more likely to be effective in what they do and more likely to enjoy their association with the organization.
Based on the work of John Holland, MatchPoint is a career development tool that:
| • | Supports individuals in their career planning and increases their potential for job satisfaction |
| • | Helps individuals better understand their values and goals, world view, professional contributions, developmental needs, and potential pitfalls |
| • | Assists individuals in identifying where within the organization their interests, values and skills best fit |
| • | Better understand how they like to be managed, how they like to manage and delegate to others, and how they prefer to interact with their peers |
| • | Serves as a catalyst in job/career discussions between individuals and their career coach, interviewer, or manager |
| • | Reduces work-related stress by assisting in a better job/person fit |
ValueBase
The assessment is designed to help you identify your values and establish the important priorities at this time in your career/life. Understanding your values and priorities give you a foundation for evaluating your career options. This knowledge will help you decide whether the next phase of your career will be an all-out push for income and professional growth, for example, or time for more family and personal satisfiers.
Contact Ascend Career and Life Strategies at info@ascendcareers.net or 303-245-7049 if you are interested in taking any of the above-mentioned recommended career assessment tests. A qualified career coach will administer the test and then assist you in reviewing and interpreting the results.
