Top Career Assessments to Identify Your Strengths and Ideal Job
Career Assessments: Tools to Help You Make Smarter Career Choices
Have you ever taken a career test and been told you’d make a great funeral director, scientist, or salesperson, when none of those appealed to you? Whether you’ve had a less-than-helpful experience in the past or have never tried one, career assessments can be powerful tools for identifying your strengths, interests, and ideal job fit. The right career test can help you uncover career options you may not have considered, understand why you feel unfulfilled in your current role, and even give you the insights needed to write a more focused, targeted résumé.
What is a Career Assessment and Who is it for?
In simplest terms, career assessments are tools that are designed to help individuals understand how a variety of personal attributes (i.e., values, interests, motivations, behavioral styles, aptitudes, and skills) impact their potential success and satisfaction with different career options and work environments. Assessments of some (or all) of these attributes are often used by individuals or organizations, such as university career services centers, career counselors, outplacement firms, HR staff, executive coaches, vocational rehabilitation counselors, and guidance counselors, to help individuals make more informed career decisions.
These decisions may be on the front-end, as in, “What are some suitable career options I should pursue?”, but they are also beneficial for helping experienced professionals assess why they are feeling unfulfilled in their current occupations or worse yet, totally “burned out.” Additionally, some individuals are “thrust” into exploring careers because the career path they were on is no longer viable, either because of industry, economic, or life changes. Career assessments can help you learn about occupations that are a good match for you, identify skills you bring to a job, and/or decide where you need training, consider careers you may not have thought about before, and even help you write a more personal, focused résumé. In short, a career assessment can help you make the best career decisions to grow both personally and professionally. However, there are some drawbacks. Although the results of an assessment may provide some enlightenment and options, it may not address your particular issues and needs. Additionally, some of the best assessment tools require the help of a qualified professional to ensure you interpret and apply the results correctly (lest you find yourself on a path to working in a funeral home!). Also, keep in mind that many of the assessments are based on your view of yourself, and we are often unaware of our strengths, weaknesses, and ingrained misperceptions. Assessment Tools: The Basics
Whether completed online or in print (paper and pencil), the majority of assessments are administered in the form of a questionnaire. You may be asked to choose from a group of options, select from terms that are most like you or least like you, or rate activities as those you most enjoy/least enjoy.
Each assessment is scored against characteristics of various occupations; the skills/abilities, interests, values, and motivations required to effectively perform and enjoy the occupation. Assessment results are not randomly matched to occupations. The Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) System, a United States government system of classifying occupations, is used by U.S. federal government agencies collecting occupational data. This system enables comparison of occupations across data sets. The SOC covers all occupations in which work is performed for pay or profit and reflects the current occupational structure in the United States. On the other side of the equation are the tools themselves, which are drawn from research studies, collected data, and theories developed by psychologists. Several well-known and popular assessments are modifications based on these studies. Free or Fee?
There are many fee-based assessments that a qualified career counselor can administer, score, and interpret, as well as many free career assessments available on the Internet. You may find it helpful to take more than one assessment to help you determine which evaluation provides the most reliable and useful results for you. If you find that the same career options are being suggested by more than one assessment, it’s worth exploring in greater detail.
Online assessments vary considerably in terms of interactivity, what they measure, what kind of results they provide, and whether they really are cost-free. Some tests provide only a short list of possible careers; others are highly detailed reports. Some assessments are totally free, others provide you with one level of results for free, but offer more detailed results for a fee. A few words of caution about taking an assessment online versus working directly with a qualified career services professional: Many assessments offered on the Internet lack evidence for validity and reliability. And when you register by providing your personal contact information, you are opening the door to future marketing and promotions from the assessment provider. Personality Style Assessments
Personality style assessments are probably the most common type of assessment. Although they go by different names, are administered in different ways, and present their findings differently, most are rooted in the Holland theory, the best-known and most widely researched theory on the topic of personality and career choice.
John Holland made it his life’s work to look at people and work environments. In 1985, he developed a classification system of personalities and work environments. According to Holland, in our culture, most people fall into one of six personality types:
Each personality type has a parallel work environment. People of the same personality type working together create a work environment that fits their type. People who choose to work in an environment similar to their personality type are more likely to be successful and satisfied. Holland created a hexagon model that shows the relationship between the personality types and environments. 
John Holland’s Career Personality Types – RIASEC Model for Career Planning
Assessments developed around the Holland theory link vocational interests to job families. For most people, two or three styles are stronger than the others. Like people, careers often reflect a combination of two or three of these areas. When you complete an assessment developed around Holland’s theory, you are presented with a three-letter RIASEC, or Holland Code, that represents the three personality types that best describe your work personality. For example, you might be EAS, which means enterprising, artistic, and social, or CEI, which translates to conventional, enterprising, and investigative. There is also a list of related careers and fields of study that correspond with your code.
To benefit from this theory, you must use the following:
John Holland’s Self-Directed Search (SDS)
Perhaps one of the simplest assessments developed around Holland’s theory, the SDS career assessment and exploration tool matches your aspirations, activities, and talents to the career choices and educational opportunities that fit you best. The online assessment takes about 20 minutes to complete, and a customized interactive report is generated at the end.
The fee for the online test and comprehensive, customized report typically ranges from $9.95 to $20.00, depending on the version and vendor. Learn more here: http://www.self-directed-search.com. Keirsey Temperament Sorter (KTS)
Also developed around the Holland theory, the KTS is a self-assessed personality questionnaire designed to help people better understand themselves and others. One of the most widely used personality assessments in the world, the KTS links human behavioral patterns to 4 temperaments and 16-character types.
Keirsey’s four temperaments are referred to as Artisan, Guardian, Rational, and Idealist. These four temperaments can be further subdivided, often referred to as “Character Types.” 
Keirsey Temperament Sorter – Four Temperaments and Sixteen Character Types
The assessment consists of 70 questions, with two choices for each question. Once the assessment is scored and your personality type is revealed, there are detailed profiles that describe the characteristics of that type.
You can take the KTS for free online and receive a free temperament report. You can also purchase the Career Temperament Report that provides suggested career matches, tips on communication/interpersonal skills, and insight on navigating the job market based on your personality type. Retail Price: The pricing for detailed reports and additional resources varies. Expect to pay around $19.95 for a comprehensive report or access to additional features. Learn more here: https://keirsey.com/. Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI)
One of the world’s most popular personality tools, the MBTI assessment uses a multiple-choice questionnaire to identify your preferred way of doing things.
Similar to the Keirsey Temperament Sorter, your natural preferences sort into one of 16 distinct patterns of behavior, called personality types, that are framed around how you:
These personality types are represented by specific letters. These designations are:
The underlying assumption of the MBTI is that we all have specific preferences in the way we view our life experiences, and these preferences underlie our interests, needs, values, and motivation. Knowing your Myers-Briggs personality type gives you a better idea of what makes you tick and how this translates into all aspects of your life, including your career. Hundreds of independent studies have established the MTBI’s validity, and its reliability has been proven statistically. You can take the Myers-Briggs assessment online, receive a report, and access an MBTI tool that will provide you with actionable tips and articles for your personality type. To ensure you are accessing the authentic online instrument, log on to https://www.mbtionline.com. The fee is typically around $50-$70, depending on the report level and vendor. For career-related assessments, visit https://www.mbtionline.com/en-US/Products/For-your-career, where career tests are listed at about $80.00. There is also a referral network that will help you locate a career counselor who is certified in the use of the MBTI instrument, which you can access through the following site: https://asia.themyersbriggs.com/consulting/career-management/career_coaching/ True Colors
Carolyn Kalil’s Personality Assessment (True Colors) is a personality system that is modeled as a graphical presentation of both Keirsey’s Temperament Sorter and the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator. True Colors differentiates the four personality types as Gold, Blue, Green, and Orange.
This free assessment asks you to choose one of two ways to finish 36 statements. When finished, you will be provided with web-based results in terms of four colors, with one-paragraph descriptions of each. The results can help you define your skills and talents, and possibly direct you to various career paths. You can access the assessment here: https://my-personality-test.com/true-colours Carolyn Kalil’s True Colors also offers an assessment (http://www.innerheroes.com/quiz.asp) valued at about $40.00. Kalil’s book, “Follow Your True Colors to the Work You Love”, provides additional insight about your “true self” and how to find your path to career success. DISC
DISC is a needs-motivated, observable behavioral profiling system that measures the energy put into approaching problems and challenges, influencing and coping with people, steadying, and facing the environment, and complying and justifying rules and details. DISC measures our underlying emotions, needs, fears, and the primary concerns that drive behavior.
DISC is notably easier to understand than the more complicated MBTI and is more intuitive to read and apply. DISC is also based on four basic styles and is simple and practical, even with the scoring process allowing for nearly 20,000 different combinations of plotting points for determining the uniqueness of people (the MBTI offers only 16 combinations of 4 different letters). The DISC measures your tendencies and preferences, your patterns of behavior. It does not measure intelligence, aptitude, mental health, or values. This assessment breaks down four core behavior styles, each represented by a letter:
This assessment contains 28 groups of four words or statements. Through self-selection, you choose words that are most like you and words that are least like you, and through those responses, the report reveals your behavioral style and communication preferences. Not only does it describe the real (natural) you, it also identifies your style and preferences as you display them according to your perception of the demands of your environment (your adapted style). One of the most widely used assessments by professionals in the career services industry is the DISC Career Style Report. It provides value to job seekers who are starting their careers, returning to the workforce, or in transition and unsure about the best career path. The fee for this online assessment and comprehensive report is about $80.00, and it can be found here: https://discinsights.com/products/disc-career-report-online. Gallup’s CliftonStrengths Assessment (formerly Clifton Strengths Finder)
Research conducted by Gallup, Inc. revealed that people are more productive, perform better, and are more engaged when they identify their natural talents and develop them into strengths.
The assessment measures your “talent DNA” based on the order of 34 themes of talent, which are sorted into four domains:
Your distinct combination of the 34 CliftonStrengths themes is your code; the pattern of talents that make you unique. Gallup’s research has proven that the odds are 1 in 33 million that someone shares the same “top five” combination of themes as you! This online assessment, which takes about an hour to complete, asks you to choose from 177 paired statements the one that best describes you. When you complete the CliftonStrengths, you will receive a personalized report, resources, and tools. You can access the assessment here: https://www.gallup.com/cliftonstrengths/en/252137/cliftonstrengths-online-assessment.aspx. There are three options to choose from, with prices typically ranging from $24.99 for your Top 5 Strengths to $59.99 for all 34 Strengths, with other packages available. Interest Assessments
An interest assessment can help you identify careers that meet your interests. Interest assessments usually ask you a series of questions about what you like and don’t like to do. The premise is that when you choose a career that matches your overall interests, you’re more likely to enjoy your job.
Motivational Appraisal of Personal Potential Assessment (MAPP)
The MAPP career assessment is perhaps one of the most widely used tools for finding a career that fits with your interests. It consists of 71 questions regarding your “likes” and “dislikes” and takes approximately 20 minutes to complete. The results are correlated with the Strong Interest Inventory and linked to an O*Net database of over 1,000 jobs/career options. You can see what jobs are the best fit, along with the education needed and career outlook.
You can access the assessment online at http://www.assessment.com. There is a free option, which will provide you with some “teaser” results. Fees to receive a full report typically vary from $19.95 to $129.95, depending on the depth of the report and any bundled services. The O*NET Interest Profiler
The O*NET Interest Profiler is a free 60-question assessment that measures your interests and shows how they relate to different careers. At the end of the Interest Profiler, you are presented with a list of careers that match your interests and preparation level.
Try it here: https://www.mynextmove.org/explore/ip CareerOneStop’s Interest Assessment
CareerOneStop’s Interest Assessment is a quick 30-question assessment that identifies your interests and matches them to careers. Your profile considers the activities you like as well as those you dislike. Your profile is then compared to the profiles of a variety of careers, and the most similar matches are listed in your results.
Access it here: https://www.careeronestop.org/Toolkit/Careers/interest-assessment.aspx. The Skills Profiler
The Skills Profiler identifies your skills and matches them to careers that use those skills. Plan to spend about 20 minutes completing your skills profile.
There is no charge to use the profiler. It is part of CareerOneStop’s free online services for job seekers. Take the Skills Profiler here: https://www.careeronestop.org/Toolkit/Skills/skills-matcher.aspx Comprehensive Assessments
The COPSystem consists of three assessments:
The CAPS measures your vocationally relevant abilities in eight areas:
A defining feature of this system is the unique way in which your occupational interests, abilities, and work values are measured and displayed in a single, comprehensive report. Your responses to each assessment will generate a personalized career profile that is organized around groups of jobs categorized into occupational clusters. The web-based COPSystem assessment takes a little more than an hour and a half to complete (20 minutes for the COPS, 60 minutes for the CAPS, and 20 minutes for the COPES). The cost typically begins at $13.00 per examinee for the digital version and goes up from there. For more information: https://www.edits.net/via/abilities Self-discovery is almost always an enlightening and often entertaining process. Consider taking one or more of the career assessments described in this report, and have fun! Final Thought
Ultimately, the goal of these career assessments is not to give you a definitive job title, but to provide a deeper level of self-awareness. By understanding your natural preferences, talents, and motivations, whether through the MBTI, DISC, or CliftonStrengths, you gain the clarity needed to make intentional career choices, pursue roles that offer genuine fulfillment, and strategically market your unique value to future employers.
Please contact Mandy Fard at Market-Connections, if you need help with resume writing, interview coaching, or LinkedIn profile optimization. Recommended ReadingAbout the AuthorMandy Fard is a Certified Professional Resume Writer (CPRW, CMRW) and Recruiter with decades of experience in assisting job seekers, working directly with employers in multiple industries, and writing proven-effective resumes. |
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AuthorMandy Fard is a Certified Professional Resume Writer (CPRW, CMRW) and Recruiter with decades of experience in assisting job seekers, working directly with employers in multiple industries, and writing proven-effective resumes. 
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