Assessment Forum – February 2022

Instructions:  You have been asked to help design a career assessment program for your customers. What are one or two assessments [formal or informal] you would use with your customers? Make one original post and then respond to one classmate’s post. You will make a total of two posts.

Remember that our learning group works in a full value environment: We treat our colleagues with respect and professionalism. Our comments should reflect this culture.

28 thoughts on “Assessment Forum – February 2022”

  1. alejandra.lopez says:

    There are two assessments that I would have customers complete in order to better gauge their strengths and potential career alignments: 1. California Career Zone and 2.Clifton Strength Finders. The first assessment that they would take would be clifton strength finders in order to grasp what are their natural talents that they can hone in and maximize. The second assessment they would take would be CA career zone so that they can consciously answer the questions based on their strengths.

    1. alcontreras says:

      Hi Alejandra,
      California CareerZone has definitely been my go to when it comes to assessments. I have never heard of Clifton Strength Finders, it is interesting how it assesses natural talents. I will definitely check it out and see how I can use it! Sounds pretty interesting!

    2. tou.thao says:

      The Clifton Strength Finder is an excellent assessment. I like how you design it that it is the first assessment prior to going into California Career Zone.

    3. fabian says:

      I have used California Career Zone with my students as well and I have found it useful because it helps with their personal awareness. The more they know about themselves, the higher chances they will pick a career they will love.

  2. sdesmangles says:

    Hello Alejandra,
    I am familiar with California Career Zone as this is one of the many assessment tools that our students use to focus on their strengths as you stated. I have not heard of the Clifton Strength Finder assessment, is this one free? If so, I will think about adding it to our Career Center website as one more tool for students to use.

  3. sdesmangles says:

    Hello Alejandra,
    I am familiar with California Career Zone as this is one of the many assessment tools that our students use to focus on their strengths as you stated. I have not heard of the Clifton Strength Finder assessment, is this one free? If so, I will think about adding it to our Career Center website as one more tool for students to use.

    1. lizbeth says:

      We use the Clifton Strength Finder assessment in our summer academy and students seem to enjoy it and discover what their five strengths are and how they are able to use them in their day-to-day life.

  4. sdesmangles says:

    Hello Alejandra,
    I am familiar with California Career Zone as this is one of the many assessment tools that our students use to focus on their strengths as you stated. I have not heard of the Clifton Strength Finder assessment, is this one free? If so, I will think about adding it to our Career Center website as one more tool for students to use.

  5. alcontreras says:

    If I am thinking in terms of what I do and what my goal is based on my job (which is finding internships for students), I would assess them with the “Interest Profiler” from California CareerZone. Most of us know what path we want to take, however, there are many that don’t even know where to start. I feel like the interest profiler is a great start for someone who has no idea what they’d want to pursue. It is such an interesting assessment to take because there may be jobs on there that they have not thought of doing but based on your interests it may be fitting. Not only could this be a good start, but the interest profiler can also confirm your interests. I feel like this is the easiest and detailed assessment you can use if you haven’t had prior training. It’s definitely a level A assessment and a great introduction to testing/assessments.

    1. yesica says:

      Hi Alcontreras,
      I completely agree with you, I think the “Interest Profiler ” from the California CareerZone really helps students decide what kind of occupation or jobs they might want to explore based on their interest. I personally find it very helpful!

    2. keenya.powell says:

      Hi Alcontreras,

      I love CA CareerZone. It’s a great assessment to use with students. I also really like the other assessment that has students predict what they would like their future life to look like (car, house, married or not, etc.). At the end it tells them a range of how much money they would need to make in order to have that lifestyle. It works well with the interest profiler.

    3. jwongchen says:

      For the same reasons as you, the CA CareerZone Interest Profiler has been a good initial assessment for high school students. The results were affirming for many, but also a good conversation starter for those surprised by (some of) their results. The site’s bundled tools for skills and work importance assessments, as well as options for further research, budgeting and goal setting is also handy.

  6. tou.thao says:

    The assessments I would use in a career assessment program is the Campbell Interest and Skills Survey and WIP Values Inventory at CA Career Zone. Using Campbell Interest and Skills Survey its scales can reflect an individual’s attraction for specific occupational areas helping direct the participant to a specific industry. Coupled with Campbell Interest and Skills Survey the WIP values inventory will allow the participant to delve deeper into their career interest to see if it matches with their values. These two assessments build on each other and allow the participant to put into consideration when looking for a career their values and to see if it pairs well.

    1. sabrina.leonard says:

      Top of the morning to you, Tou. I am pleased to hear the assessments that you are using so that I can familiarize myself with them. The Meyer’s’-Briggs Personality Assessment True Colors that I have been utilizing I am not qualified to use (unbenounced to me, oops). I am looking forward to collaborating with you to learn these new tools.

  7. sdesmangles says:

    Like our manual points out in Chapter 4, (Chapter 4; 4-3) the first thing we should do is be clear that whatever assessment tool(s) we come up with we must be able to understand and explain to our students the reason for them taking the assessment. We should be able to explain what type of results the assessment will produce and how they might be used. Lastly, it is a good idea to tell students that any assessment is there to help them explore and make decisions about their future but should not be used for the screening or hiring process when they are applying for a job, per the instructions on how we should use the results of the O*NET Interest Profiler information (https://www.mynextmove.org/explore/ip-print?t=i&z=0&i=000126171109)
    It will be our responsibility to “understand and work within the ethical standards that apply to the use of assessments.” (Chapter 4; 4-5)

    I would like the assessment program that we come up with to align with a theory I (we) support. For example, Krumboltz Learning Theory which proposes that the primary role of career services providers is to “help clients learn to create more satisfying lives for themselves. He rejects the notion that the primary goal is for clients to declare a future occupational goal” (Chapter 3; 3-22). Krumboltz research showed, few people who are currently employed are doing what they choose to do at age 18, including myself. For students, I would use an informal assessment, like the Structured Interview, which I believe is more useful with diverse groups of students especially since the questions can be changed to fit each situation. This approach is based on a dialogue versus the interpretation of results from an assessment tool. Our manual (Chapter 4;4-25) states that not unlike Krumboltz Learning Theory, the Structural Interview, …”The heart of this approach is not one of matching a person to an occupation…”but instead helps identify what ideas are important to each student

    1. alejandra.lopez says:

      Hi Sdesmangles,

      I completely agree with you and the book that whatever assessment we decide to go with, we should be able to fully explain the purpose of why we are having our students do the assessment and the outcome. I personally like the O*Net profile because it helps clients identify what they are naturally inclined to, but I personally feel that it is not as holistic as I’d like it to be (thinking as a sixteen year-old). You have a great post!

  8. fabian says:

    The first assessment I would choose would be a skills inventory instrument (Skillscan) to help the client reflect more on the skills they good at weather they are aware of them or not. The hope is to get them to think about their skills so they are aware of them when building their resume’s, writing their cover letters, and when they are interviewing.

    The second assessment would be a personality inventory assessment like True Colors which would help shed light on areas of their personality that they may be able to connect to different careers. With both of these assessments we would have enough context, and data to move the client forward.

  9. lizbeth says:

    For my clients, I would use the abilities test because this will help me place them in a career or job occupation that matches their abilities. As noted in the chapter, I will use the test of adult basic education (TABE). The second assessment I would use would be the personality inventories assessment which will help the client and me to know more about their personality. The more the client knows about their personality the easier they know about the career they want to choose. The assessment I would use is the sixteen personality factor.

  10. lizbeth says:

    For my clients, I would use the abilities test because this will help me place them in a career or job occupation that matches their abilities. As noted in the chapter, I will use the test of adult basic education (TABE). The second assessment I would use would be the personality inventories assessment which will help the client and me to know more about their personality. The more the client knows about their personality the easier they know about the career they want to choose. The assessment I would use is the sixteen personality factor.

  11. lizbeth says:

    We use the Clifton Strength Finder assessment in our summer academy and students seem to enjoy it and discover what their five strengths are and how they are able to use them in their day-to-day life.

    1. bwortmann says:

      When you’ve used Clifton Strengths, to what depth did you use it? I’ve taken it as a professional development module, but I’ve never used it with groups. The book/instructions are still actually sitting on my desk, but I left the school district to take my current job right as we were starting a PD series based around Strengths. I only know of it from that one experience and am unfamiliar with it otherwise. Is cost an issue with it?

  12. yesica says:

    Since I work alot with the youth and students the first assessment I would use for my students would be the “Interest Profiler” from the California Career Zone. This assessment would help my students discover occupational options that match the best with their interest. Secondly, another assessment I would use with my students would be a personality inventories assessment specifically True Colors. This assessment will help my students better understand themselves and learn more about their qualities and characteristics of their own personality style. I believe the more the person knows about their personality the easier it becomes for them to choose a career that fits best with them.

    1. princess.walton says:

      We use the same with our Adult Learners. I agree this is a helpful tool for them to discover occupations that match their interests. We also use True Colors and use it to help with Self Awareness ‘and it also helps one to identify others personalities and then adapt/know how to respond. We have shared it helps in interviewing, communicating, and self awareness. I think the one that I would maybe explore more is ONET.

  13. bwortmann says:

    Jobs Ohio recently started funding some organizations to use a tool called YouScience. It combines both aptitude and interest assessments. While it’s a lengthy formal assessment, it packaged the results in a useful and easily understood way. I wouldn’t want to use YouScience in the first meeting, but with the right amount of coaching ahead of time it could be helpful. In rolling it out to other organizations we had an early adopter speak to us and she spoke highly of it either reinforcing what clients were thinking about their careers or allowing her to dig deeper with clients to secondary careers for people looking to leave their current industries.
    In a less formal way, I’ve liked used True Colors and 16 Personalities, too. True Colors worked well with groups and makes a good icebreaker when you’re still in the rapport-building stages.

  14. keenya.powell says:

    When I worked with students I really liked the Strengths assessment. The idea that you are helping students or adults define positive parts of their personality really worked for me. Seeing students light up when they realize that maybe something that they have always been told was a problem or deficit but now is a strength that they can build on is wonderful. Strengths is a performance based assessment that helps people understand their innate skills. I believe it would be considered informal because it is based on a persons potential and performance. The questions change as the individual answers them.

  15. jwongchen says:

    Three data points I may already receive about my high school Internship Program students are via Naviance: the Career Interest Profiler (which is similar to the CA Career Zone Interest Profiler that I assign at the start of the semester), the StrengthsExplorer (through Gallup, so I assume similar to CliftonStrengths), and the Career Cluster Finder. If I were to pick the two most valuable assessments, I would use the CA Career Zone Interest Profiler (because their site is linked with additional context and resources) and the Naviance StrengthsExplorer. This combination will assist students’ career exploration by better understanding their top areas of importance, as well as their three top talent themes. I’ve noticed that free services such as High5 offer free versions of several tests (Myers-Briggs MBTI, 16 Personalities, StrengthsFinder, StrengthsQuest, HEXACO, CliftonStrengths, DISC, Big 5, Jung, Enneagram, Helen Fisher, Kolbe, and VIA Character) and after reading Chapter 4, I am curious if these are held to the same standards of validity and reliability as the official tests.

  16. sabrina.leonard says:

    I have been utilizing the Meyer’s-Briggs Personality assessment-True Colors. I was unaware that I needed to be trained by them in order to discuss the results with the students. It does make sense that you need to be qualified to explain the results with the summary that prints when you complete it. I do feel that it would be a great source to become qualified to use these specific assessments. I will be working closely with my team to start utilizing other assessments. I feel it is a great tool to understand your own personality & how your personality meshes with others in the work environment.

  17. princess.walton says:

    We use a variety of assessments. One happens to be the profiler on my next move, True Colours Personality Assessment, and CaCareerZone Interest Profilers. We use this for clients who have no clue what they want to do and we also have begun using this in the classroom for our workforce readiness class. Informal assessment we use is True Colors is used to understand others and what motivates oneself and others. It can help to be intune with others so they are able to code switch or simply communicate effectively in each setting based on the person in front of them. We also use it for identifying interests in careers based on color. CaCareerZone helps to dive in deeper to the exploration of the career based on their interest profiler. They can research each career that matches. You can compare and see what schooling is needed for this as well. It is very detailed and offers a lot of insight to our customers.

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