Instructions: You have been asked to help design a career assessment program for your students. What are one or two assessments [formal or informal] you would use with your students? Make one original post and then respond to one classmate’s post. You will make a total of two posts.
74 thoughts on “Assessment Forum – February 2025”
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.
I would use CareerScope because I have used it myself and found it to be very accurate. I also have found it easy to use with the clients. I would also use the O*net interest profiler to compare the two results and expand further into labor market information.
Hi Holly,
I think it’s great that you’re bringing in CareerScope—especially since you’ve used it yourself and found it accurate. That personal experience definitely adds credibility when introducing it to clients. I also like your idea of pairing it with the O*NET Interest Profiler to compare results. That kind of cross-checking can really help clients see patterns and make more informed decisions. Plus, connecting it to labor market information is such a smart move—it makes the assessment results even more practical and action-oriented. Great strategy!
I like the to use the O*Net Interest Profile as well. I agree that the personal experience adds creditability when introducing to the clients. it also gives client other career options and can give clients an eye opener that they do have value and skills that can enhance their career paths.
Hi Peter,
I also use O’Net Profiler. I really like it because the customer can see results right away and can better understand their career choices. As you mentioned it is an eye opener and results that they can use to make better or affirm their career paths.
Thanks for sharing that combination of CareerScope and O’NET and I agree and as a Career Navigator it helps do the work for us and the client to see it for themselves and I am not telling them as a Career Navigator. They see the results of their own answers and awesome discussions to brainstorming with the results for the client to understanding what a good fit for them to find employment or training to employment opportunities.
I am interested in trying CareerScope, as I have never utilized it before, and it sounds great. Is there a free assessment online, or do you have to purchase it? I, too, utilize the O*net interest profiler, as it is a quick and easy way to produce a good baseline of results for clients to start exploring.
I would incorporate both a formal interest inventory and an informal values clarification exercise.
One formal assessment I’d use is the O*NET Interest Profiler. It helps customers identify their top interest areas using the Holland Code framework (RIASEC), which can guide them toward career paths that align with what they naturally enjoy. It’s structured, research-based, and gives clients a solid starting point to explore occupations that match their interests.
Alongside that, I’d use an informal assessment like a Values Card Sort activity. This allows clients to identify what they value most in a work environment—such as flexibility, stability, creativity, or helping others. Chapter 4 emphasizes that informal assessments are equally important in helping individuals reflect on their priorities and make more meaningful career decisions.
Combining these two tools provides a well-rounded picture of both what the client likes to do and what they need in a career to feel fulfilled.
I agree with your approach of combining a formal interest inventory with an informal values clarification exercise, this can provide clients with a comprehensive career exploration experience. The ONET Interest Profiler introduces the Holland Code framework (RIASEC) and a structured way to connect their interests with potential career paths to explore. I’ve also had luck with the Values Card Sort activity as an informal assessment, I used this approach when I worked in the reentry sector of workforce development. In my experience, utilizing interactive online activities into these assessments enhances student engagement and self-reflection in the classroom. I’m able to provide my students an opportunity to explore explore real-world career possibilities that suits their personalities, skills and values.
I defiantly agree with combining formal and informal assessments. O-Net is my favorite go to for a formal assessment. An informal assessment is a more intimate way to have a conversation with your customers while getting to know them and their needs.
I agree with your approach in incorporating both formal interest inventory and informal values clarification exercises. The O*NET Interest Profiler is a great way to obtain their top interest areas using the Holland Code framework (RIASEC). Clients have been surprised on their results and gives clients a different outlook and potential career paths that never was addressed previously.
In regard to informal assessments, Value Cards Sort Activity is a fun activity if explained properly. I have given this informal assessment previously and clients do get a better understanding of their values in the work environment. I also agree with you in reading Chapter 4 thoroughly that informal assessments are equally important in helping individuals reflect on their priories and make better career decisions.
I love the values card sort activity and also found they offer an occupation set as well. I think having an understanding of your values, definitely helps with prioritizing what a person needs in a career. I am hoping to be able to purchase some of these cards to use with our clients!
I’ve had success with O*NET with my high school students for exploring career options based on their current skills and interests. Personality assessments are also an excellent tool to help students understand their work preferences. I’ve utilized Pathful, an online career resource tool for my high school students, to coordinate assessments for work values, personality and skills assessments.
Hi! I like the assessments you mentioned, especially working with youth. I came from youth and looks like both of these assessments work for you and are good tools to guide the students. O’Net I am familiar with, I googled Pathful and very interesting how you have 5 choices to pick from: Interest, Interest Lite, Work Values, Personality, and Skills. Looks like a detailed and good comprehensive assessment all around for an individual. Thanks for sharing this one!
Thanks for sharing about Pathful. I just looked it up and from what I can see at a glance, it seems to be very comprehensive and covers both opportunities with both post-secondary training and those occupations that don’t require additional education.
That is great to here. I am currently drafting a program. I was drawn to ONET for the reasons you listed. Good to know it works in practice! Ive never used these tools formally.
I would utilize CASAS as well as O-Net.
The CASAS assessment is very important in understanding what’s the education level of your client. If your client is in need of remedial classes or just a refresher it is important to understand where your customer is coming from. Once you have this Knowledge assisting the customer with taking the O-Net assessments is important in knowing their traits, strengths, and likes/dislikes. The assessment is very instrumental in guiding a customer to a career that would best suite them.
I totally agree! CASAS is a great way to get a sense of where someone is at academically, which is super important before diving into career planning. I’ve used this a couple of times with some clients in the CA area. It’s all about making sure they have the right foundation before moving forward. Pairing it with the O*Net Interest Profiler is a smart move because it helps match them with careers that fit their skills and interests. Using both really gives a well-rounded picture and makes it so much easier to guide them toward the right path.
I agree before sending my customer to any training I like to administer the CASAS or TABE test to make sure that they will be fit for the training before moving forward with sending them to training.
I also utilize the CASAS assessment when I have a customer wanting training assistance. The CASAS assessment helps one know the customer’s educational level and gives you an understanding if the they will be able to complete the training or like you mentioned if they will need remedial classes before attending their desired training.
I really like your approach! CASAS is a great way to get a clear picture of where someone stands academically, which is so important when helping them move forward. Pairing that with O-Net makes a lot of sense because it not only highlights their skills and interests but also connects them with real career options. That combination would definitely help people feel more confident about their next steps. I love how user-friendly O-Net is. Do you feel the same?
I agree and I also have used CASAS with my clients who come in wanting assistance with furthering their education with training assistance. I like how the assessment helps guide both the CA and the client in making sure their interests in career choice suits them and their interests.
Personally, I would utilize both O-Net and CareerScope. Both of these have benefits that can provide context for the client. Comparing both to see what a good fit would be I feel would give a very accurate overview of the client. Plus, referring to what Holly said, a lot of our clients tend to find CareerScope to be easy to work with which I see as being an ease of anxiety or nerves when taking the test. Having something that clients tend to have an easier time with taking to me helps get more of an accurate read.
I agree with you on the Career Scope, a lot of clients when I mention an assessment look startled and confused and ask if it will affect them with employment. I’m always cautious before beginning the assessment with them and make sure to let them know it’s not a pass or fail style assessment just to gain some knowledge about how they work. I’ve not tried the O*Net assessment yet, but as I’m reading all the comments and posts I may have to look into that one as a 3rd option for my clients.
I appreciate your point on the affect of the design of assessments on clients anxiety levels. I often see this with my students where they get nervous that they’re not understanding what a question is trying to ask, or they think that there is a “correct” way to answer questions to guide their results. I also like your approach of comparing the two assessments to gain a more accurate view of what their best fit would be. Thank you for sharing!
Both, formal and informal assessments are useful to provide information and assist with determining skills. Two formal assessments I have found to be effective are ONET Interest Profiler, as well as, My Skills My Future Assessment. Both of these assessments provide occupations and/or career matches based in interest and job skills. Alongside this assessment, I would add a formal assessment such as Texas Reality Check. This assessment provides information on how lifestyle choices can affect your cost of living. Using one of the above formal, as well as, the informal assessment will allow an individual to consider how their career choice will impact their lifestyle.
I find Texas Reality Check to be a great assessment to use as well when customers want to make a career decision based on a certain lifestyle.
There are two assessments that I feel work great with being guided to a career pathway that will fit who you are in a job, CareerScope and Myers Briggs Personality Inventory. CareerScope being one, this assessment is used with our clients in matching interest and aptitude with a list of careers and specific job titles to help identify a best fit career and to begin the educational planning process. In my previous employment at Loysville Youth Development Center we used the Myers Briggs Personality Inventory. This assessment is used to identify a person’s personality type and psychological preferences, broken down into four different cognitive functions to determine one’s personality. I have taken both these assessments, and they were spot on with my interests with CareerScope being Humanitarian and Leading/Influencing. Then my personality with MBPI being outgoing, organized, loyal, and tender-hearted gaining my energy from interacting with other people at work and able to continue within my community. We use the CareerScope for our clients and this assessment sometimes does and does not fall in line with the training of interest. It helps us work with the client to see if what he wants is truly the career pathway they would want to do. It allows for a good conversation, awareness of interests perhaps not known and/or a move forward.
I completely agree with your approach. I also included the Myers-Briggs assessment and I think it is a fantastic tool. I’m glad you highlighted its importance in career guidance, as well. Your strategic pairing of the MBTI with a specific career assessment is spot-on. We need that dual perspective to help our customers see the clear connection between their personality, interests, and career options. Great job!
When creating a career assessment program for students, I’d want to use a mix of formal and informal assessments to help them determine their strengths, interests, and possible career paths. The 2 I would include are the O*Net Interest Profiler for the Formal assessment. This is a great tool that helps students explore careers based on what they enjoy doing. It asks a series of questions about different work activities and then suggests careers that match their interests. Whether they prefer hands-on work, creative roles, social jobs, or business-oriented careers, this assessment helps point them in the right direction. I also like clients to do a Career Exploration interview. This activity gets students talking to someone who works in a career they’re interested in. They can interview the individual in the field to learn more about what the job is really like. Asking questions about daily tasks, required skills, and career paths gives them a real-world perspective, and even do some on-the-job shadowing to help them decide if it’s the right fit.
Rosie, your response is similar to what I do with my Junior and Seniors in high school who have not picked their “pathway”. I just downloaded the Personality Mosaic to use with some of my Seniors who have no career path. I plan to use this in conjunction with an interview to better formulate an idea of what would suit their needs. I love a good job shadow experience to fine tune their goals.
I would use Career Scope and Career Coach. With Career Scope you get a variety of interest based questions and a skill level through assessments to determine how knowledgeable your client/ student is. With Career Coach, you are able to determine the style of work the client/ student is interested in with the RIASCE method. This approach helps determine someone is better working with their hands or if they’d be better suited for a role in business.
I believe a truly effective career guidance process delves into an individual’s interests, passions, personality, and skills. I would combine the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) with the O*NET Interest Profiler to create a valuable synergy for career exploration. The MBTI, by focusing on personality preferences, provides insights into optimal work environments, communication styles, and task approaches. This allows customers to move beyond simply identifying potential jobs and start shaping a career path aligned with their nature. To complement the MBTI’s insights, the O*NET Interest Profiler assesses work-related interests, connecting them to potential career paths. By utilizing both of these tools, customers can gain an understanding that personality shows how they are likely to work best, while interests reveal where they will find the most fulfilling opportunities. This integrated approach empowers customers to make informed, authentic career choices, leading to greater fulfillment and success.
I agree, Peter. The audience significantly influences which assessments and tools are best received and understood. Factors such as maturity level and the transitional period a person or student is in can greatly impact the type of information they need to make informed career choices.
In helping design a Career Assessment Program for customers. I would need to know who my audience. In other words, will the Career Assessment Program be for youth or for adults. In addition, will accommodations be in place for individuals with disabilities. I will need to look at the steps in selecting of instruments and the purpose of the assessments and results and outcome. I would use Formal Assessments which would display fairness related to Diversity and Measures of Comparison especially toward known validity and known reliability. My formal assessment program will consist of Interest Inventory, Ability tests, Skills Inventory, Work Value Inventory, Personality Inventory, Career Thoughts and belief Inventories and Career Maturity Inventories.
CareerScope – CareerScope is a computerized career assessment and the results either confirm a direction a client is going in an occupation with their interest and a little aptitude or helps them question their direction and may move in a different direction.
It helps me as a Career Navigator to help an individual explore different career options based on their skills, interest, and values. I am able to send CareerScope through email for the individual to take it their own environment and on their own time. I encourage them to stay away from maybe answers. It allows an individual to go at their own pace.
It definitely minimizes intervention and freeing up of staff time. CareerScope is Industry focused and offers career advise along with one of the reports it provides is called CareerScope Assessment Profile Report which includes O’NET Recommendations and shares the Job Zones that O’NET explains.
O’NET – It is a Comprehensive Database, and it is Great to use for the Workforce Innovation Opportunity Act (WIOA) simply because everyone that comes to us is coming to us for employment opportunities. O’NET interest Profiler truly relates very close to confirming the CareerScope directive too. The details that O’NET provides further is the Outlook for the job and total details of the job down to the task of the job. Also, O’NET provides related jobs and how many of those jobs are in an individual area (Town, State, etc.) Along with Zones to explain what and how much training for a particular job. Example Zone 1 may need HS Diploma a little training to obtain a license, or no training and Zone 5 may need many graduate school coursework. All require at least a bachelor’s degree. There is so much more in O’Net, if a Career Navigator needs it, to answer question for some individuals that I had over the years. (A Pilot, an Attorney [both who were laid off during the years of 4 extension for individuals that were eligible for Unemployment Compensation])
You’ve highlighted some great tools! CareerScope sounds like a really efficient way to guide individuals through career exploration while giving them the flexibility to complete it on their own time. I also like how it connects with ONET to provide a well-rounded picture of potential career paths. The breakdown of Job Zones in ONET is such a helpful feature, especially for individuals navigating education and training requirements. Have you found that clients generally feel confident in interpreting their CareerScope results, or do they need additional guidance in making sense of the recommendations?
If I was being asked to design this for the student population I currently work with at my university, I would first use the O*NET Interest Profiler mostly because it provides broad categories and exposure to wide variety of careers in it’s answers. I appreciate this because it provides a great start for students to start diving into actually like doing, and then, it doesn’t funnel them into specific categories that might feel limiting or make them reject the process outright. Following this, the other career formal assessment I would use is not in the list provided, but it is the formal assessment I’m currently using and find highly valuable. My department is lucky to be able to provide CliftonStrengths to interested students. After students take the assessment, I think work with them to review their results and think about how their professional strengths can lead them to find the career positions or industries that will be the best fit for how they work and what methods they like to use.
As a Career Coach for 6th – 12th graders, I have to take into consideration maturity and buy-in. I know that I will have to be interested in the assessment to get valid results. Luckily, the online platform we use to assess student interest has a very user-friendly assessment complete with pictures illustrating the answers and a read aloud feature. So, it is accessible by most. The platform we use is called Schoolinks and before students can even have access to their accounts, they must onboard with an essentially a card sort of their preferences. For example, “Would you rather stay at home on a Friday to finish a good book or go to a party?” This type of assessment is engaging for kids, can be delivered independently, and offers immediate results of their interest and values. The online platform then takes this information to suggest career clusters for students to explore. I find this to be a very valuable starting point of career exploration.
I also have 24 years experience as a special educator. The year a student turns 14, career planning becomes part of their individualized educational plan (IEP), or a transition IEP. In the older grades, I valued the SDS (Self-directed Search) and O*Net resources for more extensive self-reflection and career research.
In my previous role as a Career Services Coordinator at a college, I utilized the World of Work Inventory (WOWI) to assess students’ strengths, interests, and work style personalities. This formal assessment provided comprehensive reports and triangulated results, guiding students to specific roles in the ONET database. I found the WOWI to be highly informative and educational for students exploring career options. When time allowed, I used this formal tool, but I also relied on informal tools like checklists and worksheets to initiate conversations with students. Additionally, I enjoyed using the ONET Profiler to guide discussions, helping students understand the value of detailed formal assessments like the WOWI. Through my roles, I have recognized the importance of using multiple tools to engage students based on their needs and maturity levels.
I am currently drafting a program for high school students. I may use the O*Net Skill Inventory because its a structured, nationally recognized way to help identify and understand their current skill sets even if they’ve never had a job before. It breaks down skills into categories like basic skills, social skills, and technical skills, which allows students to see that schoolwork, volunteer roles, and hobbies actually translate into applicable job skills.
I’m developing for the insurance and financial industries, where apprentices need to grasp transferable skills like attention to detail, communication, data analysis, and customer service. Hopefully O*Net helps students see a connection between what they already know and what the job requires.
This would be a great approach for high school students! I feel like the O*Net Skills Inventory would be a great tool for them to recognize the value of their existing skills, especially for those who may not have traditional work experience yet. It will even introduce them to skills they may not even realize are a skill. Breaking the skills down into categories will help them to see how their schoolwork, volunteer experiences, and hobbies connect to real job requirements!
I agree. That’s a perfect way to put it. O*NET is the simplest and the least intimidating to young individuals and anyone who is new to to the workforce and just need some guidance. I have been using it for a few years now. It helps individual identify their interest and see that they may posses transferrable skills needed/required for the workplace.
While I haven’t formally started career coaching in my role yet, I would love to facilitate a small group session with those in the same current role using an activity like the Holland Party Game. This would provide an opportunity for team members to connect and engage in meaningful conversations about their career interests and how it could help their growth within the organization. Following this group discussion, I would like to meet with each participant individually to review their insights from the activity. I would like to integrate assessments such as the O*NET Interest Profiler, along with personality tools like the Enneagram or Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, to help them gain a deeper understanding of their strengths and career alignment. This approach would create a structured yet personalized foundation for career development within our organization.
I love the idea of a small group session to start the discussion around career planning! This may be a good way to help participants think of different careers and interests that they had not considered pursuing. It also might be a good way to help participants who do better in small group settings. And to follow it up with individual discussion would be helpful to explore what they learned about themselves from the activity, and to process any specific insights.
I like the thought process of digging deeper to find strengths and then meeting with them individually.
I utilize Career Coach Assessment to where their answers give my customers Career Interest Results. The Career Coach Assessment provides the customer with their top five job categories and their top ten career matches. It also provides a percentage and a description of the following areas: realistic, investigative, artistic, social, enterprising, and conventional as they relate to Holland’s Hexagon. I review the Career Coach Assessment with my customer and discuss their skills, abilities and interests as it pertains to their results. The outcome of the assessment does not always match with the customers skills, abilities or interests but may lead to new interests in another line of work.
I agree with your comment 100%.
Because I work with around 10 clients at one time, I have them utilize O*net skills inventory to have them gain a basic understanding of their skills and interests. Once that activity is complete, I would like to host Hollands Party Game, the Forced Choice activity, to help break the ice between my clients and promote conversation on why they each made their decision. This would be followed by Knowdell Card Sorts, which consists of Career Values, Motivational Skills, Occupational Skills, and the Leisure/Retirement Card Sorts, creating a fun environment that promotes self-discovery.
Typically, my participants enjoy informal assessments rather than formal ones. Formal assessments tend to be more serious and raise feelings of anxiety, intimidation, and stress.
If I were designing a career assessment program, I’d use a mix of formal and informal assessments to give customers a well-rounded view of their career options. Two assessments I’d include are:
Holland Code (RIASEC) Assessment – This one helps people figure out what types of work environments and careers fit their personality. It breaks things down into six categories (Realistic, Investigative, Artistic, Social, Enterprising, and Conventional), which makes it easier to see where someone might thrive.
Skills Card Sort – This is a hands-on, informal activity where people sort different skills into categories like “Strengths,” “Some Experience,” and “Not My Thing.” It’s a great way to get people thinking about what they’re good at and what they actually enjoy doing.
Using both of these assessments together would give customers a clearer picture of their interests and skills, making it easier for them to explore career options that actually make sense for them.
I wonder how closely the Holland Code assessment and the skill card sort could align with careers that a client or student might consider. I believe your statement regarding how both assessments could provide a bigger picture of their interests and skills, but one could argue that they are too similar to make a distinction.
I would use informal as it can help me under stand the customer’s interests, skills, values, and preferred work environments. This can help you and the customer gain insights into potential career paths. I would also use the formal assessment O*NET Industry profiler. It’s simple and not intimidating and it is pretty accurate. This can help the customer Identify compatible careers and maybe discover some they would have never considered. I would also use the CASA aptitude assessment especially for individuals who are interested in training. I would use Texas Reality Check. Mainly for the youth. It’s a real eye opener and helps them see the necessary income needed to obtain and maintain the lifestyle they have chosen.
Thank you for sharing your thoughts, Katrina. I do agree that an informal assessment is beneficial to learning more about the participant and building a relationship with them prior to digging into career choices. Career coaching will be a new role for me an my organization. It will only be offered internally to employees. We have been introduced to O Net and I have taken the interest survey as well. I was not sure how i felt about it but low and behold it selected my former position as a “good fit.” LOL. I do like that it give so many options at different levels from entry level to those that require more education/certification.
I would use a combination of Holland’s O*Net Interest Profiler and Super’s Life Career Rainbow. Both assessments address matching a client/student’s personality and interests to appropriate careers (Holland) and provide insights for clients/students at various stages in their careers while deep-diving into their combination of life roles. In most situations, clients and students are facing a situation where they have to get to know themselves and how that aligns with the type of careers they should consider while facing life obstacles in their life roles. Furthermore, life obstacles and individual life roles can have a positive or adverse impact on the decisions they make regarding careers.
I believe using a mix of formal and informal assessments would give customers a well-rounded view of their skills, interests, and values. These are two assessments I would use:
1. John Holland Code (RIASEC) Career Interest Assessment (Formal)
This assessment categorizes individuals into six personality types (Realistic, Investigative, Artistic, Social, Enterprising, and Conventional). I use it to help customers identify careers that align with their interests and skills. The O*NET Interest Profiler is especially valuable because it offers a structured, research-based approach to career exploration and personal development. Personally, I appreciate its structured nature, as it is easy to understand and allows me to discuss results with customers to confirm their interests and potential career paths. It serves as a roadmap, providing a clear starting point for guiding my customers. Additionally, it establishes a strong connection between personality and work environments, helping individuals find a job that truly fits them.
I believe the assessment reassures individuals by highlighting their strengths, career preferences, and ideal work environments. Alongside the ONET Profiler, I also use ONET Online to explore career paths, which enables me to assist customers in further investigating their chosen careers or considering career changes. It provides valuable insights into skills, knowledge, education, training programs, and workplace environments. In my opinion, this combination allows me to offer well-informed career path recommendations fitted to each customer’s personal preferences.
2. Checklist of interests, values, or abilities (informal)
Reading through the informal types of uses assessment part of chapter 4, I would say I would use “checklists of interests, values, or abilities”. Currently, I use two to three different checklists which have skills, knowledge, or abilities that a customer may have. During my initial interviews I ask all my customers to provide their resume, even if it is outdated or a rough copy of what they have done. The idea is to work together and help my customers to better understand their strengths and skills as well as know themselves better.
I provide a list of skills, abilities, and strengths that we can capture so they can visibly see what they have to offer in the workplace. Making them see what top strengths and skills they have and trying match it to the career path they have chosen. It involves a little bit of work, but it also helps customers deciphering a career path. I believe this encourages self-awareness and aligns career choices with personal fulfillment.
I would use ONET. ONET, as it’s built with so much information for the client to search specifically for the career they are interested in. Being able to get labor market information and complete their profile to see matching results in their interests.
Yes, Carmen I used O*Net as a Career Counselor and found it to be very helpful to show my customers how their answers showed their interest.
Yes, I utilize Career Coach as well! It gives so much information. its my go too.
I would utilize the formal assessment of CareerScope and then follow up with a structured interview as a more informal assessment. I believe that this approach would get to the core of a participant’s likes, aptitudes, values, and their sense of self to help them determine what job would be most beneficial for them.
The CareerScope is a self-guided assessment that can be taken online. It measures a person’s interests and their aptitudes and then helps determine what jobs may be in line with both these aspects in a comprehensive report. The website that CareerScope connects to allows a participant to search the outlook for these jobs, as well as other information that may be helpful in making a career decision. As we read through theories, I felt that the CareerScope aligns well with aspects of Holland’s Vocational Choice theory.
The structured interview, which helps a person determine what themes are important to them through a series of specific questions, appears to be a good way to ensure that the career options a participant is choosing between is in line with their values. It seems as though this could help parse down the potential job options presented by an assessment like the CareerScope.
The role of Career Services Coach will be a new resource for our organization. I think a mix of informal and informal assessments will best serve our team. This is an internal service offered to team members employed with our health system. To first build a relationship with the team member, I think a structured interview would help the coach learn more about the team member and build trust. After information is gathered through the structured interview, that information can be used as talking points and a base for future conversations.
As far as the formal assessment, the O Net interest profiler seems to be an easy assessment to use. Career coaches within our system will need as assessment that is easy to administer, interpret, and review with the team member. Also, at this time, an assessment that is free to use will also be valuable. The results given by the interest survey will then be used to explore career opportunities within our health system.
I believe that I would use both informal and formal. With informal as a career advisor, I am able to evaluate the customer by gathering information before doing in any formal assessments. I feel it is important to have that trust with the customer that they feel open and comfortable with the career advisor. This is a way before they take the assessment you can help them prepare for the assessment. The assessment that we usually administer is the CASAS or TABE test before providing any training.
I agree before sending my customer to any training I like to administer the CASAS or TABE test to make sure that they will be fit for the training before moving forward with sending them to training.
When I was a WIOA Career Counselor, I utilized CASAS and O*Net. CASAS is great tool to see where someone is. I explained to my customers that this would be used to see where they are in reading and math. Basically, we want to make sure that they are able to comprehend the information presented to them in class. As for the O*Net if don correctly it will allow you to see what area you are most likely to flourish in. Many times, when they would see 60 questions, they would not take is serious and just run through it and I had to explain that in order for it to work and be accurate you needed to take your time and be honest.
As a Career Advisor for the TANF Choices Program I would incorporate formal TABE Test Assessment- (Test of Adult Basic Education) is a formal, standardized assessment used to measure the basic skills of adults in areas like reading, language, and math, and is aligned with College and Career Readiness (CCR) standards. For customers, suitable for a formal TABE test, focusing on topic understanding and applying knowledge of reading comprehension, language skills (grammar, vocabulary, sentence structure), and mathematics (arithmetic, algebra, geometry, data analysis).
As the customer enters the Choices Program, it’s crucial to assess the TABE Test and recognize the importance of the TABE test to ensure that all customers have the basic skills.
When setting up the TABE test for customers, the Career Advisor offers a free website (tabepracticetest.net) when customers request to study before taking the TABE Test.
(The Customers impact of the results of the test): Career Advisor will be able to find a career path and to be placed in a suitable employment job and helped individuals reflect on their priorities and make more meaningful career decisions.
I like to use ONET and Traitify to help customers gain a deeper understanding of their personality traits and how these might align with various career paths. ONET is a comprehensive resource that offers detailed information about job characteristics and skills, while Traitify provides a more engaging, visual personality assessment that can highlight strengths, preferences, and potential career fits. Together, these tools offer valuable insights into how individuals thrive in different work environments, whether they excel in collaborative team settings or prefer independent tasks. This combination helps customers make more informed career decisions based on their unique profiles. Also, the TABE test will help to identify areas where they may need to improve their skills before pursuing higher education or job opportunities that require specific skill levels.
Yes I also believe career coach is a great assessment tool to start familiarizing ourselves with our customers to help navigate to their career aspirations
Being a CA for the Choices (TANF) Program I also believe that the TABE test is a great tool along with the Self Assessment quiz that can help assist customers in what jobs they would be interested in and have the potential to grow into a career.
I utilize Career Coach as well as O’Net to assist my customers. There are times that they are unsure of which way they are wanting to go in their career path. These 2 assessments are a great way to be able to help shine some light on what the customer usually already knows but are unsure of. I like the O’Net best because it even shows the specific degree or certificate that the customers is needing in order to pursue that pathway.
If I were creating a career assessment program, I would incorporate both formal and informal assessments to gain a comprehensive understanding of my customers’ skills, interests, and personalities. One tool I would use is Career Coach, which includes up to 60 questions to gather insights into a customer’s preferences and career aspirations. Additionally, I would utilize the Holland Code Assessment, which categorizes career interests into six personality types: Realistic, Investigative, Artistic, Social, Enterprising, and Conventional. These assessments would help guide individuals toward career paths that align with their strengths and passions.
In creating a career assessment tool, I would use O*Net because it is constantly update with information about different occupations that are a great match. I would also use CASAS because it is more skill based but it also can connect customers with training programs and job opportunities.
I as a Career Advisor use a mix of formal and informal assessments to get a well-rounded picture of my customer.
O-Net is my to go for a formal assessment. The ONET Interest Profiler introduces the Holland Code framework (RIASEC) and a structured way to connect their interests with potential career paths to explore.
In my initial assessments I ask all my customers to provide a copy of their resume, so I can better understand their strengths and skills as well as getting to know them
When designing a career assessment program for my students, I would use both a Holland Code and an Interest Inventory Survey. By combining a structured assessment with a more open-ended survey, students can gain a well-rounded understanding of their strengths and interests.
Being a CA for the Self Sufficiency Programs I would use both formal and informal assessments to have a better understanding of the customer. O*Net would be one of the first tools that I would use to be able to give the customer information about which occupations they would be interested in.
If I were tasked with designing a career assessment program for my customers, I would select tools that enable them to gain insights into their skills, interests, and potential career paths. One of the most effective tools for this purpose is the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI), as it helps individuals understand their personality type and how it may influence their work style, preferences, and career interests. Understanding one’s personality type is crucial when exploring potential career options and identifying the necessary steps to take. The MBTI categorizes people into 16 different types of personality, based on their preferences for how they interact with the world, process information, make decisions, and organize their lives. This knowledge can provide valuable guidance in making informed career choices.