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.
If I was asked to help design a career assessment program for my clients, I would utilize an informal assessment style. One of the informal assessment styles I would use is mind mapping. Mind mapping is a great way to get clients to expand their thoughts. Another form of informal assessment I would do is structured interviews. In these interviews I would be able to ask questions and gage where the client needs assistance, what the clients’ goals are, and what are the clients’ barriers to achieving those goals.
Mind mapping sounds like a great informal assessment tool. I googled the activity and found some creative ways of using a mind map. I think it is an excellent way to get customers thinking about the big picture.
My Career Assessment Program would start with the ONET assessment which provides a strength based assessment on their skills but also gives direction at the same time into the current career positions that pay well and what would be required in soft skills and transferrable skills including education and certification for those positions. In the end the assessment would match them with a position that is currently open and they can apply to if they have the credentials that are needed for the position.
The second assessment I would offer would be a assessment that can grade them on a percentage of their ability to complete training and of their knowledge about what that training would require of them to start and complete the training. It would also provide in the results of the assessment the resources they are lacking to be able to start and complete the training – including any checklists, websites, and employment opportunities including the salary after the training is complete (taking into mind some people graduate with the intent to obtain one job but there are more than one employer that will hire you with the same degree – so to include other areas of employment that would match the training level and the person’s skills)
I agree that using a formal skill assessment to gauge a customer’s ability to complete a training program is important. Not only will the results be instrumental in career planning, this type of self-awareness at the start of an educational or training program can help the customer feel more prepared.
I agree with the ONET assessment tool – I really like how it ‘categorizes’ each skill set. This is very helpful when speaking to individuals about possibly transferring their skills into another field (if necessary). I can say, from experience, the ONET assessment helped me realize where some of my skills were – which was a bit different from my expectations, prior to taking the assessment.
Is there a website for more information on Mind Mapping?
Coggle.it is something that I’ve started using. It’s free, colorful, easy to us and share. You can listen to TED talks on mind mapping in different areas. I’ve found them to be great short resources for when you don’t have a lot of time available.
I would utilize the O*NET Interest Profiler in order to determine the correlation between the client’s interests and career paths. This would also allow the client to research the specific details pertaining to professions so they would have a better understanding of the duties, education needed, range of salary and the demand for the profession.
I think that utilizing the O’NET interest profiler is an excellent idea! This allows for case managers, job coordinators, etc to be able to be able to guide clients to choosing a career path that best suits them and their interests.
I agree that using the ONET Interest Profiler is a great tool to use with clients. It’s a very quick and easy assessment for them to complete.
I personally really like the O*Net Interest Profiler. I deal a lot with young adults that have no idea which direction they want to go in. This assessment can assist them in realizing that they can find a profession that aligns with the interest of the client.
I would also like to learn more about Mind Mapping.
One assessment I would include in customer programming would be a career beliefs inventory. This type of formal assessment could help customers uncover detrimental thinking patterns contributing to past and current work dissatisfaction. Once the customer is aware of such attitudes or beliefs and their influence, they could begin to adopt more constructive views.
Also, I like the idea of using card sorts as an alternative to checklists and computer-based inventories. Having to physically sort the cards incorporates kinesthetic learning. Career values is a topic that could be explored using the card sort method. Like a traditional checklist or ranking scheme, the card sort provides the customer with options to consider and makes those options easy to compare.
I like that you selected careers beliefs inventory. Many times we are so focused on identifying interest and skills that forget that previous experiences have a great impact on someone’s though process. I once had a client she could never work in the medical industry, but could not explain why. The dig deeper I needed her to give me more details because her statement was so broad. A career beliefs inventory may have helped me alleviate some of her resistance.
I love that you are considerate of the different types learning!!!
I think this sounds like an easy way to start the conversation.
I think the Career Beliefs Inventory could be particularly helpful for the youth population! Many of their beliefs are founded on what they see from adults in their lives, social media, or even through the school system. If they had information to engage with about the workforce, explored employer sites, etc. they could formulate new beliefs and rid of any stigma’s. Their initial career beliefs inventory could guide career advisors on what resources, tours, etc. would be helpful for that individual to learn from. I also think that the kinesthetic component of card sorts could be especially helpful for the youth population.
This sounds like a great tool. I find that most often my participants will have an opinion on a job or employer without ever having worked for them or in that industry. It seems to be a friend, family member or someone from somewhere that once told them years ago that this wouldn’t be fit. Would like to learn more about this tool.
I like the idea of using a career beliefs inventory. I have used the Career Scope (Interests and Aptitudes) along with a series of information gathering questions for all of my participants to date, However, I think changing my approach (or expanding it) to include a career beliefs inventory will give both the participant and me a better understanding of where they are in relation to choosing a career to explore and pursue.
In designing a career assessment program in a group setting I would start with an informal assessment. I would use group discussions to gauge the group’s interest, needs and concerns. I would start as a group in an effort to begin building relationships and supports amongst the group. Once the dynamics of the group has been determined, I would start the individual formal assessments. Because of my familiarity with the tool, I would use Career Scope for career exploration and interest. Each client will be informed in advance when they will complete the assessment. The assessment is to be completed electronically is not timed, but the clients would be advised that they should allot 30-45 minutes to complete the assessment. The clients are advised to be honest and take their time. Not to over think the process and answer all the questions. After completing the assessment, I will review the results with the clients providing a detailed explanation.
I like that you start with the group as a whole in an effort to build relationships between group members. I think that letting group members hear the thoughts and input of others among their peers helps them to know that they are not alone and that they can really benefit from learning from each other and not just the person in the teacher position.
I find that starting with the ONET assessment is very useful to help show the Customers which areas they have the most skills. Once this assessment is completed then this can help with leading off a discussion with the customer. This assessment can also lead to a positive way to help the customer explore different careers. Starting with the ONet assessment can also help with showing the customers how much preparation and education is needed for the positions that the customer may be interested in.
I would also offer a family needs assessment. I feel a family needs assessment is a great way to show the customer where they are currently with their living situations, transportation, income, and emotional health. This assessment also shows current situation in several other areas. I feel this tool helps the customers reflect on where they are currently and where they would like to end up when they are finished with our program.
Do you complete the first appointment with these assessments?
I agree the O*NET Interest Profiler is a great starting point. It is a “low pressure” way to help a client evaluate their interests and begin thinking about potential occupations.
I, like you want to start with the ONET assessment. I like your plan to do a family needs assessment as the second part. I think interviewing clients and seeing where they are at and what their situation is very important.
I would use a formal assessment to determine what career path would be best for my client. I think the ONET Interest Profiler is a great way to start this process. I have used this assessment in my current position and it provides a clearer picture of how the client’s interests will align with the career that they plan on pursuing.
I am in agreement that the Onet Interest Profiler is a great a great process. I do however wish it would dive a little deeper and assess more into barriers, especially when it comes to background checks and transportation. By showing what the outlook would be with barriers, I believe it would help motivate the individual to a deeper understanding of if they should continue to pursue that career pathway.
If I were to choose two assessments, I would start by explaining the purpose of the assessment and begin with the O*NET Interest Profiler. This assessment directs the person to choose their interests. (It includes 60 questions about work activities that people can do on their jobs). By selecting their interests, they will then get results broken down into Holland’s 6 identified categories and they can explore types of occupations in those areas that they would like and find exciting.
The second assessment would be the CASAS – Comprehensive Adult Student Assessment System. Since we are also supporting tuition costs, we not only want to make sure that the individual is “interested” but also that they can academically get through the program/course they are interested in. CASAS provides testing of basic and academic skills for youth and adults. I like CASAS because it is a valid and reliable assessment for all learners (including ESL & ABE learners, Out-of-School Youth, individuals needing accommodations, etc.). I would use CASAS to assess reading and math levels. Following the assessment completion, if an individual is not at the grade level that is required for a particular program, I would refer them to our remediation programs in our offices. These individualized instruction sessions can be scheduled to accommodate the individual and are open entry/open exit. I would make it clear that we are not trying to weed out individuals; we are trying to identify their strengths and will work on their weaknesses/ barriers to reaching their goal. This assessment is only part of that process. The end result, hopefully, we be a career training opportunity or job that they will love and be confident in pursuing.
I agree that you have to not only look at where their interests are but how their educational aptitude will allow them to succeed.
We also utilize the CASAS Tests in our office. I like your idea of utilizing the O’NET Interest Profiler with the CASAS Testing in order to give the person a good view of what it would take to pursue their career choices. It’s wonderful to have career dreams, but we must also be realistic in helping them with their choices.
I have never used the Career Beliefs Inventory, but when reviewing it, it looks like a good assessment to use to when trying to identify barriers and attitudes that could interfere with choosing a career and/or moving forward. Discussing the results can also be good conversation starters with clients and may help to identify issues that have been overlooked.
I agree, I think it is very important to understand the barriers and attitudes that could interfere with a person’s career. I also like how you mentioned that discussing these barriers with them could open up a conversation to pick up other issues that they may have not considered at the time.
I work with high school students, and the assessment I would use with them is the interest profiler on PA Careerzone.org (the same as O’Net’s). Since many high school students have not given thought to their interests as they relate to future careers, this is a good starting point for them to see how their interests can dovetail with potential careers. Once they have answered the 60 questions, we look at the different personality types and the career suggestions generated by the results of the assessment. We always follow up with discussion of the results and that while a career suggestion matches their interests, it doesn’t mean that the career is necessarily a good fit. For example, I like helping people but not in a medical way. Medical careers are helping careers, but I avoid jobs in a medical environment. Also, I point out to my students that by the time they enter the workforce, there will probably be new jobs created that aren’t even on these lists yet. I also emphasize the need for job exploration since my customers are young and many of them don’t have a lot of life experience outside the classroom or extra-curricular activities. The job exploration will help them eliminate things that only seemed interesting and will perhaps add to their list things they never knew they were either good at or want to learn about. In summary, I point out to my students (who can be rather complaining at times about these assessments) that this is one tool that can be helpful for letting them make informed choices in a career pursuit.
I think this a good point, bringing up and addressing transportation!
If I was asked to help design a career assessment program for a customer I would design that assessment to look similar to the ONet in a way that it would continue to help the customer chose a career pathway that they strongly interested in, but I would have another level that would incorporate their current transportation situations. For example if a client scores high in the S (Social) profile job type, and decide they would like to be a sales representative, but has no interested in driving. By showing why a driver’s licenses is highly needed in this field, this would help motivate the individual to either get their driver’s license or select another S pathway.
The formal career assessment I would choose is CareerScope. CareerScope was developed by Vocational Research Institute. The assessment is geared towards creating a career and educational planning process for Customers. The interest and aptitude assessment is easy to utilize. It also incorporates O*NET occupational data and provides career recommendations based upon the Customer’s interest and aptitude.
The informal assessment that I would use is the Compass Activity. This activity identifies a Customer’s work style and the importance of understanding the relationship between an occupation and a work environment which will accommodate your style.
Hi Heather. The Compass Activity would be a great assessment to utilize. Some customers may have interests that align with the skillset and general environment of a particular occupation. However, the customer may also need to consider things like does this occupation requires over-night shifts, long-distance travel, or outdoor assignments in extreme weather more often than they would prefer.
Formal assessment I would use is O’NET. I think it is a good starting point. It is easy to use and I think a good way to start an iniformal discussion.
I would include both an interview (informal assessment) and O^NET Interest Profiler (formal assessment) as part of my assessment program. The interview would enable me to assess the client’s work-readiness skills including communication and appearance, and identify any employment barriers such as lack of transportation or child care. The O*NET Interest Profiler would enable me and the client to identify their interests and occupations that align with those interests.
In developing a career assessment program for my customers, I would select both a formal assessment and an informal assessment. An interest inventory, such as the O*NET Interest Profiler, would be my formal assessment choice to create a baseline of data with standardized results. The Structured Interview would be my informal assessment choice that could begin the cultivation of relationships with the customers. I think that both are important as the formal assessment may allow you to view norm-referenced results that were not considered to be part of the initial scope of interest. Yet, an informal assessment may allow you to observe factors such as body language that are not measured in formal assessments.
Structured Interview would be the method with which I would begin my career assessment program. I think anytime you can ask questions of a client it helps you build rapport and trust while providing them the opportunity to learn more about themselves.
I agree. I think that with a structured interview you are able to learn a lot of information, while building rapport. It is a good way to learn about the scope of someones experiences.
The formal assessment that I would utilize would be a structured interview. These are a good way to both gather specific information from a customer, while building rapport with them. It is also a good opportunity to see if there are certain patterns in someones answers/behaviors, The informal assessment I would use forced choices. I think that it would challenge a customer to really think about jobs and what they like/dislike about them. It could be a good way to rule out or consider jobs they may not have before.
I totally agree – Building rapport with an individual creates trust! It is a great way to learn about your client on a more personal level – which can tell you a lot about which type of career they may fit into!
From a Business Services perspective, I would leverage the ‘TORQ’ assessment tool. TORQ is embedded within the PA CareerLink system of record, known as the Commonwealth Workforce Development System (CWDS). This tool enables a participant to apply their prior work history, education and other professional experiences in order to identify a ‘skills gap’ in their current industry/occupation of interest or in a transferrable industry/occupation. The TORQ tool allows Career Advisors to assist in determining how best to apply their skills in the workforce, and how much additional on-the-job training for formal training (via an education provider) is needed. For instance – if obtaining employment is the priority over training, the TORQ assessment can be discussed between a Business Services Representative and an employer who is interested in speaking with the referred participant. The employer would have an idea on how much of a skills gap may exist with a particular occupation, and may learn about grant support through the PA CareerLink on how to support a portion of the skills gap (i.e. On-The-Job Training Contract).
I would use an informal assessment like O’Net to see what they think they are interested in doing. I think from there you can get a sense of how far they would have to go to get to their interest education wise. Then you could start to discuss the ability of them to do what is needed. ie. transportation, childcare, paying bills, working etc. and finally after those talks you can start to make a plan.
I do also agree with you for using ONET with a participant as a formal assessment. I like to get a sense of what their interests are in several different categories.
My Career Assessment Program would include the formal ONET assessment. ONET is a good starting point that encompasses a client’s interests and preferences. The ONET can also provide some some employment ideas that were not previously identified by a client so it can expand some employment areas to explore. The second assessment I would utilize is the Structured Interview. This informal assessment gives you the opportunity to build some rapport and trust with your client. Spending time with your client and speaking with them allows you to utilize a different style of assessment to gain helpful information to meet your clients needs. You can expand on the ONET assessment findings and gauge reactions and emotions giving you better insight to your client as a person, where they are at and what needs may need to be met. It may also help to determine if a completely different style of assessment may be needed.
My Career Assessment Program would begin with an informal assessment. I believe it is very important for a case manager to learn about their clients, their struggles, work history, etc. before handing them an online tool or “formal” career exploration assessment. Many people who seek help finding employment or for guidance in general are automatically placed on a computer or are given a pen and paper the moment they walk into an agency. While the formal assessments are important and have proven validity, I think building rapport with clients is important too. We need to see our clients as individuals first rather than just the result they receive on a formal assessment.
I completely agree with you on conducting an informal assessment when first meeting with our participants. I feel it’s very important to get to know my participants by having a discussion with them, gaining informatoin on them, as an individual and their wants and needs and why they took the time to come into the office and how I can assist them rather then providing them paperwork to complete or putting them onto a computer.
I think you made a very valid and insightful comment in regard to building a rapport with your customer. If we think back to our in-person training in September, in regard to the helping skills the active listening through the informal assessment will give you a better understanding of the person overall. Formal assessments are great, but you’re only given that first chance to make those first impressions and building that trust and relationship are key when it comes to good case management and individualized career planning.
In helping design a career assessment program, I would utilize the following assessments: The O*NET Interest Profiler (to identify what the individuals interests are in/what they like to do and how they relate to different careers) along with the Work and Life Values assessment (to identify what is important in life and work, considering a majority of your life is at your place of employment), and identifying strengths/transferrable skills (what individual does well). I feel these need to be completed in combination with each other and discussed in detail, in relation to different careers considering, exploring job descriptions while keeping the person’s interests/values (life and work) and strengths all in mind.
I agree with the Work and Life Values assessment, especially for young adults. The term that young adults use most while working with them is work/life balance.
The first assessment, I believe should be done would be an informal assessment to determine where the client is in their life at that point in time. What is their education? What is their work experience? Do they have someone at home that they need to provide care for? Do they have reliable transportation? What type of job are they looking to go into? This would just be a conversation and not a formal assessment.
Once this information is determined, I would have them complete a TABE or CASAS assessment to determine their reading and math aptitude as well as setting them up utilizing the O*NET Interest Profiler to see what careers their interests would lead them to.
I agree. I think it’s very important to consider all of the other aspects going on in a client’s life before trying to look for a job because those will impact the type of job they can choose. I also think doing an assessment to determine their reading and math skills is a great idea.
I agree with your assessment ideas. I also believe an informal assessment is a good starting point to gather information about the client, to have a conversation first. We also use CASAS testing in our office and I have found for the most part our clients like this testing better than the TABE testing. In additional we can offer the O*Net Interest Profiler. that matches clients’ interests and work experience to matching careers.
The formal career assessment I would choose is the O*NET Interest Profiler in order to determine the correlation between the client’s interests and career paths. This is also a great way to both gather specific information from a participant, while building rapport and also creating trust with them. The Informal career assessment I would use would be mind mapping. This assessment is more of a visual and easy assessment for some individuals who may like to put their thoughts on paper vs technology device.
Yes! I agree the O*NET is a great start when figuring a clients interest. I have notice sometimes people have really taken the time to think about what they like , rather what they need to do to survive.
The first assessment I would use when meeting with a client would be an informal assessment. I think it’s very important to get to know the client on a more personal level than a formal assessment could achieve. I think formal assessments would be very helpful down the road, but I think the first assessment should be more informal and client-driven. I’ve found out a lot about our clients by letting them lead the conversation because then you can figure out what is most important to them.
I agree with you. I am finding that some of the most successful programs are the ones where the Navigators/Coaches are building relationships and trust with our participants, they are getting to know them as humans… their life experiences, about their families, their goals, and what hasn’t worked thus far. I often tell them to keep asking questions and getting to know individuals, they can then determine what other forms of assessments they need for each individual.
When meeting with a client for the first time I would begin with an informal assessment. When doing an initial assessment it is important to make the client feel like this is a normal conversation rather than just reading a list of questions to gather information. By doing it this way you can start to build trust and communicate on a more personal level. By asking open ended questions during the assessment it forces the client to elaborate more than responding with either yes or no. It also allows you to get to know them much faster. Building that relationship between client and professional can really begin during this phase and the way an assessment is structured can determine how it is going to go.
Absolutely! Initiating an initial assessment with a conversational and informal approach is pivotal. It lays the foundation for building trust and establishing a meaningful connection with the client. The choice of structure for the assessment can significantly impact the client-professional relationship, making it crucial to create a comfortable and open environment during this phase.
Open-ended questions are vital in encouraging clients to express themselves more elaborately, beyond simple “yes” or “no” responses. This not only helps in efficiently gathering pertinent information but also allows for a quicker and deeper understanding of the client. Such an approach sets a positive tone for the entire interaction, fostering productive and insightful discussions throughout the client’s journey. In essence, a well-structured initial assessment is the cornerstone for providing practical support and guidance.
The assessments that I would use with my participants would be Occupational Information Network (O*NET) and WorkKeys. O*NET utilizes measurements of occupational characteristics produced by the United States Department of Labor provides overall scores on subjects of cognitive, interpersonal, and physical skill requirements, as well as working conditions, and are derived mostly from survey responses of large, representative samples of workers. Some benefits of O*NET are that it has the ability to address various career aspects that may not be mentioned in a job description or educational major description. Participants are able to explore the results that are on a different level that considers information that relates directly to their personality and values. The assessment is able to match skill sets with specified careers. This aspect provides an accurate comparison between the knowledge and abilities required for any job, which aids in the ability to create career pathways both for learners and jobseekers.
I would also utilize the WorkKeys assessment as working within the Title I Adult and Dislocated Worker program, one of the programs we are able to offer is the ITA (Individual Training Account). If eligible, a participant is able to access scholarship funding to help supplement their education tuition expenses. The application process includes sections that inquire about the WorkKeys test results and while this was tabled throughout the pandemic, it has been discussed to re-establish this requirement. The WorkKeys assessment measure various workplace skills such as applied mathematics, graphic literacy, workplace documents, applied technology, business writing, fit, workplace observation and talent. These results have a direct correlation with the determination as to whether the participant is ready and the right candidate for that specific training. There is limited funding throughout the year so it is necessary to ensure that funding is being utilized appropriately and to also ensure participants are fully aware of the scope of the type of employment they are seeking.
My affiliates work with youth and we always recommend that youth take both the interest and skills assessment to determine their abilities align with their interest. If they don’t align, the youth could receive the proper education and/or skill training that would allow them the opportunity to pursue a specific job or career path.
Two assessments that I would Include in my career assessment would be interest inventories and ability tests. I believe that both of these go together hand in hand. Once a client use the interest inventory to discover patterns in their interest they can than take an abilities test to see if they are a good fit . This is good to do in the beginning to roll, out some employment that would not be the best match up.
If I was asked to design a career assessment program for customers, I would start by conducting an informal assessment such as “forced choice”. In my opinion, having an initial conversation with the client is necessary to build rapport before assigning a formal career assessment. The forced choice assessment can help a career advisor understand the client’s current priorities and decision-making strategies. Once a relationship has been built, I would offer the ONET Online Profiler only to clients who truly have the time to investigate their pathway and interests. If a client is in a rush to find employment as soon as possible when they come for services, providing the formal assessment up front will not be as useful.
I would want to implement 1 informal and 1 formal assessment in my assessment design. From my current knowledge base, I would select O*Net as my formal assessment to help clients really explore the connection between their interests and career path opportunities. I would want to include the Compass Activity as my informal assessment. I think this is something that is often missed during career navigation. Someone’s interest and skills may lead them to an industry or an occupation, but that may not meet their specific work style. They may not be able to actually thrive in a work environment or with a team/supervisor that is ran outside of their work style. That becomes helpful for when the clients go through the interview process.
This chapter has really motivated me to look into how I can encourage teams to ensure this assessment process is done for our clients and not based on what the WDB has required.
My affiliates work with juveniles and as a consultant, I have always recommended the O’Net career interest assessment and a work skills assessment. It’s user friendly and the results read simple enough for an adolescent to understand. The youth typically are able to conduct research on education and salary expectations. The work skills assessment is important because we have found that many youth have desires to do certain jobs but may not possess the required skills at the time of the exam. Once the youth receives their results, they can then determine what job training skills they could pursue.
Career Assessment program for customers: I too would use the ONet interest profiler as a more formal assessment tool to gauge interests/career pathway. This is just one way I use ONet in my work with clients. I rely on ONet to work one-one with clients in developing resumes and with interviewing for positions. I use the assessment as a tool to discuss their strengths and provided confidence. As a secondary assessment, I like the card sort for some clients who are not willing or too intimidated to complete a formal assessment. This tool seems to be less intimidating.
I would use the O*net interest profiler as a formal tool to assist young adults in being able to identify their interests and then connect their interests to occupations. And I would also have them complete a family needs assessment to identify any areas of need in their family/household that would potentially hinder employment success.
As a fellow Youth Career Coach, I agree with the profiler as well. O’net offers such a knowledge base for young people to explore. Job matching, the descriptions of careers. Finding those transferable skills that they already possess.
I work at local high schools with program participants, and the assessment I would/do use with them is the interest profiler on PA Careerzone.org Although this is the activity that is embedded in our structured agenda set up with monthly sessions, I find this activity tool useful and successful as we look into and learn our student’s different personality types and the also results of the assessment helping them make clearer, more informed decisions. The additional information the website provides has all information needed to research the career, training, and job outlook all in one stop.
Because I work with all different participants in different situations, the assessment tool I would utilize would be “My Next Move” (part of the O*NET website). It allows a participant to search careers by selecting a few key words to narrow down their search. A participant can also browse careers by industry. Over 900 career options are available to browse. The participant can choose a career title and will be shown what knowledge they would need in that career field along with the required skills and abilities. It breaks down what type of personality best fits the career and the technology you might use in that setting. Educational requirements are also listed along with the Job Outlook for that career. It lists whether or not the job qualifies as a “Bright” job – shows future growth within the industry. If a participant does not quite fit this career, My Next Move also shows other career choices to explore. It’s a tool that is easy to use and efficient for the participant.
My Career Assessment would start with an informal assessment such as a forced choice activity. With this activity the client is asked to choose from two or more alternatives in response to a specific question. Then we can have a discussion about how and why they made that choice. I believe it is important to learn/listen to our clients before asking them to complete a formal assessment.
Then when it is time for a formal assessment I would choose O*Net Interest Profiler it is a short on line test, that matches clients’ interests and work experience to matching careers. We can discuss the results and I can continue to guide them in their career choices.
The career assessment that I would begin with is the Onet Interest profiler. This is the profiler that I am more familiar and comfortable with at this time.
This will help identify people and work styles. The system was created to matched personalities with work.
Each question is an opportunity for a participant to describe the kinds of things that they may like to do as a person or the action that fits them. From there we can get the Holland Code and determine what career path(s) work best.
My Career Assessment of choice would be the Onet Interest Profiler. When writing resumes and working with customers a lot of times I will just utilize their job descriptions because they are very accurate to the customers. So when new customers use the interest profiler it brings out those jobs that would fit well with the customer. A lot of times, the career they line up with are similar to what of those they have already had. Some times looking under those careers and finding some transferrable skills helps to branch out the customers career possibilities.
One of my favorite features on the O*Net is the Related Occupations section. I find that after a job loss some job seekers get what I like to call, previous job title tunnel vision. This is when they are only looking for their previous job title. Since we as career coaches look at job listings often we see that job titles don’t always transfer from company to company. The sample of job titles reported and the related occupations is helpful to those who have tunnel vision and can’t find job listings for their previous job title. It allows them to broaden their search and hopefully find employment sooner in an occupation they are already experienced in.
I would choose the O*Net Interest Profiler. We use this most often in our service center. When working with customers that have no idea what direction they want to professionally go in; the interest profiler can really open the eyes of the customer to professions that align with there own personal interests. Or maybe it opens his/her eyes to options they never thought about previously.
I feel the Onet Interest Profiler is an excellent tool also Cindy. I have used this site many times with my customers, however I think that incorporating it on a more regular basis would be beneficial. Potentially even coming up with a group activity, as it is stated that there are tools that can be icebreakers in group settings.
The Career Assessment I would choose would be the O*Net Interest Profiler. There are many ways to utilize the information that is available on O*Net. After taking the assessment the customer can do further research on an occupation that matches their interest profiler results. The information provided on O*Net can give them incite into what the job would look like on a daily basis.
I would use informal career assessments with my customers to start. I am swaying toward this type of assessment as the forced-choice activities seem to display a sense of constructive, relatively simple set up and overall, are easy and efficient to facilitate. It is stated that they make for good icebreakers also. It is outlined that these informal assessments contribute to effective activities in a group or individual setting. I believe that being that they are less structured, may put the customer at more ease.
I would design a transferrable skill activity. I think this is important when customers who are exploring new options recognize that their prior skills can and do relate to other occupations, thus transferrable in nature. I would use simple index cards as a means of the customer documenting their likes, skills and abilities. Then I would incorporate a formal assessment, utilizing the Onetonline.org site to see the results of said transferable skills into an actual occupational job titles. I feel it is a great tool when one is in the career exploration phase. I also feel that this timeframe in one’s life can be overwhelming. It is with the approach that customers may need a tangible tool, to inherently visual their options, as to why I would attempt this approach.
The Onet site is so versed and supplies an array of categories during career exploration. The categories being: Tasks, work activities, detailed work activities, experience, requirements, training and credentials, skills, knowledge, education, abilities, interests, work values and styles, wages and employment trends, job openings on the web. With this, I feel that creating a crosswalk activity between the formal and informal approaches may prove to be beneficial for the job seeker.
I would start with the informal O’NET interest inventory which is none threatening and usually dispels their fears of assessments. They can see instant and tangible results and it does a lot to ease anxiety. After reviewing the results they are a little more comfortable about possible training and are more relaxed when taking something like the TABE or CASAS to assess their readiness for training.
I agree with Tori, it does open their eyes to possibilities and gives them a bit of a sense of Wow! “I can do that”
Mind mapping is something that I would like to develop more as a tool to help my students. It really helps to identify a path from their point of view and allows them to self identify not only the decisions of moving in a new direction but all that will follow as a result of change. It’s something that I’ve used on and off and had been thinking of implementing again with all the changes in the workforce resulting from big leaps in technology. I find that more people are re-evaluating what “work” means to them rather than just accepting the standard shift schedule. That’s exciting because it’s one thing to have opportunity available but the magic really happens when it propels people to make the leap forward. I’ve found a free resource in coggle.it that allows for easy to use, colorful diagrams that can be easy shared with individuals or teams.
I use a formal assessment (Career Scope) for all of my participants and for those who come into the office uncertain of what career path they would like to take. This first assessment is kind of an eye opener for most of the individuals that take it. The assessment not only shows interest areas and aptitudes; it also shows possible career choices. The participants often see options within career pathways that they had not even thought of before and are intrigued with the possibility of perusing a new career. I will also use an informal assessment to inquire about interests outside of work and past work experience. When the two are combined it gives a better view of career pathways to explore.
Utilizing formal and informal assessments in designing a career assessment program is a well-rounded and considerate strategy for assisting individuals in their career journeys. The Career Counseling Questionnaire is a comprehensive tool designed to assist individuals in gaining deeper insights into their career goals and aspirations. It goes beyond an introductory survey by delving into various aspects of a person’s professional life and aspirations.
The formal assessment, the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI), is valuable for understanding how an individual’s personality traits can influence their career choices, work styles, and interactions with others. This assessment offers insights into various aspects such as communication, decision-making processes, and preferred work environments, helping individuals identify their most resonant personality type.
On the other hand, the informal career counseling questionnaire focuses on an individual’s inherent talents and strengths. This assessment provides a unique perspective on areas where individuals excel and can find passion in their careers. Aligning career choices with these strengths can increase job satisfaction and success.
Moreover, emphasizing follow-up discussions and coaching based on assessment results is crucial for personalized guidance. It enables individuals to delve deeper into their career options, refine their goals, and develop strategies to achieve them.
Incorporating both formal and informal assessments ensures a comprehensive approach to career assessment. This approach addresses various facets of an individual’s potential and guides them toward informed career decisions. It empowers individuals to embark on a professional path that resonates with their personality and strengths.