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.
27 thoughts on “Assessment Forum – MI Cohort 6”
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.
I were to design a career assessment program for students; I would choose to incorporate two specific assessments: the Self-Directed Search (SDS) as a formal instrument and the Life-Career Rainbow as an informal assessment.
First, the Self-Directed Search (SDS) would be an excellent formal assessment. It’s a widely recognized interest inventory directly based on Holland’s RIASEC theory. For students, understanding their interests is a foundational step in career exploration. The SDS helps them identify their Holland code, which can then be used to explore occupations and fields that align with their personal interests. Its self-administered nature, as mentioned in the module, makes it efficient for a program with many students, and it generally falls within the scope of practice for career services providers with appropriate guidance on interpretation. I would emphasize to students, as the module cautions, that this assessment is designed to “rule in” ideas and possibilities rather than “rule out” options, preventing over-reliance on a single test result.
Secondly, I would utilize the Life-Career Rainbow as an informal assessment. This tool, directly linked to Super’s theory, encourages students to visualize and consider the various life roles they inhabit and how these roles might balance throughout their lifespan. For students, especially those contemplating their future beyond academics, this assessment helps foster a more holistic understanding of career development, not just as a job, but as an integrated part of their entire life. It’s an excellent conversation starter for discussing values, priorities, and how different life roles might influence career choices and satisfaction. Being an informal assessment, it offers flexibility, requires no specialized scoring, and allows for personalized interpretation in a discussion-based setting.
Together, these two assessments provide a balanced approach: the SDS offers concrete, interest-based career suggestions, while the Life-Career Rainbow encourages deeper self-reflection on life roles and values, both crucial for informed career decision-making.
Hi Sanna Y.,
I really enjoyed reading your post. It is well detailed and very thoughtful. SDS sounds a like like ONET, where the student seeks to find their interests and how that can lead them to make a sound decision on their future career path and what schooling they may need to create the future they want.
I do find the Life-Career Rainbow interesting however, the few clients I have had over the last six months have been more concerned about getting a job to pay the bills. I would be very interested to see how the Rainbow would be received by a client looking to go into training/schooling.
Before this class, had you ever heard of, or used, the Life-Career Rainbow? I had not but it is very intriguing.
Hello Jenn, I agree the SDS and O*NET are definitely similar in how they help people explore careers based on their interests and strengths. I think it’s great how tools like these can guide someone toward not only a job, but a meaningful and fulfilling career path.
The assessments we use in Northwest Michigan Works! that have proven very helpful to me in my role of Career Advisor is the ONet Interest Profiler. ONet helps the client see where there intrinsic interests lie, I let them know upfront that there are no wrong answers, that they need to go with their gut-instincts when answering, and to not overthink their answers. That there may be surprises, and there may be responses that they expect to see. But we will go over all the responses because maybe something they only think of as a hobby could be there next job.
We, also, use the interview method. I have the client interview two or three people who are working in a career that the client maybe interested in pursuing. I give them a list of open-ended questions they can use as a guideline to keep the conversation moving forward and give them answers that they can use to ask more questions. Then I have them write up a two to three paragraphs, per interviewee, on what they learned from each of them. This give the client the opportunity to see if people in the interested career are satisfied with their job choice, did they need a college degree or vocational training, is there work-life balance, and is it a career that pays the bills and lets you have a life beyond work.
I conduct an interview with the client in the very beginning, before assessments are done to see what career path they say they are interested in pursuing. If it is a career that needs a college degree, certificate, or apprenticeship, I want the client to understand that an entry-level position may exist but if you want to move up the ladder you may need credentials to help prove you are eligible for the advancement. Then I move to the assessments to help determine if that really is a career path they want or is there something out there that they may never have thought of that the client maybe better suited to pursue and be successful.
Hey Jenn! I really like how you use the ONet Interest Profiler to help clients discover careers that match their interests, even ones they might not have thought about. The idea of having them interview people in careers they’re interested in is a great way for them to learn what the job is really like.
Hi Jenn,
I am intrigued by your interview method! I’m familiar with this from the other side! In my former life as a librarian, I was interviewed by several college students who had a similar assignment for a first year seminar course. It was pretty hard to answer the interview questions the first few times I was asked because I had never really thought about my career through the eyes of an intentional job seeker. The assignment was valuable for the students, who just did it one time. But I think it was even more valuable for me. I answered basic interview questions about my education, my career’s progression, the up sides and the down sides every semester for six years, and that check-in was always clarifying! I think it was even a small factor in deciding to go back to grad school and switch career paths when I began to feel trapped in a job!
So good work! That’s a great tool for everyone!
Hey Jenn,
I really liked your post. I’ve used the O*NET Interest Profiler too and I agree it’s a helpful tool to get students thinking about what they’re interested in and how that connects to careers. I always tell them, just like you said, there are no right or wrong answers. But in my opinion, it works best when they don’t just pick “unsure” for everything. I try to encourage them to go with their gut and not overthink it.
I also really liked your idea of having students interview people in the field they’re interested in. That sounds like a great way to help them see what the job is really like. I haven’t tried that yet, but I might in the future. Thanks for the idea!
To design a career assessment program for my customers, I would use the Self-Directed Search (SDS) as a formal instrument and interview questions as an informal assessment.
Using the RIASEC model, the Self-Directed Search (SDS) is a structured, research-based method that assists people in determining their interests, strengths, and personality types. After that, it links these findings to particular professions that fit their top codes. Because it provides clients with organized, customized job recommendations and can be a fantastic place to start when exploring career options, I would use this product.
I would utilize interview questions in one-on-one discussions as a casual evaluation. In a more flexible way, these open-ended questions assist in revealing the customer’s objectives, prior experiences, values, and interests. Asking questions like “What did you enjoy most about your last job?” or “What are your biggest strengths?” could provide insightful information that strengthens the official findings. I can better understand the individual and assist them in their professional journey by combining the two tools.
I agree with your approach of using both the Self-Directed Search (SDS) and interview questions when helping someone explore career options. The SDS is a great tool because it gives clear results based on a person’s interests and links them to careers that fit their personality. I also think using open-ended questions, like asking about past jobs or strengths, helps you learn more about the person in a natural way. Combining both methods gives a better overall understanding and can lead to more helpful career guidance.
I like how you incorporated the SDS formal instrument with an informal interview to capture a well-rounded assessment of your client’s interests, strengths, and personality into your career advising for your client. Incorporating the formal and informal assessments would seem to allow you to get to know your clients better and to build a helping relationship with your client. Do you typically conduct an informal interview before you assign the assessment?
Thanks for sharing your process for working with PATH participants, Ida. I haven’t used the BESI, but I am reviewing it right now and might begin to in the future.
On January 1, 2013, the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS), the Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity, Workforce Development (LEO-WD), and the Michigan Works! Agencies (MWAs) began implementing PATH. PATH is a robust, results-oriented work participation program designed to identify barriers and help clients connect to the resources they will need to obtain employment. The program features a 10-day assessment period during which barriers to employment are identified and caseworkers work individually with clients to connect them with resources to address these barriers.
My first meeting with a PATH client is the beginning of helping relationship, I use the storied approach, in a structured interview to identify the barriers my client has to overcome to gain sustainable employment. The structured interview is based on Super’s theory, that career development is a life-long process that is influenced by an individual’s self-concept and life stage. Through my interview process, I am better able to see my client’s struggles and how they make decisions and communicate with other individuals.
After I conduct the structured interview, I will give my PATH clients a formal assessment, Barriers to Employment Success (BESI), Fifth Edition, which is based on the Social Cognitive Career Theory (SCCT), which is designed to be self-scored and self-interpreted to help the clients identify, understand, and with the assistance of their PATH Advisor, to find solutions to their barriers that are preventing them from successful employment. Such barriers may include a lack of proper education or training; limited English proficiency; physical, mental, or psychological issues; a need for child care assistance; a lack of transportation to get
to a job; or a poorly written résumé.
I did not use interviewing approach, but it is a very affective assessment tool. I use it a lot in that first meeting to really get to know the person and help me guide them.
I have never used the SCCT, but it sounds similar to the self-scoring test we do at our office as well. Thank you for great pointers for my client/career building path.
I hadn’t heard of the BESI assessment until class on Thursday, so I appreciated seeing how you use it in practice with PATH clients. It’s helpful to know that it’s self-scored and grounded in Social Cognitive Career Theory, as it seems like a practical tool for both clients and advisors.
I also really liked how you apply Super’s theory during the structured interview. That connection between life stages, self-concept, and decision-making makes a lot of sense, especially for clients navigating complex barriers.
I didn’t realize that PATH includes a 10-day assessment period, wow! That seems like such a valuable window to build trust and identify the right supports early on, thoughtfully and intentionally.
I am in a somewhat unique position when it comes to career development services–I work only with college-aged clients who have access to just about any education they could possibly want through the scholarship program where I work. My helping role is a little broader than just career development, but I am learning that jobs are a common language. I’d say that 90% of the time my conversations about going back to college are actually conversations about finding a new job. So my point of view here is that a career is the lens through which my clients and I can talk about learning to learn, setting and achieving goals, making academic plans, etc.
No one HAS to come talk to me, and when they do the conversations are often informal and friendly. My work is relationship based. So I am thinking that my work would be strengthened by training in a few tools that are more on the informal side of things. I next time I talk with my boss about how it’s going, I’m going to talk with her about 1) skilling up with a structured framework like Motivational Interviewing for coaching conversations and 2) organizing some group sessions on introducing fun, informal, and interactive tools like the Knowdell card sorts with our young clients. The tools are important, but they’re of no use without training and practice.
I was gifted packs of the Knowdell career values, motivated skills, and occupational interests cards when I started my job, but I never received any training in them. Similarly, I was told right from the start to connect with our scholars to talk to them about their individual circumstances and to help each of them maximize their scholarship however they want. But I wasn’t trained in any tools or techniques for how to have those conversations in a way that gives my clients ownership. So I think that training in something like Motivational Interviewing and an organization-wide training in the Knowdell card sorts would improve the game of every helping professional I work with.
I really appreciate your insight into how career conversations can serve as a gateway to broader personal and academic development. Your focus on relationship-building and informal tools like Motivational Interviewing and the Knowdell card sorts really resonates with me. Tools are only as effective as the training behind them.. I think your students are lucky to have someone so intentional guiding them!
If I were putting together a career assessment program for students, I’d want it to feel engaging and real, not like a boring test or something they just have to get through. A lot of the students I work with don’t always see how their interests or how they naturally work could connect to a career. So I’d pick tools that help them think about themselves in a new way.
First, I’d use the Compass Activity. It’s super interactive and helps students figure out their work style, like whether they like to jump right in, gather info first, or make sure everyone’s voice is heard. It leads to really good conversations and helps them understand what they bring to a team. It’s also informal and doesn’t feel like a test, which helps them open up more.
Second, I’d use the ONET Work Importance Locator. This one is great because it helps students figure out what really matters to them in a job, like independence, helping others, or having structure. Once they know their top values, they can start looking at careers that actually match up with those things. It connects right to ONET, so they can start researching careers on the spot.
Both tools are easy to use, start great conversations, and keep the student in the driver’s seat of their own journey.
When supporting in career exploration, I like to use a mix of formal and informal assessments to give their strengths and interests. One formal tool I rely on is the O*NET Interest Profiler, a free, research-based assessment that helps them identify careers that align with their interests. It breaks results down into six key areas (Realistic, Investigative, Artistic, Social, Enterprising, and Conventional), making it easier to guide students toward industries and roles they may not have considered but are naturally drawn to. The clarity and credibility of this assessment make it an excellent starting point for deeper career conversations.
I incorporate informal tools like self-reflection worksheets or journal prompts. For example, asking them to write about three skills they’re proud of and how they’ve used them in real life helps uncover personal strengths and values that may not show up on a standard test. This kind of informal assessment builds confidence encourages self-awareness and often leads to meaningful discussions about career fit. Together, these tools support a more personalized, student-centered approach to career advising.
Using both of these really do help aid in finding the right path that connects with strengths and character.
If I were to design a career assessment program for students, I would focus on two complementary tools: the Self-Directed Search based on Holland’s RIASEC model as a formal assessment, and a strengthsbased interview as an informal assessment tool.
The SDS is one of my top choices because it gives students a structured way to explore career paths aligned with their interests and personality types. Using the RIASEC framework, students receive a three-letter Holland Codethat helps them understand their preferences across six career personality types: Realistic, Investigative, Artistic, Social, Enterprising, and Conventional. I appreciate how this tool empwers students to consider options they may not have explored otherwise. It also opens the door to deeper conversations about alignment between career environments and personal identity.
To complement this, I would use a strengths-based interview. This informal, conversational assessment allows students to reflect on their past successes and what energizes them. I might ask open-ended questions like, “Tell me about a time you felt most engaged or proud of your work,” or “What do people naturally come to you for help with?” This helps uncover core strengths and personal values that formal assessments might not capture. It also supports a more individualized and empowering advising approach by helping students recognize how their strengths show up in real life.
Kuder Journey includes three helpful assessments: the Kuder Career Interests Assessment, Super’s Work Values Inventory-revised, and the Kuder Skills Confidence Assessment. The Kuder Interests and Skills Composite Report brings all these results together, giving you a full picture that helps you understand your career interests and what you truly value in a job.
Students and Job Seekers can review these results on their own to start building their career path. However, I really recommend working with a career advisor. They can help students and job seekers dig deeper into their results and connect them with local training and job openings to create a personalized Individual Employment Plan. Plus, the Kuder Journey website has tons of other tools to support you throughout your career journey!
I know the learning lab at Northwest Michigan Works uses this and they seem to have great success with helping to guide people into a more full understood career perspective. I think this model helps gets someone into a career mode of work instead of a short term work opportunity. This can help everyone land on a more career path perspective instead of the “I need a job mentality”. I love that their are additional resources to support you beyond the initial phase and will be a resource throughout a career journey.
I had not heard of Kudor Journey. I looked into it and it looks like it could be a useful tool for individuals in any stage of life, or their career journey. I’m interseted to learn more and requested a demo. Thanks for sharing the resource. On the Youth programming side, we would work with the individals to understand their results, and connect with training and/or job opportunities available.
If i am referred a interested profile for apprenticeship they usually are not geared into a specific occupation so I start with an initial conversation to see where they are and what they know about apprenticeships. Following this I use a variety of our company resources including the career path ONET assessment for career advisement and then if it is a personality match I recommend them to reach out to 3 parties to do informational interviews and gather more information about the occupation and get a better understanding of the field they are entering. If these go well they reach out to a career advisor to see about opportunities to connect them to the occupation they are looking to pursue. This path gives a Initial career exploration and discovery phase, career interest and aptitude assessment (ONET), Occupational fit to the personality or career interest, a validation field which helps the potential apprentice to refine their career occupation and interest, and sending them to a career advisor allows them to tailor their career plan with resume building and networking or training needs to enter the chosen apprenticeship.
I appreciate your thoughtfulness in asking the Interested Profile to explore the career with 3 informational interviews before meeting with the career advisor. I have overlooked this step, and have learned that it can be very helpful, allowing the Career Seeker to have a deeper look with little risk or investment. Also, the conversations can initiate connections within the field.
I would use a combination of both informal and formal tools, including newer methods I’ve learned about in class, to create a well-rounded and supportive process. To begin, I would hold an informal interview in the computer lab. This would be a relaxed, conversational check-in where I ask open-ended questions like: “What brought you here?” and “Tell me about the kind of work that makes you feel successful or useful.” This approach helps build trust and gives me a clearer picture of the student’s motivations, barriers, and mindset. It also connects to Super’s Life-Span, Life-Space theory, which emphasizes how our life roles and self-concept shape career development over time.
As a formal component, I would incorporate the Barriers to Employment Success Inventory (BESI), a tool I recently learned about in class. While I haven’t used it yet in practice, I see the value in how it helps individuals identify potential employment barriers across areas like personal concerns, decision-making, and job search skills. It’s based on Social Cognitive Career Theory (SCCT) and is designed to be self-scored, making it accessible and empowering for clients. I’m interested in how it could support students in reflecting on their challenges and beginning to plan next steps, especially when paired with guidance from a Career Coach. Combining an honest conversation with a structured assessment like BESI would allow me to support students in a way that is both personal and practical, meeting them where they are while helping them move toward meaningful employment.
I would start with an informal interview utilizing the WIOA objective assessment. When we are working with a youth to register them for WIOA, this is required. It asks questions like – “What kind of job would you like to do in the future? What are the characteristics of this job that interest you? What kind of education/ training or work experience do you need to qualify for this job? What interests do you have that fit this job? What types of job opportunities have you identified in your community for this career?” I would however make the interaction more conversational so that it felt less like we were just working on required document. Most of the time, the answers that the youth provide will lead to additional questions that help to gain a better understanding of their interests.
Regardless of if the youth knew what kind of career they were wanting to pursue, I would recommend the O*NET Interest Profiler so that they could see what may be a good fit for them, based on their interests. Like any assessments given to youth, they would need to be encouraged to give some thought to the question and not just select “I’m not sure”. We have also encouraged youth to meet with people in the career fields that are of interest to them, to do an informal interview to learn more about the day-today, education needed (if any), interests, etc. Job shadow opportunitites are also helpful.
For the PATH program, I would use the O*NET Interest Profiler and the Barriers to Employment Success Inventory (BESI).
During the initial 10-day Applicant Eligibility Period, I currently have PATH participants complete our internal PATH Customer Assessment (at orientation) and assign them the O*NET Interest Profiler. I like to use the Interest Profiler because it helps emphasize that PATH is an employment program and helps participants begin thinking about what they like to do and what kind of occupations might match their interests. I use the PATH Customer Assessment to obtain basic information about them and, most importantly, potential barriers to employment that they need to address ASAP, like housing, childcare, and transportation.
In working through this chapter, I really liked completing the Personality Mosaic and might explore using something like this in the future. I listed the BESI that Ida uses because I would like a more robust initial assessment to identify barriers.