Assessment Forum – Sept2023

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.

169 thoughts on “Assessment Forum – Sept2023”

  1. wpeluso says:

    Within our youth programs, we would use multiple different formal assessments to analyze the youth participant and where they’re at when they enter our program. Specifically, when we start working with the client we use the Interest Inventory from the O*Net Interest Profiler. This interest profiler is the best way to understand what types of interest youth participants have because they usually don’t know what types of careers they want to have, so this helps them see a wide variety of different careers that they might be good at! Plus, since it’s a formal assessment they are able to get data-driven results.

    1. Vivian Santos-Dingui says:

      I worked with at-risk adolescents previously and O’Net was a valued assessment in helping our students to understand the career possibilities available to them based on their interests. I think these assessments should be completed by students in junior high and again in high school. A majority of students I worked with typically had children of their own and playing the parent role to younger siblings in the home.

      The students I served at time were not thinking about college. Most were interested in moving straight into the workforce in order to help support the household. Our career counseling sessions with student, gave students hope that they may be the first generation to finish high school and attend college. Most of the formal assessments these students completed guided and helped them gain understanding of the job market and offered multiple options in various fields.

      1. rgoshorn says:

        My experience is also with at-risk youth. While many high school students have limited awareness of the job market, this population generally has less awareness. Several years ago, we made the mistake of investing heavily in training youth in a specific technology with only passing consideration given to their actual career interests. Our primary concern had to be safety and security. While learning basic welding skills was a legitimate career exploration activity and there were opportunities to use these skills in their home communities, none of the student actually went on to be employed as a welder. We redoubled our efforts in career exploration as it seemed more developmentally appropriate and cost effective.

    2. aresto says:

      I work with the adults and dislocated workers as a Workforce Specialist in my current role and the O’Net Interest Profiler is required for every participant to take once they are enrolled. It has been very beneficial as it is a great starting point to discuss current career paths and shows their interest. I have had numerous participants have a job show up on the Interest Profiler that they might not have initially thought of. I personally took the O’Net Interest Profiler when I was in transition and looking for a new career path. It helped me tremendously and gave me direction to my current role now.

      1. carmana says:

        I also work with the adult and dislocated workers in my position. Although in our office, the ONET Interest Profiler is not a requirement for our participants to get enrolled, I do think that it is very helpful for some. Many of the participants I work with are reaching out because they already know which direction they want to go in for a career and are interested in a training. I use the ONET Interest Profiler when participants don’t know which direction they want to go in, to get a baseline of what their interests are. I think it allows participants to really take a second and stop and think about what they might enjoy, aside from just looking at the pay of a position that they seen that was appealing to them.

    3. edougherty says:

      I can see how using O*NET with youth would be helpful! I only have experience working with adults and although the O*NET Interest Profiler can be beneficial, I can also imagine where there might be some resistance in adults as they already have an idea of what they want to do. However, if a youth participant doesn’t already have a preconceived idea of what they should be doing, then they might be more receptive to their results. Regardless, I think it’s a great idea to include an assessment like this that helps people explore their interests while also providing data to review.

      1. sletourneau says:

        That’s very insightful about adults potentially being resistant to a discrepancy between a client’s results and the industry that they are hoping to get into. I have definitely come across that with clients that are pursuing training funding but show results that indicate that they would not be a good fit for the training that they are pursuing. For example, a client that scores highly in Social and Artistic in the ONET assessment would probably not be happy in the real day to day work environment of an over the road truck driver. Clients do seem to appreciate seeing results that confirm their career goal choices.

        1. slance says:

          I do agree that sometimes results of either Onet or CareerScope , may not show the career path that a client has chosen. The conversations I need to have with my client when I am going over his/her results and maybe an alternate career path can be challenging. It has helped to provide the results via email so client can review first and come with some other career choices he/she may want to consider.

      2. tmogle says:

        I like the comment about adults having resistance to taking the assessment who have an idea of what they want to do. They’re probably thinking that they don’t want some online assessment telling them something that they don’t want to hear. But my thought is that it’s good to have a different perspective on things. I know there was a time where I thought I knew what I wanted to do and was told something different by taking a test. It turns out that the thing mentioned in the test actually ended up being a better fit for me anyways.

    4. kevin.king says:

      We also use Interest Profiler when working with youth, but rather than use the one specifically in O*NET we use one that is based on this one called Texas Career Check Interest Profiler. I do agree with you that this is the best way to gauge a student’s career interests especially if they do not know what they want to do and the results can be exported and/or printed so they can take them home and show their parents.

  2. mshore says:

    For my business in career coaching, both for individuals and for the hiring process by a company, we are Kolbe™ Certified Consultants. The Kolbe A™ Index is unique. “It does not measure intelligence, personality or social style. It measures the instinctive ways you take action when you strive.” “It is the only validated assessment that measures a person’s Conative strengths. Unlike any other any other assessments or quizzes you’ve taken, Kolbe gets directly at how people execute (not their IQ or personality).” The result is called your MO (method of operation).

    With the Kolbe A™, we can look at how an individual takes action in 4 areas: Fact Finder; Follow Through; Quick Start and Implementor. We do not disregard the Cognitive (skills and knowledge -as companies we work with use Strength Finders or ASVAB) or the Affective (personality, interests, values- as companies we work with use the DISK or ONet). It is all part of the puzzle for coaching an individual to find the “Right Fit” for them.

    The Kolbe A™ is the backbone. Within our program, we have a Kolbe B™ (this is an individual taking the index on their position based on how they perceive their duties/responsibilities). From this, we can do an A™ to B™ comparison to look for alignment, where there is conflict and adjustments or redirection needed. Also, there is the Kolbe C™ which is an index completed by CEO’s, Directors of HR, Presidents and/or Supervisor on positions for which they are hiring. With this, we can do an A™ to C™ comparison for the “Right Fit” for hire (again still taking into account the Cognitive and Affective). Going a step further, our program can support restructuring withing a company with the various comparisons for job creation, alignment, best movement of personnel, new hires, etc.

    In then end, we meet our goal of alignment for placement and hire with engagement, productivity, job satisfaction and an overall feeling of success.

    1. megandowney says:

      Wow – this sounds like a really great assessment for folks who have a bit more mature in their career and have lived experiences. It sounds like rather than finding the right role for the person, it’s about how someone could do their best work at the organization. I wonder how a client could use these results if they chose to leave the organize they are with and use it to evaluate future roles/companies.

    2. megandowney says:

      Wow, this sounds like a really great assessment for folks who have a bit more mature in their career and have lived experiences. It sounds like rather than finding the right role for the person, it’s about how someone could do their best work at the organization. I wonder how a client could use these results if they chose to leave the organization they are with and use it to evaluate future roles/companies.

    3. rpaull says:

      Fascinating assessment tool! I think it would work well with dislocated adults. Do you have any data on use with young adults? Can you share links to find out more about Kolbe A?

    4. mchenier says:

      I have taken the Kolbe Assessment and I liked reading the results because they went beyond many standard answers and gave great insight as to skills and we use these results as a team. For example, I am a fast starter, so I often get tasks going, but my coworker needs time to plan so we often bounce ideas off of each other to find the right fit for a new process for our team.

    5. reisingers says:

      This assessment tool has really sparked my interest. I willl be looking into seeing how I maybe able to use this with my senior communities. Thank You for sharing.

    6. Marisol Rodriguez says:

      This assessment sounds interesting. It sounds like a good tool to use during our hiring process. To find best fit for the company but also it helps the individual make that determination for themselves. Based on what I read it also help to get best team results and boost up productivity, I am curious to know how you introduce this assessment to your potential employees/students, are results shared and what are those the data demonstrates once it’s analyzed? Just wondering.

  3. Vivian Santos-Dingui says:

    In my experience, formal assessments such as skills and personality inventories work best in assisting the student population I serve. This is true whether choosing the right educational program and/or career path. Skills inventories help students identify their technical and soft skills; experiences, educational qualifications as well as career goals. Many individuals have strengths in areas they may not have recognized in themselves. It is important for students to be aware of their strengths; talents, skills, and interests which helps me as Student Facilitator guide students and choose a program or career path that best suits their future needs.

    The ever-changing job market is competitive and having a general idea of which line of work and type of work or educational environment students learn and/or work-in best allows. A good personality test commonly used is the Myers-Briggs and our college uses what we call a “Focus2” assessment which connects students with the several career and/or educational options. Options are vital in order for my students to not feel limited. I enjoy reviewing the results of the assessments to then work together to develop a plan of action as well as short and long-term achievable goals.

    1. ssmith says:

      Vivian, it’s not often that I see personality tests used outside of school classrooms. Using them as a component of your work with youth actually makes sense. In addition to using the skills inventoried you mentioned, they would help give you and the participant a clearer understanding of the careers that would be a good fit for them based on their complete being instead of just a few isolated factors.

    2. adel.dalou says:

      thank you for sharing Vivian. i think that some of that assessment could be greatly helpful in trying to help the customer figure out what they are interested in.

  4. rgoshorn says:

    My organization works with justice-involved youth. Career exploration is the primary career development need of this population. We use the PA Career Zone Interest Profiler which is identical to the O*Net Interest Profiler. This assessment is administered and interpreted near the beginning of the youths’ program. The person who administers the assessment attempts to make connections between core academic subjects, on-site vocational programs and the results of the interest profiler. Later in their program, the results of the interest profiler are considered while they develop a Career Plan that identify the immediate steps that must take in order to move toward their identified career. Our goal is to provide a safe place to explore career options and the Interest Profiler is part of that process.

    1. lily says:

      rgoshorn, I like this method. Providing a safe space for clients to explore career options is what it’s all about. We often forget that some of our clients have no one else to talk to about career choices.

  5. ssmith says:

    When thinking about a career assessment that would be beneficial to use with the participants we serve, it would be best if it were formal, free or cost effective, and produce valid results. The assessment would also be a combination of an online instrument and one on one interviews. The online portion of the assessment would be designed to ask questions related to abilities, skills and interests. Completing the formal online assessment would help produce official results, and the interview with the participant would give you additional clarity and detail about the participants interests and goals. It would be imperative that the combined assessments provide information to assist with providing information about any and/or all of the following; career exploration, career decision-making, educational planning, and career adjustment. This will provide you with the necessary information to help guide you in your support of and work with the participant.

    1. bev says:

      I find that my one on one interviews usually lead to discovering interests and strengths as much as online instruments. We are a non-profit organization and usually only use free assessments to help direct students to find opportunities. I used Career Scope assessments in the past and I found that they were not cost-efficient or as useful as free resources such as ONET.

    2. rpaull says:

      Absolutely agree that formal, free/cost effective, and valid results are very important. Most organizations don’t having funding earmarked for expensive assessment tools that can be used with clients. I also agree that an interview with the client is important to clarify their goals/needs.

  6. bev says:

    I work with adult GED and ESL students as a support specialist. I first complete an informal assessment to determine current interests; we discuss student’s family life and past employment history to determine their strengths. We then use the ONET interest profiler to begin forming a career path. We research the results with a bright outlook and investigate job openings and local trainings that are available.

    1. holmh says:

      Bev, I like your response to using the O*NET Interest Profiler as a way to take a “bright outlook” to investigating job openings and trainings that may be available to the participants you work with. I do think a log of individuals coming your way probably have had a lot of help and direction in determining what they would like to do as a career. I think the O*NET Interest Profiler is an excellent way to ease them into the process of thinking about their career path.

  7. ecamargo-ground says:

    When I was in the position of a Case Manager, I used the MBTI for 3 of our programs. I got the MBTI certification. The MBTI is a Psychometric formal tool. It is not a test but an indicator of personality type and/or preferences. Since, the reliability is about 75%, I used to give an explanation to each of our clients for them to understand the difference and to own their type/strengths. I could tell when they got it when a smile was on their faces confirming the pros and cons of their strengths when they were reading a short description of their type.

  8. ecamargo-ground says:

    We all encounter different assessments thru school, applying for a job or working with clients. Different assessments are available in the market, and these keep getting improve for a better outcome for a specific situation. Or new ones also come in the market. I think it’s good to experience different types of assessments to provide a service to clients. Only trial and error can tell us the one that will work best for staff and clients.

    1. Margarita says:

      learning about different assessment that works best for staff and clients.
      Exploring different assessments formal or informal helps not only the client learn more about their interest, values and skills, also the career advisor to help guide the client in their career development.

  9. at says:

    To design a career assessment program, I would use an informal assessment with customers first. Unlike an informal assessment, using a formal assessment will make people feel uncomfortable and nervous like going back to school. Informal assessments create more welcoming environments so customers will be open-minded and be willing to share their experiences. The informal assessment is useful with diversity groups/cultures too. There are so many free online tools that we could provide to customers, I would pick O*Net Interest Profiler to begin forming a career path for them.
    At the individual intake, we can use informal assessments to help ourselves help customers understand their career development in a one-on-one setting. We could help customers choose the right path from the beginning either education or career by having the structured interview questions.
    In the larger group, they could do Forced Choice or Card Sorts activities. We could break them into smaller groups and customers could have a group discussion. This way they can learn from each other too because there is no right or wrong answer. It is based on each individual experiences.
    After that, we could provide formal assessments for those who need them. For example, if they prefer to take more education or advancement in career they could take TABE test.

    1. pbaldwin says:

      I like your idea of using an informal assessment to begin with to ease the client into the assessment process. I think this could go a long way with building trust as well, which could in turn make it an easier transition and willingness to take a more formal assessment.

    2. bback says:

      I agree with the thoughts of using informal assessments first. Some people have a hard time even coming in to ask for help, and immediately putting a formal assessment in front of them can be very daunting. Some people do not test well and worry about taking the assessments at all. Longer, more formal assessments should wait until after the relationship has been forged and the client feels comfortable and has had the benefits explained to them.

    3. Kimberly Carr says:

      I like the way you would do this. It just seems like it would not be as nerve racking as other ways. The more the client feels comfortable around you and others the more they will feel like he or she can discuss the question in more detail. The client might even learn more about themselves in this surrounding.

    4. Britney.harris says:

      I really like the idea of using an informal assessment to begin. I have had clients look visibly terrified as soon as they hear the word assessment. I find that it helps me tremendously to start the process slow if you will and build a rapport with my clients and make sure they feel comfortable, then ease them into more formal assessments.

  10. lily says:

    I would start with a formal assessment, preferably free or low-cost. These types of assessments give you scores and structure. Most clients like to see the areas that they need to work on, hence the reason they come to us. Once we determine what is needed, they can take an informal assessment to ease the anxiety. Something fun such as a strengths finder or an activity that can be discussed in a one-on-one setting. People love to know their strengths.

  11. nmiller says:

    I work entirely with students who tend to be juniors and seniors in high school, these students are a bit more receptive to informal assessment to begin with, conversations about where they are headed after graduation and how I can be of assistance helping them achieve their goals. With any students that are unsure of their future trajectory I use more formal assessment like a skills and interest assessment, or the school districts provided Xello assessment. These can help give us a picture of the things a student is good at or might be interested in, which can help them shape their thoughts about their future.

    1. mshore says:

      While you work with juniors and seniors is the high school started sooner in the freshman or sophomore year with Xello? I know in PA the districts are “following” PDE’s College and Career Readiness program with the collection of artifacts to job shadowing/employment in a position of interest for a career. From what I have been able to gather, it really depends on the district or high school for how well they are implementing this program to the supplemental assessments out there like, ASVAB or ONet. The other piece of the puzzle is how serious or what level of attention any student gives to any assessment. I am sure you come across a variety of needs and experiences with the students.

  12. aresto says:

    In my current role as a Workforce Specialist, I use the formal assessments and informal assessments. Before a participant is enrolled in my program, they are required to take a Family Needs Assessment. There are numerous questions on this document in reference to the participants housing, employment, food, transportation, and child care needs. This helps new participants enrolling in our program to see where their current needs are not just for finding employment but for their personal needs. Based on their answers we can then refer them to other resources and other programs that we work with. After the Family Needs Assessment is done, we then make all new participants complete the O’Net Interest Profiler. Like with the Family Needs Assessment, this helps define the participants’ interest and helps with finding new employment opportunities for them. I believe that both are very beneficial for new participants and helps set the parameters for ongoing meetings.

    1. rpaull says:

      We use a family assessment as well as part of our intake. Identifying potential barriers such as housing, transportation, and child care are critical to seeing the client as a whole. We could be setting a client up for failure if we don’t consider these. I didn’t put those in my original post and I am glad that you reminded me of the importance of remembering to include this.

    2. iberry says:

      I like the family needs assessments also. It is important for workforce development to help the client holistically. When the clients’ needs are addressed and remedied, then employment can be retained and the family can thrive.

  13. edougherty says:

    One assessment I would use is the O*NET Interest Profiler. It is a formal assessment tool that can help enlighten participants about job fields that could align with activities they would enjoy doing. This falls into the “interest inventory” category of assessment tools. At one time, our program utilized this evaluation for our participants and had success with using the results to guide individuals towards satisfying careers.
    This assessment is relatively straight-forward and easy to complete. The fact that it’s not intimidating but still provides insight into different careers and fields is a beneficial characteristic. It also has helpful, practical information about training/education needed for various jobs, salaries, and potential job opportunities. I think focusing on interests first and then evaluating realistic components is a great strategy for making job search approachable.

    1. mvandorn says:

      I agree with Emma’s points for using the O’Net Interest Profiler. It’s been applicable to almost all participants I’ve worked with in my 10+ years in workforce development.

  14. Margarita says:

    We currently use Career scope assessment to help guide and provide career recommendation base on high interest and aptitude, it produces recommendations for their development. There is a new version that came out with resourceful resources to help both the client and career navigator to better understand their career goals. It’s good to experience different types of assessment informal and formal as this will allow both the career advisor and the client to know more about all the different types that are out and how these assessments can be utilize as a tool to prepare for a career pathway.

    1. sletourneau says:

      I like how you speak to the value of delivering a variety of assessments to get to know our clients better. Different assessments do capture different types of information, and it’s nice to get a more comprehensive understanding of the individuals that we work with, and how that relates to career development. It is nice having a variety of assessments to chose from in addition to the ones that we complete as part of enrollment, so that we can tailor to the needs of our clients and truly deliver personalized services.

  15. sletourneau says:

    I am a Career Navigator serving Adult and Dislocated Workers and have been delivering a few assessments including the O*NET and Traitify assessments used to determine a client’s perception of their own employment preferences. We use these assessments not only to support a client in furthering their understanding of themselves and help in clarifying career interests to specific career goals, but also in assessing potential funding for training. A client’s O*NET scores are reviewed during training committees and discussed as part of the approval process. This is done under the assumption that there is a science to matching a person’s personality and the work environment that would best suit them. A good match of both work environment and type of employment with a person’s personality should result in a person’s sustained employment in that industry. This should result in both a client’s satisfaction in job placement as well as positive training outcomes for the program. Our program just adopted CareerScope as a new tool and I recently completed it myself to see how it would be for my clients. I really like how this tool assesses aptitude at a greater level than what we’ve used before, and feel that it will result in more accurate assessment of next steps for employment/training goals.

    1. asoto says:

      I think your method to use the assessment to clarify career interest and goals is very effective to help participants find their Career Path.

  16. asoto says:

    In our office, we work with students that are Out of School Youth, and our students are often trying to figure out what jobs and careers they are wanting to pursue. I would use Career Scope to assess our participants skills and interest. In my experience with Working with Career Scope, because through a series of questions, it reviews their knowledge and what they are interested in doing, and it provides them with results that merge the skills they already have, and matches it to what jobs they can do. This helps the students connect both aspects of looking for a job, and helps guide them on Careers that they might not have thought of before.

    1. papisth says:

      I have a lot of participants that also find careers that they are interested in that they never thought of before also. It is pretty neat when they light up and say wow! that sounds like something I’d really like to do!

  17. slance says:

    Throughout my career of 30 plus years in workforce development, I have had many roles, EARN caseworker, Instructor, Job Developer, Career Advisor, WIOA Career Navigator to name a few. I have used many assessments throughout my career, such as Onet, CareerScope, WorkKeys, TABE, etc. I have found that I must first decide what testing would be the best fit for the clients in the role I am in. When I worked with SNAP participants, a simple Onet Profiler Assessment would probably be the best option since many of SNAP or just looking for a job to move on and get off of assistance. However, when working with a WIOA client who is trying to make a choice of either a career change and what training he/she should take that I feel using the CareerScope would give the client a more comprehensive look at career interests and choices.

    1. at says:

      I agree with you that different groups of participants have different needs and career paths. Due to these differences, we should tailor the assessments specific to the audience we are working with.

    2. Robert Turner says:

      I like the idea of using different assessments for different people based off of what would work best for each client. Some of the assessments might not give the information we need for a client but a different choice would provide the information we would need.

  18. mvandorn says:

    Like some of my other colleagues, I would use the onet interest profiler assessment. I’ve been using this for years and feel that it’s a fairly quick and easy way to give client’s a starting point for occupations they could consider and or pursue based on their interests and education level. I think having access to the job matches easily allows people to then look at some of the highlights of the occupations and either eliminate them based on the specifications of the occupation or will allow them to look into the occupation further. I think it’s a good assessment for all levels even if digital literacy is not the best.

  19. megandowney says:

    Wow – this sounds like a really great assessment for folks who have a bit more mature in their career and have lived experiences. It sounds like rather than finding the right role for the person, it’s about how someone could do their best work at the organization. I wonder how a client could use these results if they chose to leave the organization they are with and use it to evaluate future roles/companies.

  20. megandowney says:

    When working with students, the two assessments that I think are the most useful are Focus 2 and the Strong Interest Inventory. I think they are the best to use with students because they serve as a great starting point and conversation starter. So many students will come into an appointment with “tell me what to be.” Using these two assessments can be a great starting place to show that they already have some of the options within; we are going to use their (developed or undeveloped) knowledge, interest, and skills to shape what is possible. We then can use those two assessment results to have a conversation on if they think it fits and how to explore what’s next in a way that matches their learning style. I find that after assessment results incorporating a small win, like looking at job descriptions or finding how they may already be using these skills, can be really affirming to their career development.

    1. nmiller says:

      I work with students and hadn’t heard of these assessments, and they seem like great tools, Ill have to try them out for myself.

  21. pbaldwin says:

    As a Career Specialist my role in guiding clients with career paths has been on a broader scale. However, I have promoted the use of both O*Net as well as TORQ from their online CareerLink account, particularly when a client shares they would like to think about a change in their career path. I have also found that an informal assessment can prove fruitful when critiquing resumes where we are discussing their work history as well as passions and interests. This can often spur discussion that will encourage them to pursue the use of a more formal assessment that may help them think outside the box.

  22. rpaull says:

    In my work at the community college, I have used the O’Net interest profiler and I do find value in it. I then show students how to translate the results into potential job titles that fit their needs. The nice thing about the O’Net profiler is that is takes so little time and we get quick results. The college offers a free assessment to students called the Focus 2. It takes Holland’s concepts and provides a deeper look at potential career paths for students. I would probably continue to use the O’Net as a tool for a “quick assessment” to get a student’s mind thinking about what interests them. I don’t think that it is a tool that supports a deep dive into career assessment.
    While reviewing this chapter, I signed up for the California Careerzone. I signed in and started playing around with the website. I found this to be a potentially strong tool for in depth assessment for students. I would really like to spend some time with this tool and see how it could work in my line of work. I think there is great potential there.

    1. bridget.james says:

      I agree, we even use the ONET Online website for labor market information but I never really used it for the assessment tool and found it very interesting and will be checking out more options and using it more in what we do.

      I had signed up for some of them as well and agreed with the results. I found it interesting to match my skills to a specific career that provided opportunities to get paid doing what I love to do and using skills that I already have. Not only this but then learning the projected growth of that industry, wage, and how to attain a career in that field was very beneficial. These assessments are a great tool to use and I look forward to learning how to use them more effectively.

      1. mfeltner says:

        I didn’t realize that O*Net had an assessment tool either Bridget.

      2. tcampbell says:

        I wasn’t aware that O’NET could be used as an assessment tool. This sounds like a great option that I will definitely be looking into and learning more about.

  23. iberry says:

    I have worked in workforce development for quite a few years and out of all the assessments I have seen so far, I like the O’Net Profiler and the Careerscope the best. The O’Net Profiler is a quick and easy way to get a snapchat of clients’ interests. Based upon the clients’ score reports and identified job zones, career navigation can be completed to lead the client in the best direction suitable.

    For a more in-depth look at clients’ interests as well as aptitudes, the Careerscope is a good assessment tool. With the Careerscope, things like visual perception, spatial ability, mathematical, and language skills are evaluated. Coupling the aptitude scores with the clients’ areas of interests produces recommendations of occupations that clients could explore as career options.

    1. ndeeley says:

      I know that our office switched to using CareerScope. I would love to learn more about it. It sounds very useful. I would also love to take it myself.

    2. mhernandez says:

      I’m also interested in learning more about CareerScope and your experience with it. We use O*NET since we mostly work with adults, but our school district is using Xello (https://xello.world/en/) for middle and high schools.

  24. jmartinez-guzman says:

    I work with dislocated adults and have recently started working with out of school youth. We were previously using ONet but, rfecently have transitioned over to CareerScope. All program participants complete this assessment upon enrollment. So far it been a great tool to assist individuals into identifying areas of interest and it works in combination with ONEYTto make recommendations

  25. ndeeley says:

    In working with TANF and Adult/Dislocated Workers I feel that the O*NET interest profiler, designed using the Holland Code is a simple, and easy-to-understand informal assessment. It is relatively easy to access and provides comprehensive assessments that assist clients in learning about careers in their areas of interest. An added bonus is that it does not take much time to complete.

    For a formal assessment, our office utilizes the TABE test to determine if someone has a high enough reading, writing, and math level to succeed in a training program. While not foolproof it does help Career Navigator identify a potential barrier a client may face if they enter training with inadequate reading, writing, or arithmetic skills.

    1. paytonricec says:

      Thank you for sharing information about the CASAS test! At MRS I have not been required to administer any pre-requisite test to measure a customer’s ability to be successful in collegiate or trade school endeavors, but your comment has sparked an interest in me finding out how our department handles this to ensure that we a being financially responsible.

  26. carmana says:

    In my position as a Career Coach working with Adults and Dislocated Workers, the career assessment that I use the most for Career Development is the ONET Interest Profiler. The ONET Interest Profiler is an informal assessment, is easy to use and provides an array of results to assist the participant in what they may want to pursue. It has been a great tool with my participants that come in and are ready for something new and aren’t sure which direction they want to go in. The ONET Interest Profiler can be done quickly and participants usually enjoy doing it because it focuses solely on their interests and doesn’t feel like an actual test.

    In terms of a formal test, we administer CASAS tests. This test is a requirement for anyone that would like to do training. This assessment is a reading and math test that shows at what grade level a participant is scoring. It determines if an individual is Basic Skills Deficient. The main reason for us using this test is to see if an individual is scoring at a level showing they could be successful in a training program.

    1. rrezene says:

      At our service centers we use the CASAS as our formal assessment and have started to move away from the ONET Interest Profiler and into another assessment that provides a RIASEC score and additional measurables with personality and thinking skills. I do like the interest profilers quick results and direction to occupations. For those who want something quick it is easy to administrate. As for the CASAS I never got to into the weeds about why that was the new standard for Cognitive assessments with Adult and Dislocated workers.

  27. mchenier says:

    Our office works with all clients from various backgrounds, so our assessments need to be versatile and inexpensive. My plan would be to use the TABE for formal assessments, and the Life Rainbow for informal assessment. Some of our clients have literacy challenges, so I would have talent specialists well-trained in how to deliver these to those clients. I would also spend time reviewing the assessments with talent to ensure they know about the inventories, how they work and how to use the results with the clients. I would want to have continuing discussion with staff to ensure these were delivered ethically and address any challenges they might be having with administrating these assessments. I would also ask for money to be added to our budget so we could be finding the most cost-effective way to continue helping guide clients successfully.

    1. speterson says:

      I like that you are thinking about the client demographic. That is extemely important, especially in rural areas. I’m still new to my postion so I feel the value of the extra training in assesment knowledge. Questioning for the sole purpose of knowledge, I’m curious as to why the TABE is your prefered formal assesment?

  28. holmh says:

    I am a Career Advisor that works with PATH participants and individuals interested in help with Tuition Assistance through WIOA and MiREACH funding. For the PATH participants, we use the O*NET profiler because it breaks down what they enjoy doing so it can give the participants more focus on not just getting a job but finding one they enjoy as well. It does not take a really long time to complete either and that helps the participants remain focused. Also allowing them to see their results at the end of the assessment without having to wait for the career advisor to score it is an additional benefit. It allows them to explore their interests on their own time as well as it lets them click on job zones and career suggestions.
    We also use the TABE Locator 11/12 for Reading and Mathematics assessment for all of our participants for PATH and WIOA Tuition Assistance. As a Career Advisor, I review the TABE results with the participant in order for them to understand their scores. I also use it to help determine suitability for our tuition assistance program. If they score very low on reading and math, I explore more of their other strengths to help determine if they indeed would be able to pass any trainings they enroll in. TABE does not help with career exploration, however, so it is very limited in scope.

  29. paytonricec says:

    If I was working with a customer to design a career assessment program I would provide them with the two following formal assessments: Onet Interest profile and the Strengths finder by Gallup. I believe that if the customer is able to become more cognizant of their strengths, they will be more likely to correlate them to their interests and ultimately be more successful in facing challenges the new position may bring. The Informal assessment that I would use is guided imagery. I enjoyed these exercises and it was a good opportunity to imagine what I wanted my life to look and feel like. Similarly, I believe that a customer would benefit from getting in tune with what they ultimately have planned for their lives and the way they would like to navigate the world.

  30. papisth says:

    As a Youth Career Coach, I use the Onet interest profiler. A lot of my participants do not know what they want to do for a career so this is a good tool to show them what they may like to do based on their interests. We also use the CASAS testing. This shows were they are at in math and reading, if they are basic skills deficient this may be a barrier and something we can work on in the program. CASAS also helps us determine if they are ready for the GED testing and/or training or if they need a little extra help.

  31. speterson says:

    Upon initial contact I feel an informal assesment is best. Just ask questions as part of a conversation. An informal inventory of work experience and interests. Allow the client to reach a natural comfort. I feel that formal assesments are only as good as the person taking them. If a person is being honest with the answers they can be very useful. Ive seen times where the questions are answered in a manner that will result in favor of a pre concieved notion.
    The “informal” conversation between a client and staff can be the most useful assesment there is. Ask the questions, inturpet the answers given. Are they honest? Are they productive? From that point decide if a formal assesment will be benificial.

    1. mccoya8 says:

      I think that’s a great idea to use an informal assessment first. Administering formal assessments first might overwhelm the customer and it does not give you time to make a personal connection. Starting off with an interview or some get to know you time is important because you can learn a lot about someone by having respectful back and forth conversation. Creating a professional bond with your customer makes them feel more comfortable to share. That’s also a good point about formal assessments and the validity of them based on the realness and honesty a customer is. That can skew your information and cause you to travel down a career path that might not be best fit for the customer.

  32. adel.dalou says:

    I mostly work with adult refugees and immigrants. During my informal assessment, I try to get the full picture. even if the customer comes in for work (for example) I ask questions to figure out all the possible barriers that can stop them from being successful. I ask questions in regard to language, transportation, family situation, and any mental or physical barriers. After figuring out the barriers, I try to figure out their skill set. it is important for me to let them know that I am not trying to erase their history, and that some of their skills could be transferred to a new country.

    1. mendezm2 says:

      Is it difficult when someone from a different country has a lot of education that is not recognize here? While attending job fairs, I have met people that have been nurses and teachers, but because of the different education systems their credentials are not recognized in the US.

    2. dlares says:

      In your experience, has it ever been beneficial to tag team with an employer or organization that also understands the barriers that these people face and coordinate training, support, employment, etc so that the person feels they have a support system in place?

  33. reisingers says:

    I work with Seniors, ages 55 and older. We use a hand written informal assessment. It is a Self Assessment that covers personality traits and preferences, skills and achievements, and values. It also covers job interests, barriers to employment, past employment and any education or specialized trainings they may have aquired. I feel this form of assessment works best for Seniors, most can’t operate a computer to utilize O*NET or like websites. Formal assessments can be overwhelming for them. After filling out the self assessment we sit down together to discuss options and where to go moving forward. They also apprecite the one-on-one human interaction vs. technology.

    1. bolte says:

      How great that you consider barriers to participation in assessments, and how taking an assessment with impact the people that you serve. You’re meeting people’s needs in a way that works for both of you, helps them develop insight, and hopefully gets them excited to prepare for new work experiences.

  34. mendezm2 says:

    Like many others the only assessment I have been exposed to is the ONET Assessment. Being with the JVSG program it does do a good job at helping explore interest related to veterans’ military careers. If I were to pick an assessment that I just found in the chapter, it would have to be the Career Beliefs Inventory and the Job Search Attitude Inventory. They are describe as helping with internal barriers and help clients learn about unrealistic expectations. Most of the clients I see believe their work value is higher than what LMI indicates, and these assessments seem to target that area. It would be good to have another tool that helps bring a client’s expectations into a realistic view.

  35. bolte says:

    I’m employed as a Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor at Michigan Rehabilitation Services. MRS serves people with disabilities to help them prepare for, obtain and retain employment. I often purchase psychological evaluations to assess individuals’ IQ scores, academic grade level equivalencies, and other abilities and capabilities. The psychologist administers the Career Assessment Inventory, which asks individuals their preferences and interests in a variety of work activities. It’s a formal standardized assessment. At the end of the assessment, the psychologist uses these results to recommend potential jobs and rehabilitation needs of the individual. I also purchase vocational assessments from vendors. They often use CareerOneStop’s Career Interest Assessment and Skills Matcher, which provides scores similar to Holland’s Personality types. It includes Conventional, Enterprising, Realistic.

  36. mhernandez says:

    If I was asked to help design a career assessment program, I would provide them with the following assessments: O*NET Interest Profile and card sorts. The O*NET Interest Profile is good to use when finding careers that match their personality and interest. The card sorts are good for the other person to rank careers based on their interest, skills, and values. It also gives them the opportunity to have the assessment tailored to their learning style. There are other types of assessment that would be good to include as well.

  37. dlares says:

    Most of my work centers around working with young adults to early fifties. Due to the type of work I am in, they have chosen the skilled trade of construction, but have a wide variety of options of work tasks to move about in with different employers. Because they may not like the type of construction they originally started in or are getting older and do not want to do as much physical work as they did when they were younger, they come to me seeking guidance on what their options are and if they need other training to work in a different area of construction. When I do informal assessments, I may try card sorts. Many of my clients are kinesthetic learners so card sorts work well in their favor. If I can identify what my client’s highest work values are and the type of work/employer offers that type of value, I can coordinate the training needed or determine if the person already has the training to work for that company.

  38. rrezene says:

    I would use an assessment called JOFI. The JOFI assessment apply test for Career Interest, Personality Traits, and Thinking Skills which are later measured against compensatory job analysis of 71 job families. The assessment give a nice report to job seekers along with a customized link to explore careers based on their fit score of these 3 measurables combined. It also links to onet and other labor market websites to make exploration a breeze.

    1. mturner1 says:

      Thinking skills! I love that your tool assesses thinking skills because in order to meet individuals where they are, knowing what level of thinking skills and how developed their critical thinking skills are would be so important in deciding on a realistic career pathway. Interesting. I will have to look into this and other areas to assess thinking skills and if that area has a lot of room to be developed, that would be an important thing to identify.

  39. tmogle says:

    My role is different than most of the folks taking this course, as I don’t directly interact with participants/clients, but work directly with businesses. I am a fan of the O*Net platform and feel that it is a good assessment. Especially if I would encounter a client who give the typical “I don’t know what I want to do when I grow up” answer. The thing that I like about the assessment is that it provides the user with a wide variety of options. I took an assessment myself a few years ago, and while I thought I knew what I wanted to do and would do well at, the assessment told me something completely different that I wouldn’t have thought of previously.

    1. mstover says:

      I agree, the assessment provides the participants with a wide vary of careers they can pursue now. A list of careers with a shorter training coupled with their transferable skills. Finally, it provides a list of careers that need more extensive training. Overall, an excellent resource for a boost in confidence with participants. I have noticed they get excited when they realize how the transferable skills, they have can be so useful.

  40. mccoya8 says:

    Designing a career assessment program for our customers is a very important step. I would use the formal assessments interest inventories and ability tests. An informal assessment I would use are interviews. Knowing customers’ interests can help guide us to career paths that would be enjoyable. When a person enjoys their job they often stay in the same position for a longer period of time. They also tend to have a better work ethic when they enjoy their job. Ability tests are important because it gives the customer and counselor a baseline of their strengths and weaknesses. Pairing interest inventories and ability tests allows a counselor to weigh the balance between interests and abilities. It’s important to find a job that the customer enjoys but also that they have the abilities for. If a customer does not have the abilities to perform in their job effectively, they will become frustrated and that leads to a negative workplace environment. Lastly, I would use interviews to get to know my customer. Having a conversation where you ask good questions and make the customer feel heard, respected, and understood can give you more realistic knowledge of that customer and what their wants and needs are.

  41. jromzek says:

    When formally assessing a new Youth Participant’s ideal Career Path, I prefer to use CareerScope. Careerscope is a user-friendly program that the participant can take either in the MiWorks office or from home, whichever they prefer. It gives a thorough, easy-to-read assessment report of what field would be the best fit for the Youth.

    Until reading this, I have only known O*Net as the “go-to” place to go for career code numbers when enrolling youth in WIOA! I will definitely be looking into the O*Net Interest Profiler as another optional tool when doing a formal assessment on future Youth participants.

  42. mturner1 says:

    Our college uses the Focus2 Career Assessment tool for our students and this is based on the Holland’s Theory of Career Choice, so this would (and is) my go to first step with students in the assessment stage of the career development process. I really like how Focus2 assesses multiple areas including, Work Interest, Personality, Leisure, Values and Skills. The multiple assessment layers can provide some validation of consistency and help identify common themes that we may see throughout the assessments with students as I always try to keep in mind that these assessments are self-reporting so the level of the student’s self-awareness can impact the results. The Focus2 also will directly link you to both Occupational Outlook Handbook information through O’net and also directly then tie it to majors and programs at Reading Area Community College.

    1. wcain says:

      We hope to connect our student results to the local community college offerings’ too. It’s nice to be able to tie in the training options and what is avaible locally.

    2. mkwioacmanager8 says:

      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.

      I would use the formal assessments interest inventories and ability tests. An informal assessment I would use are, Resume Builders, Career Coach, and Career Scope Assessments. Knowing a customers’ interests can help guide them to career paths that would be enjoyable and help the person find a job that they like and enjoy doing. When a person enjoys their job they often stay in the same position for a longer period of time. They also tend to have a better work ethic when they enjoy their job. The Career Coach and Career Scope Assessments are important because it gives the customer and the career advisor a baseline of their strengths and weaknesses. Pairing interest inventories and ability tests allows a career coach to weigh the balance between Interests and abilities. It’s important to find a job that the customer enjoys but also that they have the abilities for. If a customer does not have the abilities to perform in their job effectively, they will become frustrated and that leads to a negative workplace environment. Lastly, I would use Resume Builder to get to know my customer. This would give me a field of what they have done for work in their past. Having a conversation where I would ask good questions and make the customer feel heard, respected, and understood can give you more realistic knowledge of that customer and what their wants and needs are.

      I would give them the Career Coach Assessment, Career Scope Assessment, Make them fill out a Resume Builder to get a idea of their past work experience. This tells me what the clients intrested in doing and what they like doing. I would also recommend on giving the client a Career Scope. This helps them to see if the career they think they want to do is really the right path they would like doing.

  43. wcain says:

    We are beginning to incorporate oNet assessments into our student experience. It is a short assessment, while formal, and not intimidating as some of the longer panels. Since students feel comfortable at different training levels/intensity it is nice that they are given so many options. They can quickly see careers that might be quickly entered into and what they could use if they are willing to invest more time. It’s nice that the students gets to decide which level they are at, instead of having to narrow down the list and possibly get disappointed after they are interested in a career that is beyond their immediate goals.

    1. t.logan says:

      I never realized that O’net was an assessment tool. I just thought it was used for Labor Market Information. The more people have talked about it the more I am intrigued with what O’net really offers. We used Career Edge in the past to discover the client’s personality type and their career cluster. We have switched to Career Coach now. I am still figuring it out so I am not sure if I really like that assessment. We also use the Career Scope. This assessment is a bit long but I do think it is a good assessment to discover what they are interested in and what careers align with their interests.

    2. mkwioadirector says:

      I have recently looked into the O*Net interest profiler as well. I like the fact that it is a shorter assessment and easy to use. I do believe that this assessment is not as intimidating as some of the others. I feel like our youth would be more interested in this type of assessment.

  44. mstover says:

    I work with Adults & Dislocated Workers ADW. My current position is a Career Specialist/ Outreach. I also teach the Intro to PA CareerLink Services workshop. Answering questions at the end of the workshop, I have realized that clients are looking to change careers / better jobs. O’Net gives three lists of Careers they can choice from. I have had numerous participants have a job show up on the Interest Profiler that they might not have initially thought of. Making them excited to moving forward, starting over.

  45. bback says:

    My position is more of a management role and not a front line career services provider. Assessments are definitely something that we need to focus on more with our service providers, across our entire network. We utilize a couple formal assessments, for example Career Scope and Career Coach. Both are online tests that the client takes to help determine career choices based on interest and aptitude tests. We do need more personality and work value assessments, to help clarify a client’s values and preferences in a work setting. I feel we rely too strongly on the skills assessments without digging deeper to see if their personality, beliefs, and values also align with that career choice. I also feel that we need to integrate more informal assessments to help learn more about the individual and get them involved in the process before moving on to more formal assessments.

  46. bridget.james says:

    Our agency works with a variety of ages from 18 and up, with many barriers to employment so it is vital in our programs that we work them individually and evaluate their needs. We use both formal and informal assessments to help them learn more about their skills. In the beginning we use the Career Coach assessment to assess what they like to do and match it with some careers which gives us some things to talk about and provides a way to start a discussion. We have the client take the Career Scope Assessment that will also test their math skills for example then the results will reflect their interests and aptitude levels which helps guide the conversation to specific training courses or employment opportunities that the client prefers to pursue. I enjoy talking to the clients about the results because it helps them think outside the box when we go over the ONet Online career matches and labor market information. I would love to see more assessments that would provide a deeper understanding because what may work for some, doesn’t work for others so there is much room for improvements. We have used many different assessments in the past like the Color Lingo Assessment and 5-Minute Personality Assessment which are great at helping clients learn about their strengths and weaknesses as these were even helpful when doing mock interviews with the client but I do need to learn how to use these assessments more effectively.

    1. bonnie.conn says:

      Bridget, I agree with you. I think we need more updated formal assessments that are so targeted on specific career areas that it will help us streamline the career match to the client so specifically that it would reduce the number of clients that go into jobs they hate and then leave and also students that go into training fields and never complete.

  47. nicole.pfundheller says:

    Our organization works with the XYTE Assessment. This assessment helps assist participants into a career direction based on what the cognofile stated would be best. Each cognofile is divided into four dichotomies: 1. Teacher-Directed Learner – Needs guidance, short attention span, concrete facts, hands-on activities, etc.
    2. Directed Routine – Step-by-step, sequential learner, understands better with hands/body; tactual learner, etc.
    3. Reactive – Voracious user of new technology for reading-early adopter, interested in everything, etc.
    4. Independent Learner – Independent, focused, goal oriented, organized, etc.
    After each participant is given the cognofile, they will then receive a list of potential jobs/careers that would be a good match. From there, a training plan would be developed. Most participants agree with the assessment.

    1. lisa.fenrick says:

      Thank you for referencing the XYTE Assessment. I do use this assessment and find it quite useful to identify learning styles and personality traits. It is also very useful in group environments to identify interactions between students- who gets along very well with who and also those who need to communicate a little better to understand each other. The XYTE helps in identifying career paths and interests by helping us understand their personalities to find the best fit.

    2. adhill says:

      Thanks for posting about this assessment. I’m going to look into it more , as I’ve not heard of it before. I do see how knowing their learning style would be beneficial.

    3. rexa says:

      Thank you for sharing this assessment and its details. I enroll students for training and I would use this data to assist the instructors. I feel this would be invaluable for any organization that works with a wide range of ages. The youngest I can enroll is 18 years old. The oldest I’ve ever had in class is a 71-year-old. Never too young to learn, right? But this assessment is great because not everyone learns the same way or at the same pace. I’ll certainly be looking into this more. Great info. Thanks!

  48. lisa.fenrick says:

    An assessment that we use while working with the Youth population is the TABE (Tests of Adult Basic Education). I feel this assessment is quite useful while exploring career paths with students still in school or recent high school graduates to help develop a starting point. It has happened in the past when a student has a career in their sights that fits their interest profile may be immediately unattainable. Going straight into that training or looking for a job may be overwhelming and at the time defeating which will discourage a youth and have them possibly give up on their goals. By using the TABE we are able to assess where their learning level is so we can determine an initial step that is age/ knowledge appropriate so they can focus on the short term knowing that with experience and hard work they can achieve the higher goal.

    1. nicole.pfundheller says:

      I too, use the TABE test for our youth population. I have noticed that even though some youth are labeled as being “basic skills deficient,” that doesn’t necessarily mean that they would not do well in post secondary education. In some instances, it makes them more determined to reach their goals. I find this assessment beneficial to at least put a start to their individual plans.

    2. mkwioacmanager3 says:

      We also utilize the TABE test, but we do not introduce this from the start with most situations. I feel as though they (the client) are often intimidated by such an intense assessment We usually start off with Career Coach or ONET. From here, we discuss options as far as career guidance and training. I stress the importance of the TABE to the client to make them aware that we’re measuring their starting level and any barriers they may face (youth population, mostly).
      Do you also utilize interest geared assessments in conjunction with the TABE?

  49. Robert Turner says:

    I am pretty new to the career of Career Advising. Career Scope is the assessment that I have used the most and is the one I am most familiar with. So for that reason that is the assessment I would recommend and would use. I personally took the assessment and felt it was accurate for me. It provides information as to what the client is interested in and has an aptitude assessment as well. So you get to see interests and abilities all in one assessment.

    1. rball says:

      Robert, I as well have taken assessments before, just to get an idea of what our clients will be doing. I agree, my results were pretty accurate as well. I feel the clients relax more, when I let them know I have taken the same assessment, I’m asking them to complete.

  50. t.logan says:

    If I would assist with creating an assessment for my clients, I would like for it to cover a number of things. I would like for it to discover what interests my client has. Also, I would like for it to assess some soft skills that companies are interested in this day in time. The Career Scope is a good assessment, I do think that it has the capability to intimidate the clients and they just rush through to get it over with. I think an assessment should be no longer than 15-30 min. That way you can still keep the attention of the clients. I liked the Career Edge also, it asked simple questions that most client understood and was able to complete the assessment and not be overwhelmed. I know there is no perfect assessment and I would say if there was one it would be a long assessment to cover all areas.

    1. vcollier says:

      Oh, I think that would be interesting to include an assessment for soft skills. That would be a good self-evaluation to do before beginning one’s career journey or when switching jobs.

  51. bonnie.conn says:

    In assisting our clients (all) one of the assessment we are consistent in using in the Career Scope. This assessment helps us to measure a blends interest and aptitude so that we can apply it to a career database to try and match our clients up to the best match. In working with the diverse amount of job seekers and clients looking for training assistance I realize how important a really effective assessment is. The assessment needs to measure the interest as close to the client by asking questions that are relevant and current in today’s labor market needs.
    Formal assessments should always be used for clients we are working intensely with and who need a large amount of career advising. If I had the option to design one I would make sure that it asked questions related to specific career avenues. Those question would be taken from actual job descriptions. So when the client answers if they would or would not like to do that or the scale of interest then if it measures low we know we need to seek another career path.

    1. kayla.smith says:

      I agree Bonnie I feel like some assessment questions should be taken from actual job descriptions it would be for helpful with the job search.

  52. kevin.king says:

    At Workforce Solutions Southeast Texas, we use an assessment tool called Interest Profiler on a website called Texas Career Check, which was created by the Texas Workforce Commission. Texas Career Check is an exploration tool built for students to research different Careers and Schools. This system provides an intuitive way to look for information and descriptions on occupations and schools that the student may be interested in. This tool brings together a wealth of information from various sources maintained by different entities.

    When we visit youth at the schools, we ask them to utilize The Interest Profiler in Texas Career Check. This tool is based on the O*NET Interest Profiler.
    When students take the test they identify their work-related interests, focus on career search activities, and link their interests to a set of occupations.

    The scores from the Interest Profiler are a summary of the broad interests areas. The results can be used as a guide for career exploration: the resulting set are the occupations that the user might enjoy based on the type of activities required by that occupation.

    We also use a website called Texas Reality Check, which was created by the Labor Market & Career Information Department of the Texas Workforce Commission. Texas Reality Check is a lifestyle calculator that shows students how much living expenses will cost, and the amount of money they will need to earn to pay for them. It then matches them to jobs based on salaries that match their total living expense cost. The jobs link back to Texas Career Check.

  53. adhill says:

    If I were to create an assessment program , I would definitely use a mix of informal and formal assessments. Informal assessments to me help you get to better know the client and you can pick up on things that an electronic or paper assessment can’t. I would then also use 1-2 formal assessments. To me an ideal assessment would assess client interests, aptitudes and abilities, personality and their strengths. I really like the Clifton Strength’s Finder assessment, but there is a cost to take it. So often clients focus on their weaknesses that they likely miss a lot of career options that would better suite their strengths.

    We currently use a Career Coach assessment that determines the client’s interests. It’s a quick and easy assessment to have client’s start with. We also use Career Scope which is more extensive and also assesses their aptitudes and provides guidance on careers that match both the interests and aptitudes of the clients – which really helps narrow down the options for the clients. While the Career Scope provides great insight and data – the clients are often intimidated by it and it is a longer assessment. If a combination of Career Coach, Career Scope, Clifton Strength Finder’s , and a personality assessment such as Myer’s Briggs was available without being extremely long or fee-based , I would think it’d be a great option for career coaches to use with their clients.

    1. csexton says:

      I’m really interested in the Clifton Strength Finders assessment. If you feel that it’s a valuable assessment, can you send me some information on it offline? We are always looking to beef up our assessments and if you find ones that are beneficial, we’d like to look at those as well.

    2. a.brown says:

      I agree with the using a combination of Career Coach, Career Scope, Strength Finder, and a personality assessment. Also including a structural interviewing guided around these results would be very beneficial. All of these combined would encompass all the vital information for guiding career advising sessions and insight into a better overall understanding of the client without having to take multiple inventories.

  54. Marisol Rodriguez says:

    We offer an Administrative Assistant career training and use formal and informal assessments. We use CASA assessments for education level, a Barrier Assessments tool and a basic computer knowledge assessment. We do this to make sure they meet the basic for this position additionally, we provide resources and support to overcome barrier to employment. We collect employment and skills data during the intake process. During training we focus on professional development, soft skills and work readiness. Lastly, we conduct an informal Individual Employment Plan (IEP) to assess their employment and career goals. We partner with employers within the community that are very invested in our training and hire our students, however we allow the student to lead us in their employment choices. What is needed is an assessment tool that identifies work value. I would use the informal tool, O*Net work importance locator, a self-assessment tool that helps identify what is important to them in a job as well as a more formal tool Super’s Work Values Inventory to identify the quality an individual is seeking in their work and occupation.

  55. rball says:

    I’ve used several different assessments with my clients, including Career Edge, ONET Interest Profiler, Career Coach, and Career Scope. Each of these assessments have positives and negatives with them. I do tend to prefer the assessments that give a more in depth perspective on a clients interest, aptitudes, etc. I do discuss the results with my clients, to get their input on the results. Some are surprised by some career options that are listed, and some are not. I also like to have informal conversations with my clients, just to get a feel or idea of what they like, and what they’re interested in, before I decide which formal assessment may be best suited for them.

  56. csexton says:

    For a career assessment program, I would utilize a combination of formal and informal assessments. One formal assessment that our Career Advisors have used in the past is the Barriers to Employment Success Inventory. This assessment assists clients in identifying barriers that prevent them from securing or keeping a job. The assessment has 50 statements and clients score what level of concern each statement is to them. I’ve heard feedback from several Career Advisors who found this assessment very beneficial when assisting clients who are struggling with identified and unidentified career barriers.

    1. a.brown says:

      Barriers to Employment Success Inventory was very helpful when we utilized it. It helped to analyze what areas the client was struggling and needed a little more support to overcome as well as bring about obstacles that Career Advisors may never think to discuss during conversation or that clients weren’t comfortable talking about openly. I also liked the Transferrable Skills Scales that helped clients identify skills and how those skills would transfer into other occupations seamlessly. This allowed CA’s to focus conversations on the strengths an individual possesses and the benefit those strengths could play with career transitions, especially when referring to displaced homemakers who do not typically relate skills of running a household to the workforce.

      1. dcampbell2 says:

        a. brown, I agree with your assessment of the Barriers to Employment Success Inventory. It indeed serves as a valuable tool in our work with clients, helping to uncover underlying challenges that they might not openly discuss. The Transferrable Skills Scales are particularly beneficial when working with clients undergoing career transitions. They provide a structured way to identify their strengths and how those skills can seamlessly transfer to different occupations. This is especially relevant when assisting displaced homemakers, highlighting the valuable skills they bring from managing a household to the workforce. These tools enhance our ability to provide more tailored and practical career guidance.

      2. mfeltner says:

        I had forgot about the Barriers to Employment Success Inventory. I thought it was a great inventory for clients that had never worked and didn’t realize they actually had barriers.

  57. Kimberly Carr says:

    I am new to career advising but I think I would use an informal assessment tool first. Something to help put the client at ease and not be tense or nervous. For instance I like the Forced Choice one. In a group setting you would give the client two or more alternative responses to a specific question. When the client has made the selection there is a discussion about the choice they made. It helps break the ice and the group can learn about others and themselves. Formal assessment we are using right now is the TSS Transferable Scale Skills Assessment. It has a category and then different choices they can make. The client rates the number 1, 2, or 3 , if they really like it 3 , interested in it 2, doesn’t interest them 1. At the end you add up the score to see which category they are most interested in.

  58. Britney.harris says:

    To design a career assessment program for a new client in my current position as a Career Advisor I like to first begin with a structured interview. I find that it helps you to get more authentic answers from the client if they feel at ease before throwing them straight into an assessment. I also feel like it helps me to talk with them just to get a better overall picture of who they are, what they enjoy, what they may be good at, etc. After hopefully building respect and trust I will use a formal assessment. I use Career Edge and Transferable Skills Scale most often, but my agency is in the process of acquiring access to Career Scope which I am very excited about. It looks like it will be a very useful tool to help clients identify career paths.

    1. courtney.akey says:

      Hi Britney, I completely agree. I love that structured interviews gives the client an opportunity to be authentic and respond with actually thinking about their responses. Those assessments sounds great! The ones that is in policy at my work is the COLORS assessment. We also test our clients to see where they are at academically. For reading comprehension we use the Nelson-Denny and for mathematics we use the WRAT3. I personally dont love giving those out but I do love how sometimes the clients get excited about reading their COLORS results.

  59. courtney.akey says:

    One assessment I would use with my clients is a structured interview. Structured interviews help gather information in a way that is conversational and rather than matching personality to a career, this approach helps us gather the whole picture. It helps us understand the story of the individual rather than just asking basic questions about their personality. This way helps identify key themes and events that occur in their lives and we are able to use that information to better understand the self of the client. I like the process of asking questions and analyzing the results to determine their life’s themes. I like giving the client the opportunity to think about their answers rather than giving them a fixed answer or having them assess themselves with a number or feeling. I like that structured interviews allow the client to really think about their answers and are free range.

  60. mkwioadirector says:

    I like using Holland’s code assessment. I have used this on myself throughout my career. I have noticed in the beginning of my career in WIOA I was SAE and later in my career that has changed. I like that I am able to classify my interest and narrow down different job options that I haven’t thought about.
    Holland’s code helps develop clients career by providing options similar to their interest and personality type. Most of our clients that come in are able to use this assessment to narrow down the areas they may be interested in working and explore some of the areas that they hadn’t thought about too.

    1. alykens says:

      I agree, I like using the Holland code assessment. When reviewing it with a client, I see them nodding their head like yes this is me. Then when you talk about the jobs that are connected to their code, it opens up more more options that they hadn’t even thought about.

  61. a.brown says:

    In creating a career assessment program, I would incorporate both informal and formal assessments. I would like to offer a variety and be able to choose what best fits that particular customer. I tend to lean more towards informal assessments and the personal information and relevance they provide as opposed to formal/standardized questions. I feel as if individuals tend to open up more and feel more comfortable with informal assessments and answer honestly as opposed to being intimidated by formal assessments that measure their mathematic and reading skills or that they have to choose a specific answer. Life experiences and relating to what shaped a person’s interest as opposed to checking a box seems to encourage conversation and build trust and comfort. I would also like to include assessments that measure both soft skills and “hard” skills to gauge their knowledge and aptitude of those. As well as include structural interviewing questions that allow a free text box where clients can write and express their interests and values instead of having to select a certain box or answer yes or no. Although these things can’t be formally measured, they provide much more detail and insight to a person. It could be due to familiarity and level of comfort in administering and interpreting that, I feel, informal assessments are more beneficial. I think short easy assessments keep a client’s attention much better and are not as overwhelming so that client’s don’t end up in a “just click an answer and get this over with” type situation. In my past as a Career Advisor we used Career Coach and JobFit assessments. They measured interests and aptitudes. Career Coach was very short and provided scaling/percentage type questions and answers. JobFit was much longer and measured mathematic, mechanical, and reading aptitudes. After completing the Onet online profiler, I would incorporate it into my career planning sessions as well as structured interviews and Personality Inventories. In my position now I am not as involved on the client side as other staff with administering assessments, however, I would like to provide staff with more assessment options when working with individuals as opposed to just what is required.

    1. Valrey.easterling says:

      I really like how you state that individuals life experiences shape a person’s interest. I have found that to be the case with most of our clients. As a Career Advisor it helps you to get a better understanding of what and why a client is interested in a particular field. Sometimes it is basic needs and others it because they are at a point in their lives when they can seek out a profession they have always wanted to try but could not risk it because they had other responsibilities.

  62. vcollier says:

    If designing a career assessment program, I feel it would be important to include both informal and formal assessments. Doing an informal assessment through intake or a structured interview helps build a relationship with the client and can gather some important information that you wouldn’t get through a traditional paper and pen type of assessment. As far as formal assessments go, our organization uses CareerScope which identifies suggested occupations based on the client’s interests AND aptitude. I do not work directly with clients, but I have taken CareerScope myself and felt the results were accurate. I also think it is important to match your skills to your interests, when looking for that perfect job. Moving forward, I do think we need to look at using more of a blend of assessments and identifying which assessments would better help each individual client.

  63. mkwioacmanager3 says:

    Utilizing formal and informal assessments both have their own individual importance. Depending on the situation, one might be more ideal than the other. Interest Inventory Assessments are a good starting point. This narrows down the categories of careers to get conversation flowing with the client. Onet Interest Inventory along with Career Coach are highly utilized within our agency. They’re quick assessments which help the client see a trend in their interests. We also utilize Career Scope, which is a longer, more in depth assessment which utilizes questions geared toward interest and aptitude. When a client is interested in a training, we will use Career Scope to determine if their interest/aptitude is a good fit for that training. When going over their results, the client is often surprised with the accuracy of the results and their actual skills or interests. With any assessment, it will open the door for conversation, the opportunity to ask open-ended questions and advise the client in a proper way.

    1. jessica.dye says:

      Our office also uses Career Coach as an assessment tool. We have found it easy to use with accurate results. I agree that any assessment can open a door to a conversation about the client’s interests, preferences, and strengths. That’s the real use of assessments, in my opinion.

  64. dcampbell2 says:

    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 a basic 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 lead to increased 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.

    1. jcooper says:

      I believe the informal assessments would work best to help you assess your clients’ needs when it comes to workforce. Formal assessments will primarily guide you, which are also good to use, but standardized approaches may not touch the particular needs of certain groups you service.

  65. Valrey.easterling says:

    We have a variety of clients, they range from age 18 and up. The clients also have a wide range of employment histories. Some have been employed for years and some have never been employed. Our agency uses a combination of both formal and informal assessments. Our first initial assessment is during the intake process. We talk with the clients and discuss what they enjoy and don’t enjoy in their previous or present employments. If they have never been employed we ask what their hobbies are what they like about them. As we move on in building the relationship we use Career Coach to assess their interest. We also use the formal assessment Career Scope which measures their aptitudes and interest. I do think the Career Scope his hard to interpret, I would like to have something that is a little more user friendly for the clients to read and understand.

  66. rexa says:

    I use an informal assessment approach for my clients. The majority of my clients already come to me with their career of choice in mind, however, there are a handful that are not sure what they want their career to be. I use a combination of questions and a guided tour. The questions I ask them allow me to learn about their previous jobs, interests, skills, likes, and dislikes. During a tour of the campus, they see firsthand where their training would take place. Also, our labs are industry-driven and as close to real-life situations as we can provide, so it allows them to put into perspective what their daily tasks may look like. Clients have an opportunity to meet with the instructors and other students and ask questions about the training, the equipment, and the workforce. Although I currently have no formal assessments set in place, the informal method has been useful in assisting clients. Some people just don’t know what’s out there, what’s available to them, and what they’re capable of.

    1. jblevins says:

      I agree. Most of our clients who come in looking for training has already decided their career choice. I feel like the interest assessment Career Coach is a good tool to use to provide different careers if they have not made that career training decision.

  67. jblevins says:

    We serve clients from ages 18 and up. Many are starting college and know there career pathway. We also hove those who have never worked, no high school diploma or GED. Some have worked in skilled trades for many years and are forced to make a career change. The assessment Career Coach which is an informal interest assessment is a great tool that we use to assist clients to make that career training decision if they have not already. This assessment is user friendly and I feel that all our clients can easily complete this assessment. We also provide the CareerScope which is an interest assessment that measures skills and abilities. This formal assessment is also a good tool to help guide clients to their chosen career path. Informing them if they have the skills for their desired career pathway. I would like to see different assessments available to meet the needs of our clients as each client has different situations and needs.

    1. marie.wells says:

      We serve clients in the same issues as well. I agree with the Career Coach is user friendly but as well would like to see more that meets the clients needs and the different situatuins.

    2. legenevieve says:

      I’m going to look into the Career Coach and Career Scope. I’ve seen a few of you mention this as a great assessment for youth development and assessment.

    3. ramona.cortestoro says:

      Hi there, it’s great to have tools that can help paint a clear picture for our clients, where they get to see their career goals or what steps to take once they understand their personality traits and where they could be successful, all while enjoying the work. It sounds like you work with a diverse community that really benefits from the tools and assessments you provide, as we can assume they probably don’t have access to such information or resources.

    4. sjones1 says:

      I agree. Most clients coming into our office have their mind set on a certain career path. Using career coach is a simple user friendly assessment that can help show clients if their interests line up with the career path they haven chosen. It also gives clients career options, who are unsure of what career path they want to take.

  68. marie.wells says:

    Our career center covers two rural counties in out state. We serve clients from youth & adult, unemployed, underemployed, and dislocated worker. We have the assessment Career Coach which is an informal interest assessment, which is a great tool that we use to assist clients in making career disicions This assessment is user friendly and our clients can easily complete this assessment.

  69. jcooper says:

    The target demographic I service is focused around 18+ year olds who are career explorative, insightful and advanced. These three levels focus on the client’s current career status and the trajectory, which is the unknown variable in most cases. I believe Skills and Abilities Assessments are the most applicable to my audience, as workforce development seeks to heavily determine one’s career path through experience and competencies.

    The Skills Assessments are the pre-assessment to the Abilities assessment. It would help understand more of the client’s background and career goals, based on their current level. In tandem with the skills, an information interpretation assessment would commence, as it may be common for underrepresented populations to feel overwhelmed in making impactful decisions pertaining to the future of their careers.

    The Abilities Assessment would be industry-specific. The client would initially complete a general intake assessment that talks to their desired career. An in-depth assessment will then be done specific to the industry they express interest in. This will weigh competency in the industry and scale their readiness to branch into it, based on the results. The scale would provide clarity to the client, encompassing certain projections that were selected during completion of the assessment. The scales would gauge the comfort level in the industry and sub industries aligned with the anticipated career trajectory. Continuing education and professional development will also be calculated in the scale’s results. This details former education, credential attainment and how it relates to the industry’s demand. Lastly, it will weigh the readiness level, to inform the client if they would be ready for entry level or a more advanced role; culminating all responses.

  70. jessica.dye says:

    Our Career Center uses Career Coach as a informal assessment for our clients. We are in rural Kentucky, two small counties. Career Coach is easy to use, gives personality traits and career matches, and is useful when used to open conversations about a client’s interests or preferences. Our clients are typically 18 and older and can be in any stage of their workforce careers (just starting out, building their skills, or even starting over). This assessment is useful to all, in my opinion.

  71. mfeltner says:

    I’m not a career advisor so I don’t have clients to give assessments to. We need to have assessments geared toward where the client is when they come into a career center. For example, a high school student wouldn’t need the same assessments that a client that has been recently laid off. The career advisor could figure out where to start after their first meeting with the client.

  72. legenevieve says:

    I would love to implement the ONET, Gallup Strengthfinders, and the Holland Test. We don’t do assessments in my organization; however, I’ve given the Gallup Strengthfinders which they really enjoyed doing, and thought it was insightful way to see themselves.

    From my learnings, I think incorporating a mix of formal and informal assessments allows for a comprehensive evaluation of a person’s personality, interests, skillsets, and values. Because each of my youth are unique; a combination of assessments can help tailor their career guidance more effectively. Additionally, providing professional guidance or counseling based on the results of these assessments can be instrumental in helping me make informed career choices for our youth.

    1. Dottie Nolan says:

      I have taken the StrengthsFinder assessment years ago and I remember learning a lot from it, this chapter has inspired to get those results out and review them! The Marcus Buckingham video on Strengths-Based Thinking made me think about those results. I asked myself if we spend more time focusing on what we do well or always trying to correct our shortcomings? I think it would be of benefit to focus on using our strengths to be more successful instead of fixing our weaknesses. Thanks for the StrengthsFinder reminder!!

  73. mturner2 says:

    I work with youth aged 16-24 and adults aged 18 and up. Previously we used the Career Edge Assessment (interest) and currently use the Career Coach Assessment (interest). I have found that when an applicant is unsure of their interest and that interests change over time, it is a help to the applicant to see where their current interest lies and apply that to the classes or a pathway that includes these interests. So I feel that the Career Coach is a tool that I would use, based on my experience.

  74. mturner2 says:

    I also feel that we need a different assessment for someone who has several years of experience or have been laid off from a job that they feel has been the best fit for them. When a person feels displaced and has a hard time dealing with the change, I think there are probably some assessments that can help them explore the possibilities.

  75. alykens says:

    I worked with Adults and Dislocated Workers and I would do two assessments. Everyone who was WIOA eligible were given the Career Edge I would ask them to take the two parts of the Career Edge which is the career clusters and personality profile. This assessment took about 20 to 30 minutes. This provides a good starting point to see what their interest are. If they are interested in trainings, I ask them to take the Career Scope. This assessment is 60 minutes and it is timed. The Career Scope measures interest and aptitudes. Those results lead to recommendations for work groups. I think using informal and formal assessments would be beneficial in getting to know the client and their values, interests, personality, and skills.

  76. ramona.cortestoro says:

    Designing a career assessment program using career developmental theory can significantly benefit our customers in their journey toward finding fulfilling and suitable careers. To start, I would utilize Holland’s RIASEC model, categorizing careers into six different personality types – realistic, investigative, artistic, social, enterprising, and conventional. By understanding their interests, preferences, and personality traits, we can guide our customers toward career paths that align with their strengths and values.
    Additionally, I would incorporate the Super’s Life-Span Theory, which emphasizes the importance of self-concept and life roles that evolve over time. This theory helps individuals understand their career development stages, ranging from exploration to establishment and maintenance. Through personalized assessments, we can help our customers identify where they currently are in their career journey and provide them with guidance on the steps they can take to progress further.
    By implementing these theories into our career assessment program, we can provide our customers with a broad understanding of their career interests, skills, and values. This knowledge will empower them to make informed decisions and take meaningful actions toward building a fulfilling and successful career.

    1. mblair says:

      I agree with you. Especially in utilizing Holland’s model to help guide the client’s career path. At the very least, the results of this assessment will give a basic understanding of the client and their interests when it comes to training and employment,

  77. Dottie Nolan says:

    I do not work directly with clients, but I do feel both informal and formal assessments are necessary for the client to gain awareness of their likes, dislikes, interests, and values. Not only for their work-life but personal life as well. Assessments can be useful instruments for a client to make decisions on choosing an occupation that will lead to a satisfying career. CareerScope is the formal assessment our organization uses, it assists clients by discovering their interests and aptitude level. Since taking this class I now know that it is based on the Holland theory, therefore, it has validity and reliability which are important because it is research-based. Years ago, I was given a personality assessment in college, I don’t remember it being explained to me very well and the results of it negatively affected me because I felt I was put in a box. As a trainer, when using the True Colors assessment, I make sure to offer as much information about the assessment before asking an individual to participate and complete it, then provide a detailed explanation of the results afterwards. I am interested in assessments SkillsCan and Job Search Attitude Inventory (JAIS) and would like to hear your opinion on these if any of you are using them or have had experience with either of these.

    1. tony.chan says:

      I, too do not work directly with clients and agree both informal and formal assessments are necessary. In fact, the more assessments the better unfortunately that is not a realistic nor financially feasible. Whenever you deal with human factor there is rarely a uniform/standard solution. Much like Weight loss. The best a program can do is fine assessment tests that cover the majority of clients served. And for those who are not ideally served there are case managers who can assist further in the job searching process.

  78. mblair says:

    In my little bit of experience, Career Scope and Career Edge have been the two assessments used most often. Both Career Scope and Career Edge identifiy specific client interests as well as the client’s personality traits when it comes to training and employment and largely seems to be pulled from Holland’s Vocational Choice Theory. However, we are currently transitioning from the Career Edge assessment to the new Career Coach assessment. I find these two assessments highly valuable in identifying client interests and personality types in order to better serve them when it comes to training and employment.

    1. jhensley says:

      I agree that Career Edge and Career Coach are good assessments when determining interests areas and personality types. Also, incorporating Hollands Vocational Choice Theory would provide many benefits when organizing workshops.

    2. fwattenberger says:

      I agree with looking at the client’s Holland Code which is a big help in determining occupational matches.

  79. jhensley says:

    The two assessments that I have worked with most as a career advisor are CareerScope and Career Edge, however, I now use Career Coach instead of Career Edge. Both assessments provide good insight as to the clients interests and aptitude. These assessments are good tools to help determine if a client is fit for a specific training and to discuss possible career paths.

  80. fwattenberger says:

    We use a formal assessment called Career Scope with client’s because it’s not just an interest inventory assessment. This assessment effectively gets results through assessing the client’s interests and aptitudes. By combining the two their top 3 occupations are more effectively reflected. And by measuring their aptitude along with interests I feel that they get the most accurate career match information.

  81. tony.chan says:

    The City of St Petersburg’s Workforce program is called St Pete Works is contracted out to St Petersburg College. So, I can’t tell you the formal assessment tests they use however there are two types of formal tests. They are the Abilities Test and the Skills Inventories test. The Abilities test is used on the clients to quantify their abilities and determine how well they match various occupations. While the Skills Inventories test quantifies the clients skills that may be good match for occupations they want not have initially considered. St Pete Works also does an informal test that is in the book called interviewing. This test is more of a general feel for each Client and helps them by setting goals and career pathway to success.

    1. Zaida Bustamante says:

      These are all great examples of formal and informal assessments. What I have learned through these “interviewing assessments,” is that you get the answers for the person who is testing at that moment but not the person who is going through the participation process. For example, in the assessment the out come for dealing with conflict may say that they deal with it well however, when they actually have a conflict with a case manager or a vender they really do not deal with the situation well. I guess that is why it is an informal assessment and not scientifically proven for results.

  82. Zaida Bustamante says:

    A formal assessment I would use for my clients would be TABE test. The TABE test is a comprehensive assessment for adults and it tests in math, reading, writing, and reading. This assessment provides a reliable measurement of basic skills. An informal assessment I would conduct on my participants would either be a personality or an interest assessment. These are not really scientifically assessments but I think they would show if the individual has the skills or the personality to pursue a career or a certain field.

  83. sjones1 says:

    Careerscope is the assessment tool I like to use with my clients. Careerscope can be used on clients all ages and backgrounds. Careerscope gives you an in-depth look at your clients interests and aptitude scores. The results of the assessment gives recommendations of career paths clients could be interested in or want to follow.

  84. tcampbell says:

    When formerly assessing our Youth or Adult clients at our Career Center, we use Career Coach and Career Scope. They can take the Career Coach assessment at the center, and we email the link for the Career Scope assessment to the client to take at home. These are interest-based assessments and are very user friendly and easy to navigate through. They give clients an insight to their strengths and to the careers they may be best suited for.

  85. abarnett says:

    When creating an assessment program for the broad spectrum of clients we encounter in our office I would begin with an informal assessment as an icebreaker tool. While our clients come from diverse situations, they all seem to share one common barrier of nervousness. I like a conversation to make people feel comfortable so I would begin with a structured interview to allow them the opportunity to speak and shake the nervousness but also to assess their personality. I would then transition to a more formal assessment such as an interest inventory. With their results I would continue conversation comparing the things they said in the interview to the results from their formal assessment.

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