The Ultimate Guide to Understanding Career Assessments

Choosing the perfect career is not as easy as it seems and often we find ourselves stuck in a job which we do not prefer or enjoy. Our career choices are a result of our interests and skills, which may change over time, making a profession which seemed perfect earlier seem like a poor match in the present. But the silver lining is that you can always make a change in your career path if you feel unhappy with the current one. The only thing to keep in mind is to be clear about what you want to do and the career you want to pursue which aligns with the same. Want to know how you can go about your career change? Take a look at this blog to know all about the process of career assessment, types of tests, how they can help you find your best career opportunities and assess your career aspirations!

Taking Career Tests & Psychometric Tests

The first step of the career assessment process is to take online career tests or opt for a professional psychometric test to determine the most suitable careers for you. You can reach out to our counsellors at Leverage Edu and take a psychometric assessment and we will guide you in finding the perfect career and going about making the right career change. We also offer personalized mentorship as per your career needs to guide you towards your dream career! Psychometric tests generally encompass insightful questions to assess your personality traits, values, skills and interests and align them with the most appropriate careers for you. After completing the psychometric test, our career mentors will help you identify the best options and design a career map to actualise your aspirations! 

Listing down your Options

After taking career assessments either online or with the help of a professional counsellor, you will have multiple lists of career options that are suitable for you. The next step is to combine all these options into a single list in order to keep track of all the different jobs that are a good match for you based on the information you provided for the career assessment. 

Research, Research & Research

The next step towards the right career assessment is to research all the listed job options. Go through the basic information for all the jobs listed including their criteria and work description. Our career mentors will also elaborate you about the growth prospects of each career along with approximate remuneration packages and the type of company or industry you would be involved in if you choose a particular career. Going through this information will give you a good grasp over what to expect in each career.

Skimming down your Preferred Careers

After you have completed your detailed research along with your career counsellor on creating a list of suitable career paths, the next step in your career assessment is to shorten the list. If you are taking the guidance of a career mentor, they will help you align those career paths with your skills, interests and preferences. Further, eliminate the options that seem less appealing to you, be it in terms of growth prospects, salary packages or the type of work you will be expected to perform. At the end, you should be left with a few options, preferably below five, that match with your skills and in which you are genuinely interested.

Taking Relevant Training or Courses

Although the career assessment tests determine suitable career options based on your skills, you may find that you need some additional training or education for a particular career. This has an increased chance of happening in terms of a career change because you might require more learning or grooming to steer towards a new career path. On the other hand, you might need to enhance your skills though going for relevant training programs in order to make yourself a perfect candidate for your chosen career field. These training programs will not only help you in gaining expertise in the field, but also help you in expanding your network. Thus, find the best courses or training programs as per your chosen path and they will surely help you master the major skills as well as relevant knowledge to outshine in your vocation!

Informational Interviews can be Your Touchstone

Unlike job interviews, the focus of informational interviews is to gain knowledge about the experience of working in a company or career that you are interested in. It is more like a formal meeting with a working professional from whom you can seek advice about the prospects, requirements, corporate culture etc in the career that you want to opt for. Going for informational interviews should also be a part of your career assessment journey as they can assist you in understanding the job role, expectations, responsibilities, requirements and more.

Get Insights from Recruiters

The last tip to help you in your career assessment is to connect with recruiters who help you find suitable jobs after taking your skills, interests and experience into consideration. Also, recruiters can be your guide in getting your resume to the right places and also assist you in getting useful insights about your preferred vocation. You can use websites like LinkedIn to reach out to recruiters in your industry and ask for their assistance in landing the right job!

Aptitude Tests

An aptitude refers to the individual’s inherent competence to understand a specific topic. It is his/her natural ability to learn and reason and includes components such as cognitive process, mental ability, intelligence, etc. It also indicates a natural talent or an ability an individual has acquired through life experience, study, or training. Aptitude may also pertain to one’s capacity to acquire a skill.

Types of Aptitude Tests

Among the many ways to test where one’s aptitude lies. It indicates the person’s potential career path. These are the many types of aptitude tests.

• Verbal Reasoning Tests
• Numerical Reasoning Tests
• Abstract/Diagrammatic Reasoning
• Spatial Ability Tests
• Mechanical Reasoning Tests
• In-Tray Exercises

Myers Briggs Assessment 

The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator® (MBTI®) personality inventory aims to make the theory of psychological types described by C. G. Jung understandable and useful in people’s lives. The fundamental factor of the theory is that “the random variation in the behaviour is actually quite orderly and consistent, being due to basic differences in the ways individuals prefer to use their perception and judgment.” Each person has their own unique way of perceiving, thinking, behaving, and grasping knowledge and other surrounding aspects. This makes each one of us have our unique interests, capabilities, and capacities to learn things. 

Myer’s Assessment was created by Katharine Cook Briggs and her daughter Isobel Briggs Myers and is based on Carl Jung’s theory of using four principal psychological functions; sensation, intuition, feeling and thinking with one of these being dominant for a person most of the time. The Myers Briggs Type Indicator helps students identify their skills and career interests when it is used along with tools that assess interests, aptitudes, and work-related values that can help clients choose the right career.

Students can find the inventory on The Myers-Briggs Foundation Web Site

Thus, we hope that this blog helped you understand the crucial and meticulous process of career assessment. Let our Leverage Edu experts be your essential guide in building a rewarding career by helping you find the right approach to making a career change as per your skills and interests through our exclusive career mentorship program! Sign up for a free session with us now!