Debunking the “Career Test” Myth

When you hear the words “career test,” do you roll your eyes in skepticism? In the past, you may have answered a battery of multiple choice questions, but the results were not helpful in directing your path or increasing your self-knowledge. The “test” may have even indicated that you should be a bus driver or join the military. On the other hand, you may have hope that this career test is somewhat magical in that it will clarify all your ambiguity and unequivocally point you in the ideal direction. Sorry to burst your bubble, but neither of these positions is quite accurate.

The first important thing to know is that career tests are not tests at all. They are defined as assessments because, unlike a test, there is no right or wrong answer. It is simply a measure or comparison of information based on empirical research. In fact, the Myers Briggs (MBTI) and Strong Interest Inventory (SII) which I will discuss below are actually nationally standardized assessment instruments with high validity and reliability.

Beyond the technical jargon, it is critical to know that assessments are pieces of the puzzle of your career foundation. Would you be able to confidently describe the complete picture of a 50 piece puzzle if you were holding just a few pieces? Let me tell you about two assessments I regularly use to help clients clarify more and more pieces of their career puzzle.

The MBTI helps you understand your natural preferences on four different scales so that you can be more aware and flexible with your professional behavior. These scales measure your preference for getting energy, taking in information, making decisions, and ordering your world. Each of these aspects plays out every day in the work place and so it helps tremendously to know your strengths, to anticipate your need to adapt, and to understand why others act the way they do. How much more successful would you be in your job if you knew what drained your boss, how she needs to receive data, or how he works within a structured environment (or lack there of)? Finally, it is common in business for a manager to ask you about your Myers Briggs type, especially regarding teambuilding and leadership.

The Strong Interest Inventory is an interest assessment based on a norm group of over 2,250 individuals happily employed in almost 200 diverse occupations. The SII clarifies your personality strengths among six different types as they relate to work environment preferences. I like how the SII moves from general to specific first starting with general theme areas and then narrowing to a top 10 list of similar interest occupations. You can even see how well your interests match to all occupations measured. My favorite part is that the SII combines with the MBTI in a 20+ page report complete with colored graphs and job profiles. The SII will be useful for almost anyone whether the results provide new clues as to a better fitting career or validation of inclinations toward work situations you have already experienced.

Ultimately, career assessments are not a drive through box at fast food restaurant which quickly spits out what you want. The MBTI and SII fortify your foundational puzzle and give evidence to the blueprint that is you. These assessments will help you articulate, define, and understand aspects of your authentic self more clearly in a way that can launch you into the research and then decision-making process. Are you ready to put your career puzzle together?