7 Criteria for Deciding Which Career Test Is Right for You
If you are planning to live a highly satisfying work-life as well as enjoy your work, it is important that you must be able to select a career that suits you best. However, there are many individuals that end up selecting the wrong career. This results in frustration for these individuals in the long run.
Being in the wrong career not only ruins your professional life but it also harms your personal life. As a result, it is essential to select the right career.
So how do you select the right career? There various important things that you should consider to select a career that suits you the best. One of the best tools for determining the direction of your career is the completion of an assessment test.
There are various career tests out there that can help in your career assessment. This article provides the 7 criteria for deciding which career test is best for you.
Career test vs. personality test
Personality tests can only guide you regarding your character traits. On the other hand, a career assessment provides you with a particular advice related to your career. There are many personality tests that can be quite beneficial in this context.
These tests may include Myers Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) and the Enneagram. However, making a leap from mere awareness of your individual personality type to particular
career-related strategies could be cumbersome. If you do want to pursue a new career, it is essential to take a career assessment that has been specifically designed to provide you career guidance.
General vs. specific
Individuals taking the career test should ask themselves if the career assessment does provide comprehensive recommendations that they can use immediately rather than have unclear observations that may only be open to interpretation and are not practical. Apart from the change itself, the toughest part of changing careers is to narrow down your personal selection. However, if you are unable to be specific, you would not be able to take the required action for selecting the right career.
Personal motivation
When it comes to career assessment, motivation does play an essential role. It is a much better indicator of an individual’s personality or skill. Motivation is the inspiration behind your actions and behavior. It is an essential mechanism that will help you in reaching your goal, without external influence. It will help you to improve your confidence level as well as gives you strength to achieve your goal. When your decisions are based on your motivation, you will most probably feel fulfilled. This will also allow you to be more successful.
Productive results
Career assessment tools are created to help individuals in developing an understanding of how a
variety of personal traits can influence their individual success and satisfaction with various career options and work environments. As a result, selection of the right career must comprise of relevant data. It should also include adequate explanation and detail that can help you to interpret those results.
Statistical validity
An efficient career test must possess high levels of predictive reliability. This could be done through statistical validity. From a technical perspective, statistical validity is essential for various reasons. As an individual, you do want to feel that the career test does provide you the correct illustration of what motivates you and you shouldn’t be misled by inaccurate results. However, accurate results can certainly increase your self-confidence.
Personal goals
Every individual has personal goals that they want to achieve in life such as financial security or work-life balance. These goals can help you to decide the type of career you want to pursue. For instance, you may have to consider a job that is well-paying but demands long working hours if you value financial security or you may consider a 9-to-5 job for achieving work-life balance.
Speed
In the internet age, there are several career tests that can be taken online and you can obtain the results of these tests on an immediate basis. You can also take the tests manually or on paper. It may take nearly an hour to complete the test. Then you will be required to wait while the test has been processed and scored. You can than obtain your tests results after several weeks or days.
Conclusion
It is evident that a career test is a mere tool that can help you to attain your career objectives. Nevertheless, it’s essential to spend time developing an understanding of the different types of tests that are available and determine the one which is best for you. But it is also essential to remember the fact that even an optimum career test may only be a tool. It is up to the individual to take charge of their own career.
