Career tests are an ideal way to determine your strengths, interests, and aptitude for a specific career path. In order to utilize them properly, you should know how they work, how you can get them, and the difference types of tests.
How They Work
Career tests can be used whether you already have a career path in mind or not. If you don’t, they can help you get an idea of what career paths are ideal for you. If you already know what you want, career tests are still helpful. They can show you what aspects you have that make you a strong candidate, as well as what skills you need to improve. Whether you have an idea in place already or not, taking a career test can highlight your strengths, which you can use to describe yourself on your resume.
But remember: a career test isn’t a yes-or-no answer; it merely provides you with guidelines to make educated decisions about your career.
How to Get Them
There are two things to keep in mind when looking for a career test: cost and reliability. Some tests are free, some cost money, some make you think they’re free, and after you spend the time to complete the test, they charge you a fee to see the results. Cost doesn’t necessarily determine the reliability, but it is important to know how much money you’re going to spend before spending the time and effort on a test.
To ensure reliability, check that it is scientifically validated. Choosing one that isn’t validated isn’t a complete no-no; just keep in mind the results may not be as consistent—not to mention, if you’re paying for it, you want consistent results.
Types of Tests
There are a variety of tests that can help you on your career path. Here are the top ones to think about:
- Aptitude Tests measure your ability to acquire a skill or do a specific type of work. These are the tests typically used by organizations for hiring employees.
- Career Tests are used to match jobs to your personality type.
- Inventories provide checklists that you can use to compare yourself to and see which traits you match and which you do not. These checklists are based off of current employees, so you can see how you compare to a current employee in the field you’re looking into.
- Personality Tests measure your personal characteristics, emotional makeup, and stability.
Whatever test you choose, or if you decide to use multiple tests, remember that these results are not set in stone. They provide useful insight to help you in your career decision making process.
