Career Assessment and Development

Career Assessment

• Career assessment helps individuals understand themselves better and make informed decisions about their future careers.
• It is useful at various life stages, including after high school, college graduation, mid-life changes, job loss, or relocating.

Interest Inventories

• Interest inventories help career counselors understand what individuals enjoy or prefer in their careers.
• Interests are closely linked to motivation and learning.
• Examples of interest inventories include:
  • Strong Vocational Interest Blank (SVIB)
  • Kuder Preference Record—Vocational
  • Self-Directed Search (SDS)
  • Campbell Interest and Skill Survey (CISS)
  • Career Assessment Inventory–Vocational Version (CAI-VV)
  • Career Assessment Inventory–Enhanced Version
  • Harrington-O’Shea Career Decision-Making System Revised (CDM-R)
  • Interest Determination, Exploration, and Assessment System (IDEAS)
  • Jackson Vocational Interest Survey (JVIS)

Self-Directed Search (SDS)

• The SDS is a popular career interest inventory created by Dr. John Holland in 1971.
• It helps individuals identify careers that match their interests and abilities.
• The SDS categorizes individuals into six groups:
  • Realistic (R): Practical, hands-on, preferring careers like mechanic, electrician, and farmer.
  • Investigative (I): Analytical, scientific, liking careers like biologist, chemist, and geologist.
  • Artistic (A): Creative, independent, favoring careers like musician, writer, and actor.
  • Social (S): Cooperative, supportive, liking careers like teacher, counselor, and nurse.
  • Enterprising (E): Competitive, leadership qualities, preferring careers like salesperson, manager, and business executive.
  • Conventional (C): Detail-oriented, organized, liking careers like bookkeeper, banker, and secretary.

Campbell Interest and Skill Survey (CISS)

• The CISS measures interests and self-estimated skills to guide individuals in making better career choices.
• It contains 200 interest items and 120 skill items.
• The CISS yields scores on three scales:
  • Orientation Scales
  • Basic Interest and Skill Scales
  • Occupational Scales

Work Values Inventories

• Definition of Values: Enduring beliefs about preferred conduct or states of existence.
• Work values are aspects of a job that are important for satisfaction.
• Examples of work values inventories include:
  • Super’s Work Values Inventory–Revised (SWVI-R)
  • Rokeach Values Survey (RVS)
  • Salience Inventory (SI)
  • Hall Occupational Orientation Inventory, 4th Edition
  • Minnesota Importance Questionnaire (MIQ)

Personality Inventories

• Personality encompasses enduring thoughts, behaviors, and emotions that distinguish individuals.
• Examples of personality inventories include:
  • Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI)
  • Sixteen Personality Factor, 5th Edition (16PF)
  • NEO Personality Inventory (NEO PI-R)
  • Eysenck Personality Inventory

Abilities and Skills Assessment

• Ability: Current skills or capabilities to perform tasks, either physical or cognitive; considered innate and stable.
• Skill: Acquired from education, work, or personal experiences.
• Aptitude: Potential capabilities or potential ability to learn and succeed in the future.
• Examples of abilities and skills assessment instruments include:
  • Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB)
  • Career Ability Placement Survey (CAPS)

Career Development Inventories

• Career development refers to the process individuals use to make career choices based on their age and developmental stage.
• Examples of career development instruments include:
  • Career Maturity Inventory
  • Career Development Inventory
  • Career Factors Inventory### Career Development Inventory (CDI)
• Designed for K-12 and college/university students
• Assesses five aspects of career development:
  • Career Planning: planning for future career steps
  • Career Exploration: extent of career exploration activities
  • Decision Making: ability to make career-related decisions
  • World-of-Work Information: knowledge about various occupations and industries
  • Knowledge of Preferred Occupational Group: understanding of a preferred career field or industry
• Provides scores in three areas:
  • Career development attitudes
  • Career development knowledge and skills
  • Career orientation

Career Factors Inventory (CFI)

• Purpose: assess readiness for career decision-making
• Target audience: individuals aged 13 and older
• 21-item self-scorable booklet
• Takes approximately 10 minutes to complete
• Assesses four areas:
  • Lack of self-awareness
  • Lack of career information
  • Career anxiety
  • Generalized indecisiveness

Combined Assessment Programs

• Modern career assessments are becoming more comprehensive
• Incorporate multiple factors, including:
  • Interests
  • Values
  • Aptitude
• Provide a holistic view of an individual's career potential and direction

Career Occupational Preference System (COPS)

• Comprehensive program that combines interests, abilities, and values
• Instruments can be used individually or together
• Aids in comprehensive career decision-making
• Includes:
  • COPS Interest Inventory: measures interests across 14 career clusters
  • Career Ability Placement Survey (CAPS): assesses vocational abilities
  • Career Orientation Placement and Evaluation Survey (COPES): evaluates personal values

Kuder Career Planning System

• Developed by Dr. Frederick Kuder
• Internet-based system
• Target audience: middle school, high school, college students, and adults
• Components:
  • Kuder Galaxy: for students in pre-K through grade 5
  • Kuder Skills Assessment: for grades 6-12
  • Kuder Journey: for college students and adults

Interviews

• Initial Interview in Career Assessment:
  • Purpose: gather general background information
  • Key areas assessed:
    • Client's work experience, education, training, interests, and leisure activities
    • Readiness to make career decisions
    • Knowledge about the world of work
• Structured Career Interviews:
  • Use tools like Career Construction Interview
  • Analyze life themes, patterns, self-concept, and interests
• Narrative Approach to Career Assessment:
  • Provides a qualitative analysis of career interests and potential paths
  • Sample questions for career change aspirants

Employment Assessment

• Purpose: make informed decisions about hiring, promotions, and training
• Key principles:
  • Systematic approach: effective personnel assessment requires a structured method
  • Tailored assessments: not all assessment tools fit every job or organizational context
  • Error reduction: using appropriate assessment tools minimizes errors in hiring decisions
• Common employment assessment procedures:
  • Selection interviews
  • Biographical information
  • Tests
  • Job analysis
  • Assessment centers

Selection Interviews

• Purpose: assess job applicants' qualifications and experiences
• Usage: widely used in personnel selection
• Concerns:
  • Bias: interviews can be influenced by cultural or racial biases
  • Early decisions: interviewers often form early judgments about candidates
  • Negative information weight: negative details can overshadow positive attributes
• Structured interview approach:
  • Advantages: enhances validity and reduces bias
  • Examples: situational interviews based on job-related scenarios
• Common interviewer errors:
  • Similarity bias
  • Rating errors
  • Halo effect
  • Contrast effect
  • Overconfidence

Biographical Information

• Purpose: predict future behavior and assess indirect measures of motivation
• Employer requirements:
  • Almost all employers request candidates to complete applications or biographical information forms
• Benefits:
  • Predictive value: biographical data is among the best predictors of employee retention and career success
  • Subgroup classification: helps in assessing and categorizing individuals for better placement and utilization
  • Cost-effectiveness and utility: cost-effective and can effectively forecast employee turnover and performance ratings

Tests

• Purpose: gather work-related information and ensure fair treatment of workers
• Employer use:
  • Many employers incorporate tests in their assessment process
  • Tests must be valid for their intended purpose and non-discriminatory
• Benefits:
  • Fair treatment: tests can help ensure fair treatment of workers
  • Test used in the private sector: tests are used in various industries, including manufacturing, retail, and service occupations
• Job satisfaction instruments:
  • Measure attitudes towards supervision, company, coworkers, salary, working conditions, promotion, security, autonomy, and esteem needs### Career Assessment and Development
• Career assessment helps individuals identify areas to pursue, develop, explore, or avoid in their career planning based on their interests and skills.

Interest Inventories

• CISS (Career Interest Survey and Skill Survey) is a tool designed for those considering postsecondary education.
• CISS contains 200 interest items and 120 skill items, with test takers rating their interest and skill levels on a 6-point scale.
• CISS yields scores on three scales: Orientation Scales, Basic Interest and Skill Scales, and Occupational Scales.
• Results are categorized into four patterns: Pursue, Develop, Explore, and Avoid.

Other Interest Inventories

• Career Assessment Inventory–Vocational Version (CAI-VV) compares vocational interests to 91 specific careers.
• Career Assessment Inventory–Enhanced Version compares occupational interests to 111 specific careers.
• Harrington-O’Shea Career Decision-Making System Revised (CDM-R) is suitable for ages 12 and older.
• Interest Determination, Exploration, and Assessment System (IDEAS) is designed for grades 6 through 12.
• Jackson Vocational Interest Survey (JVIS) is used with high school students, college students, and adults.

Concerns with Interest Inventories

• Results may be influenced by external pressures or family attitudes.
• Changes in interests can occur, especially in adult years.
• Instruments before grade 10 or 11 may not be accurate.
• Job success is often more related to abilities than interests.
• Inventories can be susceptible to faking or bias.

Work Values Inventories

• Definition: Values are enduring beliefs about preferred conduct or states of existence.
• Work values play a key role in career decision-making and impact job satisfaction and job tenure.
• Examples of work values inventories include Super’s Work Values Inventory–Revised (SWVI-R), Rokeach Values Survey (RVS), Salience Inventory (SI), Hall Occupational Orientation Inventory, 4th Edition, and Minnesota Importance Questionnaire (MIQ).

Personality Inventories

• Personality encompasses enduring thoughts, behaviors, and emotions that distinguish individuals.
• Personality traits influence career choices and success in occupations.
• Examples of personality inventories include Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI), Sixteen Personality Factor, 5th Edition (16PF), NEO Personality Inventory (NEO PI-R), and Eysenck Personality Inventory.

Abilities and Skills Assessment

• Ability: Current skills or capabilities to perform tasks, either physical or cognitive.
• Skill: Acquired from education, work, or personal experiences.
• Aptitude: Potential capabilities or potential ability to learn and succeed in the future.
• Examples of assessment instruments include Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB), Career Ability Placement Survey (CAPS), and O*NET OnLine.

Career Development

• Career development refers to the process individuals use to make career choices based on their age and developmental stage.
• It involves successfully transitioning through the specific tasks of each developmental stage.
• Examples of career development instruments include Career Maturity Inventory, Career Development Inventory, and Career Factors Inventory.

Combined Assessment Programs

• Career assessment trends are moving towards expanded dimensions, incorporating career development, interests, values, and aptitude.
• Examples of combined assessment programs include Career Occupational Preference System (COPS), Kuder Career Planning System, and Career Assessment Inventory.