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Archives of Business Research – Vol. 9, No. 11
Publication Date: November 25, 2021
DOI:10.14738/abr.911.11299. Firkola, P. (2021). A Review of Career Assessment Tools. Archives of Business Research, 9(11). 131-140.
Services for Science and Education – United Kingdom
A Review of Career Assessment Tools
Peter Firkola
Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan
ABSTRACT
This paper provides an overview of career assessment tools. Background on key
career concepts is first introduced. A number of career assessment tools are then
examined. These assessment tools included reviewing personal history, interest
inventories, values assessments, personality assessments, and aptitude tests. The
importance and limitations of these career assessment tools is then discussed.
Keywords: Career, Career Planning, Assessment Tools, Career Development
INTRODUCTION
One of the major trends in large global companies worldwide over the past decade or so has
been the change of attitude regarding career planning practices, specifically the shifting of
responsibility for an employees' career from the employer to the employee. This shift has led
to a gradual movement towards making individuals responsible for their own career
development. This is forcing individuals to take more responsibility for planning their own
careers. In some cases, this can lead to confusion, anxiety, and uncertainty for individuals who
have never done this before. This is particularly true for young people who have little or no
work experience.
One of the keys to career planning is carrying out a self-assessment. Self-assessment is a process
by which a person can learn more about themselves. This can include things like what they like,
what is important to them, and how they tend to react to certain situations. Knowing these
things can help a person determine which occupations and work situations could be a better fit
for them.
This paper provides an overview of some of the main career assessment tools based on a
literature review of research and related career planning handbooks. In section two, some key
career concepts are introduced. In section three, a number of career planning assessments are
examined. These assessments include reviewing personal history, interest inventories, values
assessments, personality assessments, and aptitude tests. In section four the importance and
limitations of these career assessment tools is discussed.
BACKGROUND ON CAREERS
The term career has been used to refer to a variety of concepts in the literature. One definition
of career is as advancement. Here career entails the notion of vertical mobility, moving upward
in an organization's hierarchy. By this definition, career represents the sequence of promotions
and other upward movements (e.g., lateral transfers to more responsible positions or moves to
"better" organizations or locations) during the course of an individual's work life. This concept
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of directionality ("up is good, down is bad"), then, is a pervasive theme in this definition of
career.
A second way to view career is as a profession. A less common way of viewing careers is that
certain occupations represent careers, while others do not. This is related to the career-as- advancement theme, since "career" occupations are generally those in which some clear
pattern of systematic advancement (a "career ladder") is evident. For example, in the legal
profession, there is a clear advancement ladder from law student to clerk to associate to
partner. Doctors, professors, businessmen, and teachers, as well as other professional people,
also have a generally understood path of career movement. Jobs that do not generally lead to
advancement or to a long-term series of related positions, however, are often viewed as not
constituting a career, for example, secretaries and parking lot attendants are not considered to
"have" careers.
A career can also be viewed as a lifelong sequence of jobs (objective career). By this definition
an individual's career is their job history—the series of positions held, regardless of occupation
or level, during the course of his/her working life. According to this definition, all people who
work have careers. No value judgment is made about the type of occupation or the direction of
movement. An individual's sequence of jobs is referred to as an objective career and the
particular experiences he/she has in those jobs as a subjective career.
A career can also be viewed as a lifelong sequence of role-related experiences. According to this
definition, career represents the way the individual experiences the sequence of jobs and
activities that constitute his/her work history. This is the subjective career, the changing
aspirations, satisfactions, self-conceptions, and other attitudes of the individual toward his/her
work and life. Using this career-as-life-process view, it is even possible to consider careers
independent of work; the term could refer to the history of an individual in any particular role
or status, not just in a work role.
The first two meanings of career, advancement or profession, are commonly used in the
literature. The last two definitions, however, are more representative of behavioral science
literature related to careers. Thus the word "career" is used in a number of different ways,
depending on the definition, from "pursuing a career" to "career counseling"; even criminals
can be regarded as having a "career".
In this paper a career is defined as a sequence of positions occupied by an individual during
his/her lifetime. This definition of career is similar to the business perspective of career (career
as profession) and is also similar to the sociological perspective of careers as a lifelong sequence
of jobs which provide a link between individuals, organizations, and society. Using this
definition, a career represents an individual's working life, which is a primary factor in
determining an individual's overall quality of life.
A feature of this definition is that career is looked at from an individual perspective. This
definition is based on self-reliance and individualism, as well as the notion of self-responsibility.
Thus in this definition it is implicitly assumed that individuals have some degree of control over
their destinies and that they can manipulate opportunities in order to maximize their
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Firkola, P. (2021). A Review of Career Assessment Tools. Archives of Business Research, 9(11). 131-140.
URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.14738/abr.911.11299
satisfaction and success. It also assumes that a career does not imply success or failure. Career
success or failure is best measured by the individual whose career is being considered, rather
than by other individuals.
Career planning is a process of helping employees to set clear career objectives and developing
activities to help them achieve these goals. This is a continuous process of preparing,
implementing, and monitoring career plans which is undertaken by the individual alone or in
concert with the organization's career system. Thus, career planning focuses on the individual
developing and achieving his/her goals. Career planning implicitly assumes, however, that the
individual is responsible for his/her career and that the individual can make decisions about
his/her long-term goals. Thus it is the lifelong process of planning and then managing learning,
work and transitions in order to move toward a personally determined and evolving preferred
future.
CAREER ASSESSMENT TOOLS
Self-Assessments
Self-assessment is usually regarded as the first stage of career planning by which a person can
learn more about themselves. This can include things like what they like, what is important to
them, and how they tend to react to certain situations. Knowing these things can help a person
determine which occupations and work situations could be a better fit for them in order to
choose an appropriate career.
A number of career assessment tools will be examined. These assessments include reviewing
personal history, interest inventories, values assessments, personality assessments, and
aptitude tests.
Personal History
An importance place to start a self-assessment is by looking at past experiences and personal
history. This can be done by reflecting on past experiences such as schooling, free time
activities, jobs, and achievements, as well as various career ideas. This can be done by writing
a mini-biography using a career notebook, either on paper or on a computer. This should
include some basic facts such as:
What cities have you lived in?
What countries have you visited?
What languages do you speak?
What schools have you attended?
What were your best subjects in high school and in university?
What honors or awards have you received?
What student activities, clubs or sports have you been involved in?
What community activities or volunteer work have you been involved in?
What jobs have you had?
What jobs have members of your family had?
Past career ideas should also be examined. This should include basic ideas such as:
What did you dream of doing when you were a child?
What was your first career idea?
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What were your career dreams in high school?
What did you like or dislike about each job you have had?
What careers have you thought about since you entered university?
What experiences from your past are you proud of or positive about?
Writing a personal history is an important starting point for any self-assessment. By examining
your past, most people should be able to find some hints about what they like to do or what
they are good at. Thus individuals can gain a deeper understanding of themselves.
Interest Inventories
Interest inventories help to measure those things that most interest an individual, hopefully
finding a match between their interests and possible career areas. This type of inventory is
designed to help individuals match their interests and skills with similar careers. It can help
them begin thinking about how their personality will fit in with specific work environments
and careers.
Most people already know many of their interests through past experiences such as past
employment, classes and leisure activities. However, many students discover new interests
during college through new academic experiences, as well as outside activities and employment
opportunities. Many students find that interest inventories are helpful to sort out possible
interests.
Most of the widely used interest inventories are based on the research of John Holland. Working
as a vocational counselor in educational, military, and clinical settings led John Holland to
develop his theory of careers. According to Holland, "the main purpose of the theory is to
explain vocational behavior and suggest some practical ideas to help young people select jobs,
change jobs and obtain vocational satisfaction. To put it simply, this theory aims to assist people
with making satisfying career choices.
To operationally define and make concepts in this theory practically useful, Holland developed
interest inventories such as the Self-Directed Search. His theory is the most widely used and
empirically supported theory of career choice.
Holland’s RIASEC theory is based on the assumption that people can be loosely classified into
six different groups. The six groups are labeled Realistic, Investigative, Artistic, Social,
Enterprising, and Conventional. The Self-Directed Search inventory estimates how closely
individuals resemble each of the six types. The three types they are most like comprise their
three-letter code. Thus, if someone is most like the Realistic type, the first letter in their three
letter code is R, if the Investigative type next resembles them, the second letter in their three
letter code is I, and so on. Holland has classified occupational titles by this same three-letter
code system. Most people, and most jobs, are some combination of two or three of the Holland
interest areas.
Holland's theory contains four basic assumptions about people and work environments:
1. People can be categorized as one of six personality types:
Realistic, Investigative, Artistic, Social, Enterprising, and Conventional.