Career Assessments

Sometimes people call the Career Development Center and ask to take a “test” that will tell them what to do with their lives. Career assessments will not tell you what you could or should do. They will, however, help you sort out thoughts and ideas about majors, career paths and occupations. The career counselor will review the results with you and teach you how to explore and investigate those majors/occupations that are similar to your interests and values. The career assessments used by the Career Development Center include inventories and interactive card sorts. These assessment tools can facilitate identification of your interests, personality, values, and potential barriers to gather the information mentioned above.

» Types of Assessments Offered

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Types of Assessments Offered

FOCUS
FOCUS is a self directed, online career planning system that helps you analyze your interests, skills, personality and values. FOCUS takes a multi-dimensional approach with seven different online assessments that enables you to explore career options that match your unique goals and situations. FOCUS helps you discover and explore education programs and career paths that match your personal attributes. You may take FOCUS assessments without working with a career counselor, but we recommend making an appointment with a career counselor for interpretation. It takes approximately 5 to 10 minutes to complete each assessment. There is no fee, but you must receive the password from the CDC office prior to use. Login to FOCUS

Self-Directed Search (SDS)
The Self-Directed Search assessment and report can help you understand more about yourself and how your individual skills and interests are related to your career choice. The SDS is based on John Holland’s theory that both people and work environments can be classified according to 6 basic types: Realistic, Investigative, Artistic, Social, Enterprising, and Conventional. Choosing careers that match your type will most likely lead to increased satisfaction and success in your career. The Inventory is administered by a career counselor and takes approximately 20 minutes to complete. Fee: $16 (Includes Interpretation with Career Counselor)

Career Thoughts Inventory
The Career Thoughts Inventory is designed to help identify misconceptions and barriers related to career planning. Since negative beliefs can hinder decision-making, challenging those self-defeating assumptions may increase your success in the career development process. The CTI helps you understand the nature of your negative thoughts and barriers, so you can develop strategies required to maximize your strengths and overcome those barriers. It will take approximately 15 minutes to complete and is administered by a career counselor. Fee: $10 (Includes Interpretation with Career Counselor) A supplemental workbook is available for an additional cost of $15. Learn more about Career Barriers.

Myers Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) - Career Report
The Myers Briggs Type Indicator helps you gain a deeper understanding of yourself. This personality instrument helps identify your preferred manner of taking in and evaluating information and preferred style of working, decision-making and communicating. The MBTI indicates your personality preferences, such as whether you are more extroverted or introverted. It then provides feedback on work settings or work situations where your personality type might be either a complement or a challenge. Learning about your personality type will serve you not only in career decision-making, but also in interpersonal communication. The MBTI takes approximately 30 minutes to complete and is administered by a career counselor. Fee: $25.00 (Includes Interpretation with Career Counselor)

Strong Interest Inventory (SII)
The Strong Interest Inventory measures your interests not your abilities. The Strong compares your interests with those of people happily employed in a wide variety of occupations and is used to aid in making long-range academic or occupational choices and decisions. The Strong Interest Inventory instrument helps you plan for the many different stages of career development with one goal in mind: to match your interests with satisfying careers. You will receive feedback on your strongest interest themes, as well as occupational titles matching these interests. An additional personalized report helps you explore the path that is right for you by identifying specific college courses, jobs or internships, and extracurricular activities that will allow you to express your unique interests and personal style. The SII provides step-by-step advice on how to evaluate academic majors that fit your interests, how to begin preparing for success in the world of work, and tips on how to assess a potential first job or graduate program. The SII takes approximately 20-30 minutes to complete and is administered by a career counselor. Fee: $25.00 (Includes Interpretation with Career Counselor)

Career Transition Inventory
If you are considering changing professions, changing positions within the same company, considering re-entering the workforce or lost a job recently, the Career Transition Inventory may be of assistance. This inventory will assess the strengths and barriers you may experience when making a career transition. This assessment will help you to identify if you are ready to commit to doing the tasks required to meet your career goals, if you have confidence in your ability to perform and follow through on career activities, if you are in control or if external forces could impede the process, and lastly, if you have the support from those who are important to you to make the transition. The Career Transition Inventory takes approximately 15 minutes to complete and is administered by a career counselor. Fee $10 (Includes Interpretation with Career Counselor)

Career Values Card Sort
The Career Values Card Sort a simple tool using a deck of 54 cards that allows you to prioritize your values in as little as five minutes. This instrument will assist you in focusing on factors affecting your career satisfaction and how strongly you feel about these factors. Fifty-four variables of work satisfaction, such as time freedom, precision work, power, technical competence and public contact are listed and described. This as an effective tool in helping you determine areas you are experiencing value conflict and congruence as it relates to your career decisions. The amount of time required to complete varies from person to person. The Card Sort is facilitated by a Career Counselor at no cost to you.

Motivated Skills Card Sort
The Motivated Skills Card Sort Activity is an easy way to help you assess what skills are central to your career. By identifying and clarifying these skills, the success of your career is in your hands and has the potential to prosper. This is a fun and interactive activity similar to solitaire, so it is quick, simple, and easy. It also can assist you in determining what skills you wish to emphasize and which you wish to minimize in the future. It is a painless process. Just sit down, relax and lay out the cards and complete the worksheet provided. Through this process you can get to know more about yourself in relation to your career, or improve yourself in order to succeed in your career. The amount of time required to complete this activity varies. The Motivated Skills Card Sort is facilitated by a Career Counselor at no cost to you.

Occupational Interest Card Sort
The Occupational Interest Card sort is a career resource that helps to identify your career interests by making them seem more tangible. There are five categories of cards ranging from definitely to definitely not interested, with an additional 113 cards with occupational titles. First, you will sort the cards according to your level of interest, allowing you to see the types of jobs that you are most and least interested in. Next, you group the careers in each column into sub-groups of similar or related occupations. This helps you visualize the types of jobs and skills you are attracted to. These exercises will help you clarify how ready you are, the skills and knowledge you need, and the next steps you could take for your career. The amount of time required to complete the activity varies from person to person. The Occupational Interest Card Sort is facilitated by a Career Counselor at no cost to you.

College Major Card Sort (MOCS)
The Missouri Major Card Sort is used to assist students of all ages in determining what major they wish to pursue. It is extremely difficult to choose one major that you are going to concentrate on for the rest of your academic career, and then hopefully pursue a job in. By using MOCS a student can then look through numerous college majors with a description of each. They then can categorize each of the majors into groups of like, dislike, neutral or undecided. The process continues and allows you to narrow down the choices by analyzing why they did or did not like a major. The three goals of the card sort is to increase your awareness on each of the different majors and occupations associated with them, to expand the reasons you are or are not interested in a major, and to encourage the student to get a better idea of their level of interest. The amount of time required to complete the card sort varies from person to person. The Missouri Major Card Sort is facilitated by a Career Counselor at no cost to you.

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