originally published on Forage
Written byZoe Kaplan
Edited by Emily Courtney
Updated on March 15, 2024
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Table of Contents
- What Is a Career Assessment Test?
- How to Do a Career Assessment
- Career Assessment Test (Free)
- Career Assessment Results: Do’s and Don’ts
If you’re feeling lost, confused, or anxious about the job search, a career assessment can be a helpful starting point to understand what kinds of careers might be a good fit for you. The best career assessments will consider multiple factors, like your interests, personality, skills, and goals, without requiring extensive research or preparation. In fact, we’d go as far as to say that career assessments should be fun and low-stress — getting one step closer to your dream job should be exciting!
Our career assessment test:
- Is 100% free
- Takes less than 10 minutes
- Gives you personalized results right after you submit (no waiting for an email!)
- Measures your personality, skills, interests, and career goals
- Is fun and low-stress!
What Is a Career Assessment Test?
A career assessment test is a series of questions designed to help you understand what careers might be right for you. The best career assessments focus on various elements that factor into your ideal career, like your interests, personality, skills, and goals.
Interests
What do you like to do? Are there specific subjects you’re naturally drawn to? What do you do in your free time? Job satisfaction is important; while you might not always love your job all the time, genuinely liking what you do at work can improve your experience.
A career assessment test can measure your interests through questions about your hobbies and preferences. For example, our test will have you pick what you like to do on a rainy day and what kind of movies you like.
Personality
What traits do you identify with? How would other people describe you? How do you get along with others? All of these questions can help you understand your personality.
>>MORE: Looking for career results based on just your personality? Try our Personality Career Quiz.
Why measure personality on a career assessment test? Work is more than your daily tasks; your job is also defined by your work environment, company culture, and who you work with. Your personality affects what kind of role you’d thrive in.
For example, someone who loves collaborating and cares passionately about making a difference would work well in a tight-knit company with a strong mission. I love working independently and quickly, which has made my role as a writer in a startup a great fit — my work is more independent by nature, and startups tend to be fast-paced.
Skills
What are you good at? What subjects do you naturally excel in? What are your weaknesses? Understanding your strengths is crucial to learning what careers might be a good fit for you.
While you can always upskill on the job, it’s much easier to do a job you’re good at!
A career assessment test can measure your skills by asking questions about subjects you like, skills you use in your everyday life, and what kinds of problems are easy for you to solve. The best kinds of tests shouldn’t make you try to understand whether you have an aptitude for programming, financial analysis, or business communication — what if you have no idea what those are? Instead, we’ll ask easily accessible questions that give you a basic idea of what you’re good at.
>>MORE: Looking for a career quiz that assesses your skill set? Try The Ultimate Career Aptitude Test for Students (Free).
Goals
What do you want out of your career? It’s different for everybody. As a Gen Zer, I find I’m more likely to prioritize work-life balance. Some of my friends are interested in landing a specific title, while others care about working on projects they’re passionate about.
>>MORE: ‘Problems’ With Gen Z in the Workplace (From a Gen Zer) — And How to Fix Them
A career assessment should also consider your career goals because they affect what you prioritize in a role. For example, if I know my goal is to have a good work-life balance, I’m likely to avoid industries notorious for long hours and little flexibility, like investment banking.
How to Do a Career Assessment
The best way to do a career assessment is to self-reflect, be honest, and take the test as it is.
- Self-reflect: Before taking the test, take a few seconds to reflect on why you want to take the test and what you hope to get out of it.
- Be honest: To get the best results for you, be as authentic as you can when answering the questions. “A prevalent misstep I’ve witnessed among students taking career assessments is their inclination to manipulate responses toward what they believe are more ‘desirable’ outcomes,” says Vit Koval, co-founder of Globy, a platform that helps companies hire talent from Latin America and Europe. “The most beneficial approach is to answer these assessments with utmost sincerity. This honesty ensures the assessment serves its purpose, acting as a mirror to your authentic self and guiding you toward paths that genuinely resonate with your personal and professional aspirations.”
- Take the test as is: Don’t try to figure out what each question answer means for your career results. Instead, focus on approaching the test without reading into the questions.
Trust that if you answer the career assessment test in a way that’s true to you, you’ll get the most out of it.
Career Assessment Test (Free)
Ready to take the career assessment and learn what careers are your best fit? Take this quiz to find out. It’s completely free — you’ll just need to sign up to get your results!
Step 1 of 21. Pick a rainy day activity.a. plan a dinner partyb. play video games or do a crosswordc. hang out with friendsd. write, paint, or draw2. Pick a sunny day activity.a. go on a long bike ride to explore a new areab. host an outdoor picnicc. go on a nature-filled walkd. gather friends to play a pick-up game3. When I work with others, I play the role of…a. the facilitatorb. the note-takerc. the leaderd. the problem-solver4. I define success as…a. doing work I’m proud ofb. achieving financial securityc. solving complex problemsd. making a difference5. Pick a type of movie to watch.a. historical dramab. mystifying sci-fic. uplifting comedyd. informative documentary6. I describe myself as…a. inventiveb. empatheticc. resourcefuld. creative7. My teachers would describe me as…a. engagedb. expressivec. curiousd. motivated
Career Assessment Results: Do’s and Don’ts
Now that you know what kinds of careers are right for you, what should you do next? Here’s what the career experts have to say.
Do Research Your Results
“Spend time sitting with the results and reflecting on the information,” says Kelly Roehm, SHRM-SCP and founder of The Resume Realist. “Spend time researching the recommended paths to better understand what these opportunities look like in reality.”
Roehm advises researching things like:
- What’s the market like for these roles?
- What does the starting salary look like? What’s the longer-term earning potential?
- What unique requirements do these jobs have? Are you committed to pursuing additional training or education to meet them?
- Does the work environment for these kinds of jobs align with your preferences?
You can research using career advice resources like the Forage blog, find salaries on sites like Glassdoor, and get an idea of what kinds of companies hire for these roles on job boards like LinkedIn.
>>MORE: The 85 Best Job Search Sites and Apps in 2024
Do Get Personal Insight
“Networking and informational interviews are tools of immense value, often underutilized,” Koval says. “Through conversations with established professionals, students can uncover the nuanced realities of various professions — insights that are seldom captured in classroom settings or through online research. These interactions have often led to pivotal moments of clarity for many individuals I’ve mentored, helping them align their career aspirations with practical experiences and informed perspectives. Engaging in this manner can dramatically demystify the path forward, making career choices less daunting and more driven by informed enthusiasm.”
Talking to people who have actually worked in these roles can give you an honest insight into the career path while expanding your network.
Don’t Take Your Results as the Be-All and End-All
“Many students mistakenly think that their career assessment results are concrete and absolute,” says Ken Sher, career and executive coach at Sher Coaching. “In reality, the results are merely a starting point for further reflection — a place to blend subjective information (their likes and dislikes) with career opportunities that align with their personal and professional aspirations.”
While our career assessment results should give you types of careers that are a good fit for you, your results shouldn’t define your final career decisions. Instead, consider them a good starting point for understanding what roles align with your skills, personality, interests, and goals.
“Many students feel like they immediately need to make long-term decisions based on the assessment data, when in reality it can be best to slow down before you go full speed ahead,” Roehm says. “Remember that career assessments are data points in your career journey and should be reviewed as part of the bigger picture.”
Image credit: Canva
Zoe Kaplan is a Senior Writer at Forage. Prior to joining Forage, she wrote and edited career and workplace content for Fairygodboss, the largest career community for women.
