About Career Placement Tests
Choosing a career can be overwhelming. For some, there seems to be too many choices, and for others, it's hard to know where to begin. One way that can help point a career seeker in the right direction is a career placement test. These tests can be a useful tool to help narrow down choices and evaluate options.
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Function
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Career placement tests are designed to assess your interests and skills levels in various areas to determine which careers would best suit you. These tests can be found on the Internet, at employment offices, in colleges and universities, and in some books on the topic. The goal of these tests is to provide one or two general fields, and a host of specific careers to explore that match the test taker's personality, interests, education, knowledge and talents.
Types
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Some career placement tests are more comprehensive than others. A simple test might ask you to list your abilities and preferences with a short series of questions. A more comprehensive test will do this also, usually with more detailed questions in a variety of formats, as well as rate your intelligence in different areas. Some even go beyond mere multiple choice and rating questions, offering essay questions and brainstorming exercises.
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Features
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These tests attempt to evaluate your aptitude in various areas, which may include social skills, communication skills, computer and technology skills, mechanical ability, artistic ability and creativity, science and mathematical ability, organizational skills and clerical skills. Tests will also assess your preferences, such as type of tasks you like, or the environments and conditions under which you work best. For instance, do you like working individually or with a lot of people? Do you thrive in a creative, fast-paced environment or a quiet, controlled one? Do you prefer number-crunching or creative innovation?
Benefits
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The benefits of taking a career placement test is that it can offer direction when seeking out your first career or if you are seeking a new career path. By evaluating your strengths and weaknesses, these tests can help point you towards a new field, or, if you are going to school, point you towards majors and courses in order to help you develop a career strategy. The results of the test might open your eyes to opportunities or choices you have never before considered.
Considerations
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As with any other type of aptitude test, a career placement test is a tool, not an exact science. Take the results as guidelines, something to consider, rather than scripture. Just because a career test says you may be suited for a career in carpentry does not mean you would not make a successful teacher or salesperson. Take the results under advisement, but ultimately, the career you choose is up to you.
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Resources
- Photo Credit oki975 at sxc.hu
