Are you thinking about changing careers or feeling stuck in your current job? Most people will travel through multiple career transitions in their lives. Change can be intimidating, but it can also lead to tremendous personal and professional growth!
Although choosing a new career path can be exciting and overwhelming, a career or skills assessment can help guide you through this process. Let's take a minute to explore why taking a skills test or career assessment could be a game-changer in your career journey while discovering a few free and low-cost online tests available.
Unveiling Your True Potential
Taking a skills and career assessment isn't just about listing the skills you think you have or things you believe you excel in doing. It's a process that helps you understand your strengths, weaknesses, preferences, and aspirations. Through this self-discovery journey, you can uncover hidden talents, previously unknown interests, and potential career paths that align with your values and goals.
Whether you're thinking about changing careers entirely or exploring opportunities within your current field, these assessments can provide clarity and direction, boost confidence, and give you the knowledge to make informed career decisions. Taking a step back to evaluate your skills and career goals is also an investment in your future success and happiness.
From Interests to Strengths: Top Skills Tests and Career Assessments to Guide Your Journey
Skills tests and career assessments don't have to be expensive or time-consuming. Consider these free or low-cost options to help you discover your interests, personality, and strengths, and explore various career opportunities.
The MyNextMove Interest Profiler is a free assessment tool that helps identify your interests and matches them with potential career options. With about 60 questions, it provides a detailed insight into the types of work you might enjoy, making it easier to find a fulfilling career path.
BONUS: It also offers a search tool for career titles and options based on specific industries.
The TypeFinder Personality Test, available on Truity, helps you identify potential career paths based on your personality type. By pinpointing your strengths, this test offers a tailored approach to career planning. Truity also offers other tests that focus on different aspects, including emotional intelligence.
Based on the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI), the 16Personalities test is a popular free assessment that evaluates your personality type through 60-70 questions. This test provides a comprehensive understanding of your personality traits and how they align with various career options.
TIP: This test offers more than career advice! One year, I asked my family to take the test on their phone during a family game night and share the things they found most interesting about themselves. It might sound crazy, but we learned a lot about each other, especially those who had moved away or married into our family.
The Career Explorer Career Test offers a holistic approach to career assessment by evaluating your interests, personality, and workplace preferences. With approximately 80 questions, this free test provides tailored career path suggestions that align with your profile, helping you to make informed career decisions.
StrengthsFinder, developed by Gallup, offers a range of assessments with fees ranging from $24 to $59. These tests are tailored to various groups, including current students, leaders, and managers, focusing on identifying your top five strengths among 34 different themes.
You can click on the link above and pay and take the test online or purchase any of Gallup's books (listed below), which includes an access code for the online test at no additional charge. Buying one of their books usually makes it more cost-effective and provides in-depth resources and insights to help guide you once you've received your test results.
Tip for Leaders: If your personal or professional development budget allows, consider gifting the StrengthsFinder 2.0 or the Strengths Based Leadership book to your team. Encouraging your team members to take the test and share their insights can spark interesting conversations and equip everyone with new tools to improve team dynamics and communication.
Tom Rath
A comprehensive guide to identifying and leveraging your top five strengths and providing actionable advice for maximizing your unique talents.
Tom Rath and Donald O. Clifton
Explores the significant impact of positive and negative interactions on our personal and professional lives. Using compelling stories and evidence-based tactics, the book illustrates how minor behavioral adjustments can greatly improve well-being.
Tom Rath and Barry Conchie
Provides a guide for effectively leading teams by leveraging individual strengths. The book combines Gallup's research with insights from successful leaders to offer practical advice on building strong, cohesive teams.
Marcus Buckingham and Donald O. Clifton
Introduces the StrengthsFinder assessment and its 34 talent themes. The book emphasizes the importance of developing your natural talents and provides strategies for applying them in various aspects of life and work.
Rosanne Liesveld, Jo Ann Miller, and Jennifer Robison
Applies the principles of strengths-based development to the field of education. The book provides educators with insights and tools to identify and nurture their strengths, thereby enhancing their teaching effectiveness and student engagement.
Albert L. Winseman, Donald O. Clifton, and Curt Liesveld
Helps individuals discover and apply their strengths in faith-based and community settings, tailored for those seeking to deepen their spiritual journey and providing practical advice for integrating strengths into daily life.
Conclusion
Career transitions don't have to be overwhelming and learning more about what drives your goals and passions is a great way to start. By incorporating online skills tests and career assessments into your journey, you're arming yourself with the knowledge and awareness you need to make informed decisions.
Embrace change, seize opportunities, and trust the process. Your dream career may be just a self-assessment away!