Career assessments are valuable tools to help you during your career exploration and planning. They can be a great starting point and the results can help you think more deeply about your own personal preferences and career interests. Two formal assessments are the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) and the Strong Interest Inventory. To take these assessments, questions are answered online and then the results are shared and discussed during an appointment with a career counselor. A career counselor can also help you determine which assessment (if any) is right for you; however, this blog will give you an overview of each assessment through the lens of three questions: 1. What is it? 2. Why should you take it? 3. How can you use the results? MYERS BRIGGS-TYPE INDICATOR (MBTI) 1. What is it? The Myers Briggs is an assessment with the aim of measuring your personality preferences along four different dichotomous dimensions. The MBTI helps people answer the following questions: Where do you focus your attention and/or get your energy?; How do you prefer to take in information?; How do you make decisions?; and finally, How do you organize the world around you? Isabel Myers and Katharine Briggs extrapolated these dimensions from Carl Jung’s theories regarding psychological types. Myers and Briggs believed that in order to have a more satisfied life, people needed to better understand themselves which could then help them choose an occupation which better suited their personality. 2. Why should you take it? Today, the Myers Briggs is one of the most widely used instruments. Many people find it useful as a way of understanding themselves, as well as their commonalities and differences with others. Not only is it often used as a tool for self-understanding and career development, but many organizations also use this assessment for the purposes of team building, management/leadership training, and to help recognize differences in communication styles – all of which have direct implications during every phase of one’s job search. 3. How to use the results? The Myers Briggs will not tell you specific career paths you should choose; however, you can utilize your results to consider the pros and cons of different employment sectors/occupations and how much they match with your personal preferences. STRONG INTEREST INVENTORY 1. What is it? The Strong Interest Inventory was written by psychologist, E.K. Strong, Jr. in 1927 with the purpose of helping individuals exiting military service to find suitable occupations. Today, the Strong Interest Inventory is based on John Holland’s theory of occupational themes. Work environments are classified into six different theme codes -- Realistic, Investigative, Artistic, Social, Enterprising, & Conventional (RIASEC). Generally, the Strong gives each test taker a three letter code representing their highest matches. 2. Why should you take it? This is a helpful tool if you are uncertain about your career interests. It connects your interests with possible career options and categorizes your interests based on four different scales: General Occupational Themes, Basic Interest Scales, Occupational Scales, and Personal Style Scales. Anyone can take this assessment; however, young adults might benefit the most since it also helps to highlight new occupations which might not have been considered. 3. How to use the results? The Strong Interest Inventory generates a list of your top ten basic occupations and these results can give you new ideas and occupations to consider as you continue your career exploration and planning. The Department of Labor (DOL) has been using the RIASEC model in its free online database, the Occupational Information Network (O*NET). This is extremely helpful because you can take the information that you learn from your Strong Interest Inventory to explore even more occupations of possible interest. Then, you can utilize the DOL’s Occupational Outlook Handbook to look into each occupation more in-depth by examining preferred qualifications, projected industry growth and typical work environments. *** More information on both assessments can be discussed with a career counselor or online through CPP, Inc., the company which administers both the Myers-Briggs and the Strong Interest Inventory. Additionally, the OITE encourages individuals to participate in the Workplace Dynamics workshop series where the MBTI is administered and discussed as a group with the aim of helping you better understand yourself and your communication skills.
