CRITICAL COMPONENTS OF A CAREER ASSESSMENT
A qualified Ohio Career Assessment Specialist will include the following key assessments as part of the process:
Background InformationThis part of the process is less assessment and more interview and information gathering. Information such as work experience, participation in extra-curricular activities, current career interests, and post-high school goals is important to know. It may also be beneficial for a Career Assessment Specialist to have a student transcript, knowledge of any health issue affecting ability to participate in school or work, and any documentation indicating emotional or educational support that benefits the student.
Interest InventoryInterest inventories are plentiful and can be readily found with a simple Google search. However, a Career Assessment Specialist will administer an interest inventory that is based on standards compared to an actual database of jobs and careers. Reliable interest inventories may produce results as broad as those found in the Holland Scale or as specific as those found in the US Department of Labor’s Occupational Outlook Handbook. There are even assessment tools that combine a student’s aptitude results with the results of their interest inventory and show where those two critical components overlap.
Hands-on Work SamplesStudents often enjoy this part of the Career
Assessment process the most. Work samples are given for a variety of reasons. They help students self-assess types of work they enjoy and are good at. Observations of a student at work provide information to the Career Assessment Specialist about physical ability, aptitude, employability “soft skills”, and students’ problem solving skills. Students are timed in their work completion and many work samples may be scored for accuracy as well. Work speed and accuracy can then be compared to a standardized “norm” to evaluate performance compared to other students of the same age. |
Aptitude AssessmentAptitude should not be confused with interests or academic abilities. Aptitude tests do not measure intelligence or give information about personality type. An aptitude test measures a person’s innate capabilities or potential to acquire certain abilities. Aptitude tests used for the educational setting often measure areas related to language ability, numerical ability, spatial ability, form perception, and clerical perception. They may also look at more physical abilities such as motor coordination, finger dexterity, and manual dexterity. Aptitude tests are often computer-based assessments.
Academic AchievementAcademic achievement tests are important due to the reading and math requirements for success in a variety of careers. For example, many construction types of jobs do not require a college reading level, but they frequently require a mastery of particular math skills. It should be important to note that the use of academic achievement test results in the Career Assessment process are not intended to prevent or discourage students from pursuing a particular career. Rather, they are intended to provide objective information about a student’s academic ability so that there is an awareness of what areas may need remediation OR to help a student decide to pursue a challenging career area.
Student Responses to Career Assessment"I think the Career Assessment process was worthwhile and helped me make an informed decision about my high school education and/or beyond.”
“I would recommend the Career Assessment program to friends.” “From the hands-on activities, it helped me learn what I need to do to work better.” “I believe it helped me learn more about my struggle areas in school. Also about the different opportunities I can obtain now.” |