Introduction
Career preference testing is available for those looking for a direction to pursue in job hunting, deciding on a career path, or discovering their avocation. Career preference testing is a time-honored tool useful for people of all ages who are making decisions about choices in their job search. These individuals could be high school students who want to make a career decision, or seasoned professionals who are examining a new career direction. A career preference assessment report is generated from the testing results.
Description
In its most fundamental form, career preference testing is an adult version of the childhood “ah ha” moment in which we gain fresh insight into our personality. A report is generated from the test results which the client uses to explore interests, abilities, personality style and motivation. These factors interact to suggest one’s best career fit.
A common technique within the field of career counseling utilizes personality preference testing (or Typing). The Personality Preference Testing Report identifies how a person psychologically processes life experiences. Personality preferences drive attitudes, affect motivation, and determines the relative emotional needs of a person when interacting with others both in personal life and at the workplace.
The most utilized personality preference assessment is the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, or MBTI. The MBTI assessment identifies personality preferences that a client can then use in assisting with job search. Prospective employers also may use the MBTI as part of the hiring decision process. Based on the work of psychologist Carl Jung, the theory of personality preferences was quantified in the original MBTI assessment by the mother and daughter team, Isabel Briggs Myers and Katherine Briggs.
The MBTI pinpoints significant personality preference dichotomies which are then categorized in one of sixteen 4 letter personality preference codes. A number of reports can be generated from the results of testing with the MBTI, including the identification of career preferences. The MBTI assessment is a statistically significant instrument with a 70% validity rate. Consequently, is has become the standard in the industry for assessing an individual’s career preferences.
The Process
Career preference testing assesses interests, personality preferences, and work values, all of which are key factors in choosing a career in which one can be successful and personally fulfilled. Test results in the form of a report will generate career options that may be a good match based on that combination of interests, abilities, personality, and work values Career preference test results can also be helpful in deciding which career will be the best choice by providing objective data you can use to compare options.
Outcomes
The MBTI Career Preference Assessment (test) determines a person’s personal four-letter code and an extensive description of personality type. A list of common and popular career choices based on that type are provided, as well as categories of work to avoid. From the four groups of two letter dichotomies, the composite personality type is generated.
The four categories that determine personality preferences are linked based on the relative strength of each preference. Therefore, no two individuals will have exactly the same personality preference profile.
Just as particular workplace environments are a good fit for certain types, the combination of two or more personality types interact to form unique kinds of workplace group relationships. Career preference testing then is a basis for establishing and optimizing a group work-style.
The results of taking the MBTI can be combined with the results from testing with the Strong Interest Inventory, or SII: The Strong Interest Inventory determines work preferences, or what a person imagines would be interesting work. The assessment asks questions about work and career possibilities. The report generated from testing lists broad areas of interest as well as more detailed specific career fields to evaluate.
The combined Strong/MBTI Career Report pinpoints major categories of work: realistic (building, repairing), conventional (accounting, processing data), enterprising (selling, managing), artistic (creating or enjoying art), investigative (researching, analyzing), and social (helping, instructing),
If an assessment test uncovers career options that don’t ring true, the client should discount that information. There are no right or wrong answers. Simply put, the client is the best judge of the validity of the outcomes.
Conclusion
Two and a half million MBTI assessments are administered per year-used by career counselors, educators, and companies to help clients better understand their personality and work preferences. Use the MBTI Career Report and the combined Strong/MBTI Career Reports to gain insight into career preferences as one tool in the search for greater career satisfaction.
