TITLE: Career Search & Job Search is the leading career center in US.

Career Category: Jobs, Career, Resume, Job Search, Career Search, Job Listing, Monster Job, Job Bank

Site Description: Career Search and Job Search offers tips and free resume sample, resume writing, example, cover letter, write resume, resume template format, help, and resume builder. Post resume for free.

Career Topics: Career Builder, Engineering Career, Search, Planning, Links, Test, Information, Change, Education, Job Opportunity, Assessment, Counseling, Career Center, Monster Job, Job Bank, Government Job, California Job, Job Listing Online

FINDING YOUR DREAM CAREER

Now that you're familiar with using the Internet, how do you know which

career you want to pursue? Have you identified your dream career,

or are you completely clueless when it comes to a career search? Do you

truly know which career is best for you? The Internet provides a variety

of online tools to help you consider numerous alternatives.

By taking a few minutes to answer questions on a self-assessment

test, you will not only narrow down some career possibilities and

alternatives that match your interests, but you will also better pre-

pare yourself for a chosen career. Especially if the career represents

new skills and ideas with which you are not familiar, increasing your

knowledge of the nature of the work, working conditions, and train-

ing and education necessary to excel in that career can only work to

your advantage. After you have identified your dream career and

reviewed some of the standard job descriptions, it's time to delve

deeper into the profession in which you are interested. A variety of

networking opportunities exist online, from associations to listservs.

The information provided there may prove highly beneficial to you

in a job interview, as it demonstrates your awareness of the chal-

lenges you may encounter.

The resources in this site explore self-assessment tools, pro-

fessional associations, and networking opportunities available for

different careers. Many of the sites will identify education and pro-

fessional affiliations that may help you excel in certain career fields

They also suggest related occupations and general outlooks for the

career fields, as well as resources for additional information This

chapter does not identify specific jobs available within the career

fields or information about individual companies within different

career sectors.

Self-Assessment

Self-assessment tests will help match your interests and personality

with appropriate careers, based on your unique strengths and weak-

nesses at the testing time. However, the results of these tests should

not be used as your sole reason for career or job selection. Instead

they should be viewed as an invaluable way to explore potential ca-'

reer and occupational opportunities, understand your job skill

strengths and challenges, and manage your current job responsibili-

ties to avoid difficulties with your weak areas. Before you start look-

ing for a new job, you really need to conduct a self-assessment to

give more focus and substance to your job search.

The Web provides everyone with access to career tests, opening

up a new dimension of job searching for many that was previously

available only through career counselors. Whenever possible I have

identified top Web sites for the more popular self-assessment tests.

however, due to the complexity of creating an objective testing en-

vironment, and scoring and interpreting the tests, some are not cur-

rently available online or are only available on a fee basis. With the

increasing demand for online career development, these tests will

become more readily available. Please bear in mind that although

they are most effective when administered by a professional Ac

online versions can still get you started on your career search '

The main types of tests include Personality Inventories, Interest

Inventories, and Aptitude/Intelligence tests. Personality tests mea-

sure how you relate in work and play situations, focusing on feel-

ings, desires, and emotions. Interest inventories attempt to identify

how you react to certain activities and what you enjoy, assuming

interesting work will be more satisfying and you will be more pro-

ductive. Intelligence tests measure specific aptitudes and your abil-

ity or interest in learning. Some of the more well-known tests in-

clude:

• Career Ability Placement Survey (CAPS)

• Career Assessment Inventory (CAI)

• Campbell Interest and Skill Survey (CISS)

• Edwards Personal Preference Schedule (EPPS)

• Holland Self-Directed Search (SDS)

• Inquiry Mode Questionnaire (InQ)

• Jackson Vocational Interest Survey (JVIS)

• Keirsey Character Sorter

• Kuder Occupational Interest Survey (KOIS)

• Life Styles Inventory (LSI)

• Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI)

• Personal Effectiveness Inventory (PEI)

• Slosson Intelligence Test (SIT-R)

• Strong Interest Inventory (SII)

• Wechsler Intelligence Scales (WAIS-R & WISC-R)

 

There are some limitations to conducting the tests without the

help of a qualified counselor, since your answers, and therefore your

interpretations, may be subjective. You may fail to critically assess

your results, immediately reject your results as inaccurate, "fake"

your answers to identify a career you think you want, or form biases

toward the tests or careers indicated. A qualified counselor can pro-

vide proper administration, interpretation, and discussion of the re-

sults, and will also be able to select the appropriate test from the

plethora of tests available. She can objectively interpret the results

within the context of your life, social environment, personal history,

and behavior.

A wide variety of credentials exists for career counselors. Not all

credentials are the same and the requirements for attaining them can

vary dramatically. To locate a certified career counselor or to learn

more about their credentials, training, and qualifications, search the

following organizations online:

• The National Board for Certified Counselors, Inc.—

www.nbcc.org—National Certified Career Counselor

(NCCC) certification

• The National Career Networking Association—

www.ncna.com—Certified Career Counselor (CCC) certi-

fication

• International Association of Career Management Profes-

sionals—www.iacmp.org—Certified Practitioner (CMP),

Fellow Practitioner (CMF), and Fellow Manager (CMF)

• American Counseling Association (ACA)—

www.counseling.org—does not directly certify counselors,

but contains a variety of useful information for counselors

and individuals seeking counseling. Contains a division, the

National Career Development Association (NCDA), which

certifies Career Development Facilitators (CDF)

While most assessment tests are administered by trained counse-

lors, some are also available online. The following sites present sev-

eral useful self-assessment devices that you can access and use on

your own.

TITLE: Career Search & Job Search is the leading career center in US.

Career Category: Jobs, Career, Resume, Job Search, Career Search, Job Listing, Monster Job, Job Bank

Site Description: Career Search and Job Search offers tips and free resume sample, resume writing, example, cover letter, write resume, resume template format, help, and resume builder. Post resume for free.

Career Topics: Career Builder, Engineering Career, Search, Planning, Links, Test, Information, Change, Education, Job Opportunity, Assessment, Counseling, Career Center, Monster Job, Job Bank, Government Job, California Job, Job Listing Online