Advantages of a Career Aptitude Test

What do you want to be when you grow up? Career choice can be daunting. Some people, even when they're young, seem to lean toward certain professions. Others, in their twenties and beyond, still don't have clear-cut career direction. For those who are struggling with viable options, an online career aptitude test can be a beneficial tool. Keep in mind that it's just one piece of the puzzle-not a crystal ball. High school and college counselors have access to many career aptitude tools. However, anyone with a computer can sift through basic information and gain perspective on personality types using online career aptitude tests.

Myers-Briggs Type Indicator

Many of today's aptitude and personality tests replicate in some form the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI). The actual MBTI can be taken for a fee (approximately $60). Katharine Cook Briggs and her daughter, Isabel Briggs Myers, developed the MBTI based upon the personality-type principles of Carl Jung, Swiss psychiatrist. The test was first designed to assist women entering the workforce during WWII. It was intended to help them decide upon jobs for which they'd be effective and comfortable.

The Point

The point of an online career aptitude test is to measure strengths and personality facets and match them with possible career choices or placements in a corporation. A career aptitude test is one variation of a personality test. The test attempts to determine an individual's tendencies through the answers he gives to questions such as the following: Do you work better alone or in a group? How do you interact with others? What is your working style? What are your natural preferences? Would you rather write a report on Egypt, harvest a wheat crop, or clean skin injuries? Some test questions can seem particularly bizarre. Career aptitude tests are used by many of the Fortune 500 companies

Advantages

For a person who is unsure about career direction, online aptitude tests sometimes impart information that sparks the individual to consider various career paths. These tests can aid in focusing a person's efforts. My niece was told in an aptitude test that she tended toward a teaching or counseling profession. She decided to go into marketing. She hated her original choice, but is currently a happy teacher. There could be something to these tests. The results can also be helpful in resume design. The wording and the ideas might be just what the applicant is searching to say, thus enhancing her resume.

Disadvantages

First of all, if you're not honest on the online career aptitude test, it really won't help. The idea is not to give expected responses, but rather responses that come from your gut. Another mistake would be relying too much on the results. Keep in mind that this is just one tool. If you think you have an aptitude toward being a vocalist, the online aptitude test can't hear you sing. There are definitely missing links. Use these tests in perspective.

My Experience

I wanted to be a teacher from an early age. I chose that career path (after singing professionally with my sisters for a time) and was never sorry. There was a little voice tugging at me at times wondering if I should have tried to be an optometrist, but I never pursued that direction. I decided to sample some online career aptitude tests to see if, in fact, my personality matched my career choice. The free online Live Career test took close to forty minutes to complete. The pop-ups were annoying, but the results to the 100 questions were interesting. There were 3 answer choices and I had to select "most" and "least" for each. It turns out that I am most suited for the health services, so maybe I should've been an optometrist. Teaching ran a close second though, followed by writing and the arts. I guess I knew myself fairly well after all. This particular site offers possible job options, starting and potential salaries, and degree requirements.

Try It Out

The Live Career online career test will provide you with results, plus career options and salary scales.

The Keirsey Temperament Sorter, based on David Keirsey's books, "Please Understand Me" I and II, has approximately 70 questions. Participants find out whether they are Idealists, Artisans, Guardians, or Rationals.

The Monster Quiz is a short, four question personality evaluation. You'll discover whether you're a 'judger or a perceiver', a 'thinker or a feeler' and so on.

Human Metrics is a more extensive version of the Monster Quiz.