Take a Free Career Quiz at CareerBuilder.Com

If you are searching for a new job or need to have alternate income streams in these uncertain economic times, a career assessment quiz, based on your personality and style can be a good first step. A career quiz might uncover a few options you haven't previously explored that you could really excel in. Often times, skills we don't even consider can open new doors for us. These skills could possibly be tied to a really enjoyable hobby or leisure time activity. At any rate, there is a free career planning quiz you can access through CareerBuilder.com that I highly recommend. You don't have to be registered on the site to take the quiz. It is called the "Career Planner Quiz".

You can access the quiz on the CareerBuilder.com homepage under the "Advice & Resources" tab at the top. Click on "Career Tests" and then on "Career Planner Quiz" to take your free test. It consists of 24 sets of comparison statements. In each set, you must choose the option that you like the most. Next, they ask you to fill out a form with your name, address and educational status. (At this point, they may bounce you to an advertisement page for some service you must pay for. Just scroll to the bottom of the page and decline). When you are finished, it will list two mini reports for you: One on your interests and proposed career paths, and one on your style. I found my mini reports to be quite enlightening.

For me, the recommended career options were editing, journalism, teaching, strategic planning, consulting, marketing, communications, research and development, or something in the performing arts field. I have to say all the options intrigue me except for the performing arts. Also, while I have already considered career paths in editing, journalism, and teaching, I have not previously considered the other five options. Of the five, marketing looks especially intriguing to me. I have some research to do!

The second mini report identifies your preferred "style". I fell under the "creative" style. The summary said that I was good at managing details and creating processes to get complex jobs done. It also said that I base my decisions on facts and careful reasoning, among other things. This skill set may be why I became an engineer. The fact that I have a creative, think - outside - the - box mentality may also be why I left that career path eight years ago!

I highly recommend that you take five minutes out of your schedule and take this free "Career Planner Quiz" through CareerBuilder.com and their affiliate site CareerPath.com. CareerPath.com offers additional Career Assessment tools. Be careful! There are plenty tools and reports with fees attached!

Print out your "Career Planner Quiz" results and study them. You never know what career or job option the quiz might enlighten you about. In these hard times, when good jobs and careers are disappearing over night, a broad spectrum of choices can only help you. Take the time to assess your entire skill set.