Resources for Career Assessments
Please note carefully that ALA does not recommend any specific assessment tool, nor does the provision of this information in any way imply ALA's endorsem*nt of any of the companies/tools listed or the results of any evaluation which may be conducted. The resource links provided here are solely for information purposes.
It is important to keep in mind that not all assessments are valid and/or reliable. Different assessments are used for different purposes. Interpretation of results can be a bit complicated. Even if the results make sense to you, you should always consider a variety of factors that may affect your decisions. You should never accept results of online assessments or make life-changing decisions based on them without discussing them with a trained specialist.
If you are seriously looking for help in making career decisions such as determining what career to pursue, deciding if you should change careers, etc., please seek the assistance of a professional career counselor. You can find one on most college campuses, or by visiting the National Career Development Association's website. You may also contact staff in the American Library Association's Office for Human Resource Development and Recruitment (HRDR).
This assessment examines your suitability with different careers based on six occupational themes: Realistic, Investigative, Artistic, Social, Enterprising and Conventional. The test identifies your top interest areas and how they compare to the other areas, and what this means for your career interests. Has 87 questions, and could take about 20 minutes.
- Myers-Briggs
One of the most well-known assessments, the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator results in a four-letter “type”—INFP or ESFJ, for example. The test is meant to identify basic preferences for each of four dichotomies (such as introvert and extrovert) and describes 16 distinctive personality traits. You’ll have to pay $50 to take the real test, but there are several, brief alternatives.
- MyPlan.com
This assessment can help you identify your motivations and what’s really important to you in your career. By ranking different aspects of work, the results can encourage you to look at jobs or industries you may not have considered before. It might be a bit over-whelming -- you’ll walk away from this test with a list of 739 jobs rank-ordered based on how well they suit your style.
- The Testing Room
Free career, job, and personality assessments. Brief reports are free. Expanded reports costs.
- Career Key
Evaluates personality and careers according to John Holland's theory of career choice.
- Career Testing
Provides a motivational skills test (designed to help you identify your proficiencies in a broad range of functional-transferable skill areas), as well as a career values test (designed to help you identify the things you value most so that you can achieve job satisfaction).
- Workplace Values Assessment:
Do You Know the Work Values You Most Want in a Job and an Employer -- and Does Your Current Employment Reflect Those Values?
Provides a short list of things which may be important to you, to help you examine what you value in your job, your career, and your work. This site also has a variety of other brief quizzes for job seekers, career changers, new graduates, etc.
- Keirsey Temperament Sorter II Personality Instrument
Gives a 70-question personality test that helps individuals discover their personality type. General report of results is free. More in-depth report costs.
This page was created by the ALA Office for Human Resource Development and Recruitment (HRDR). For additional assistance, comments or questions please contact: [email protected] .
Last rev. May 2017
