1. Assessment and Career Planning
Chapter 5

2. Introduction
Assessment is the use of any formal or informal technique to collect data about a client.
It is a tool of the trait-and-factor approach, which had its beginning with the three-step career choice process introduced by Frank Parsons.

3. Guidelines for Use of Trait-and-Factor Approach in 21st Century
Test data
are only one piece of a much larger puzzle.
should be used less for prediction and more for identifying new options.
The client should be more involved in making the decision about whether to use assessment and for what purposes.

5. Assessment and the Career Planning Process
Step 1 - may use an instrument to measure career maturity, career beliefs or decision-making style
Step 2 - may use inventories to measure interests, abilities, skills, work values, or personality type

6. Assessment and the Career Planning Process
Step 3 - Score report from inventories given in Step 2 will suggest occupations.
Step 4 - Assessment not likely to be used.
Step 5 - Inventories of work-related values may be used to reduce number of options.

7. Assessment and the Career Planning Process
Step 6 - Tests that predict success in college or measure achievement in specific subject matter may be used.
Step 7 - Instruments that measure work skills or personality type may be used.

8. Purposes of Assessment
Counselors can learn more about the needs (decision-making skills, career maturity, removal of irrational beliefs) of clients.
Counselors can learn more about the characteristics (interests, abilities, skills, values, personality) of clients.

9. Purposes of Assessment
Clients can learn more about themselves (such as their interests, skills, abilities, work values, personality type).
Counselors can measure the progress (in acquiring career maturity,decision-making skills, career decidedness) of an individual or group of individuals.

10. Counselor Responsibilities
Follow ethical guidelines provided by professional associations
Possess knowledge
basic principles of assessment
details of specific instruments to be used
how to prepare clients/students
how to administer properly
how to interpret properly

11. Characteristics of Informal Assessment
Instruments not subjected to scientific study
Results for one person cannot be compared with those of others
No standard linkage between results and occupational choices
No standard way to interpret results

12. Types of Informal Assessment
Checklists
Games
Career fantasies
Forced-choice activities
Card sorts
Structured interviews

13. Characteristics of Formal Assessment
Known validity (instrument measures what it claims to measure)
Known reliability (results of a later administration will be highly similar to those of first administration)

14. Characteristics of Formal Assessment
Fairness related to diversity (instrument adequately researched with kinds of individuals who will later take the instrument)
Measures of comparison (compares the scores of one individual with those of others)

15. Common Interest Inventories
Campbell Interest and Skill Survey (CISS)
Career Assessment Inventory (CAI)
Career Occupational Preference Survey (COPS)
Career Quest
Harrington-O’Shea Career Decision-Making System (CDMS)

16. Common Interest Inventories, continued
Interest Determination, Exploration, and Assessment System (IDEAS)
Interest Explorer
Jackson Vocational Interest Survey (JVIS)
Kuder Career Search with Person Match
O*Net Interest Profiler

17. Common Interest Inventories, continued
Self-Directed Search (SDS)
Strong Interest Inventory (SII)
Unisex Edition of the ACT Interest Inventory (UNIACT)
Vocational Interest Inventory

18. Common Instruments to Measure Skills and Abilities
SkillScan
WorkKeys
Passion Revealer
Career Planning Survey
O*Net Ability Profiler

19. Other Inventories
Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) - measures personality type
O*Net Work Importance Profiler - measures the importance of six work values
Super’s Work Values Inventory - measures the importance of 12 work values

20. Steps of the Assessment Process
Prepare students/clients for assessment
Administer instrument(s) properly
Interpret instrument(s) properly
Follow through to assist students/clients to use results for action planning

21. Ways to Administer and Interpret Assessment
Print form - manual or optical scoring; counselor interpretation
Computer (standalone or networked) - administration and scoring; counselor or computer interpretation
Internet - administration, scoring, and interpretation

22. Advantages of Internet Delivery
Can be taken from anywhere 24/7
Immediate scoring and feedback
Standard interpretation, though customized
Capability to share report with others electronically

23. No-Fee Assessment Websites
University of Waterloo Career Services -
CareerKey -
University of Missouri Career Center - (Select Career Interests Game)
Motivational Assessment of Personal Potential -

24. For-Fee Assessment Websites
Kuder Career Planning System -
Self-Directed Search -

25. Types of Reports
Raw scores - provide a tally of responses in a specific category; examinee cannot compare personal scores with those of others
Percentile scores - compare the scores of one person with those of a selected norm group

26. Steps in Selection of Instruments
Determine purpose of assessment.
Consider characteristics of those to be assessed.
Determine if norm group for instrument includes characteristics of persons to be tested.
Investigate the reliability and validity of the instrument.

27. Steps in Selection of Instruments
Read critical reviews and talk to other professionals.
Acquire a sample copy, take it, and read publisher’s materials.
Administer instrument to a few individuals and practice interpretation.
Determine cost and options for administration and scoring.