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Beware of Harmful Career Tests
Yes,
it is true. You can be harmed by career assessments on
the Internet. They can tell you that you are one thing
when you are actually something else. Even worse, they
can match you with jobs,
businesses,
training programs, or college
majors that don't fit you.
For example,
they may report that your highest score is for the Artistic
personality type when actually it is Enterprising -- a
very different personality! This is exactly what happens
to people taking a career test by the Department of Labor
called the O*NET Interest Profiler. How do we know this?
It is what their research shows (List of studies).
Can you
imagine how those Enterprising people feel when they take
the Profiler and they are told that they should consider
Artistic careers? What happens if they actually follow
the Profiler's direction and choose to enter an Artistic
career or training program?
Unfortunately,
the Internet is loaded with measures like this. They go
by a variety of names, like: sorter, finder, quiz, and
survey. They are also a part of web-based career guidance
systems sold to schools and other organizations.
Valid
career measures are the result of scientific study. The
results of these studies are reported in scientific journals
and a professional manual for the test. This takes time
and money. But all of this is ignored in the rush to profit
on the Internet.
What
can you do?
- Check to see if there
is a professional manual, like The
Career Key. That is usually a good sign. If they
don't, avoid using it.
- Are you in a school,
college, business, or library that subscribes to a web-based
career guidance system? If so, ask the
person in charge
if the career measure meets professional standards
for validity and reliability. Many do not. Unfortunately,
some educators do not consider it important even though
their professional standards require it.
- Be wary of endorsements
by professional organizations or links from their web pages.
Unfortunately, they are often unreliable.
- Keep
in mind that no test can tell you what to do. They
can help you:
- Learn
about yourself,
- Identify
promising careers,
businesses, and educational programs,
- Learn
more about your options.
- They
are a helpful aid to making
a good decision:
- Considering
all your alternatives,
- Studying
the pros and cons of each,
- Seeking
information about
yourself and your
options, and making plans.
- Seek the help of a professional
career counselor. Schools and college have professionally
trained counselors, as do many agencies. There are
also many excellent career counselors in private practice.
Getting professional help is a wise investment.
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