What is the Best Career Test to find your Dream Career? This is a great question, which has more than one answer. First of all, I don’t believe any single test in itself can determine which career you’ll be best at. This is ultimately what you will have to decide through a little soul searching, and career test taking. A few examples of career tests are Career Personality Tests, Career Aptitude Tests, and Career Interest Inventories.
Each career test does something slightly different…
• Career Personality Tests- Fits your personality style to careers known to blend in. For example, Cops are different than Artists.
• Career Aptitude Tests- Determines your aptitude and ability for doing certain careers. Example: Are you hands on with the tools, or a research on the computer guy?
• Career Interest Inventories- Reveal what careers you may have an interest in. Why not choose a career that you have an interest and passion for, like a hobby you love, or passionate special interest?
Although one test may not discover your dream career for you, a combination of tests will probably give you a few career ideas, and possibly help you get on the right track to finding your best career direction.
Probably, the best career test choice for those not knowing what it is they want to do is a Career Interest Inventory. This is a good first test to take. Once you find out what your career interests are, you can then take a Career Aptitude Test to see if you have the aptitude for doing those careers which interest you.
An Interest Inventory like the Strong ® will help sort out which careers may be interesting. This is not an aptitude test; it only inventories what things you are interested in as they relate to careers.
For example, an interest inventory may ask questions like…
• Do you like working inside or outdoors?
• Do you like working on your own, or with a group?
• Do you enjoy doing mechanical things with your hands like working with tools, or prefer doing research?
Consulting a licensed career counselor at your local community college can help you to choose the right career tests to take, create the right career path, and choose the right training and education to achieve your career goals.