Career and Leadership Development

What Is Career Assessment?

Some call it a test or a quiz, but a career assessment is a tool that can be used to help students make effective career decisions. Career assessments help students identify common career patterns related to interests, skills, values, decision-making styles, and personalities.

MYTHS about Career Assessments

  • A career assessment can tell me what major to choose and which career to pursue.
  • Career assessments are all the same.
  • Every career assessment has trustworthy and reliable results.
  • I took an assessment in high school. I don’t need to take another one.
  • All I need is a career assessment to help me discover my major and career.

FACTS about Career Assessments

  • A career assessment provides career options to consider and helps you narrow major or career options.
  • Different types of career assessments exist including those that assess your interests, values, skills, personality, and decision-making style.
  • Some career assessments have undergone years of research to provide consistent and reliable results.
  • Career planning should begin in high school and continue. Career options should be reevaluated as you mature.
  • Career assessments are just one tool to facilitate major and career decisions. Other tools include career counseling, career research, and professional experiences (volunteering, employment, internships, etc.)

Ultimately, YOU are the “career decision-maker.”

Career Assessments Currently Offered by Career & Leadership Development

Strong Interest Inventory

Measures one’s interest in occupations, work activities, leisure activities, and school subjects. Provides comprehensive report highlighting general areas of interest, preferences, and similarities to certain careers.

StrengthsQuest

Assesses strengths using 34 different themes. Includes report with information to help individuals use top strengths to enrich career, education, and many other areas of life.

Career Beliefs Inventory

Assesses career decision-making qualities and beliefs about the world of work.

FOCUS 2

Career planning system with assessments including work interests, personality, work skills, values, and leisure interests. Results display supporting majors at UW-Whitewater and correlating occupations. 

WISCareers

Career planning system with assessments including interest, work skills, and work values inventories.   

If you are a UW-Whitewater student or alum with questions about assessments or an interest in taking a career assessment that we offer, contact Jason Brown at BrownS@uww.edu.