Chapter 11 Career and Employment Testing Robert J. Drummond and Karyn Dayle Jones Assessment Procedures for Counselors and Helping Professionals, 6 th edition Copyright ©2006 by Pearson Education, Inc. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey All rights reserved.

Interest Inventories Interest defined: Attitude To give selective attention to something An attitude or feeling that an object or event makes a difference or is of concern to oneself Robert J. Drummond and Karyn Dayle Jones Assessment Procedures for Counselors and Helping Professionals, 6 th edition Copyright ©2006 by Pearson Education, Inc. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey All rights reserved.

Techniques to Measure Interests Interest inventories have been used in the helping professions for over half a century. E. K. Strong published his first version of the Strong Interest Blank in 1927, and it is still widely used in the field today. Robert J. Drummond and Karyn Dayle Jones Assessment Procedures for Counselors and Helping Professionals, 6 th edition Copyright ©2006 by Pearson Education, Inc. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey All rights reserved.

Types of Interest Inventories Checklists Structured and unstructured interviews Questionnaires Informal and standardized inventories Robert J. Drummond and Karyn Dayle Jones Assessment Procedures for Counselors and Helping Professionals, 6 th edition Copyright ©2006 by Pearson Education, Inc. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey All rights reserved.

Self-Directed Search The Self-Directed Search (SDS) is one of the most widely used interest inventories First published in 1971 and has gone through a number of revisions Between the ages of 15 and 70 in need of career guidance Occupational Finder: occupations are coded by letter to indicate which of Holland’s personality types they represent—realistic, investigative, artistic, social, enterprising, or conventional Robert J. Drummond and Karyn Dayle Jones Assessment Procedures for Counselors and Helping Professionals, 6 th edition Copyright ©2006 by Pearson Education, Inc. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey All rights reserved.

Strong Interest Inventory Designed to: 1.help individuals make educational choices 2.introduce lifestyle issues for exploration as possible career enhancements 3.stimulate discussions among counselors, students, and parents 4.identify shared interests with people successfully employed in an occupation 5.identify careers to explore for possible mid-career change 6.help identify an interest in management 7.help counselors understand an employee’s job satisfaction or dissatisfaction 8.aid in retirement planning Robert J. Drummond and Karyn Dayle Jones Assessment Procedures for Counselors and Helping Professionals, 6 th edition Copyright ©2006 by Pearson Education, Inc. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey All rights reserved.

Strong Interest Inventory Six general occupational themes (Holland’s six personality types, also called RIASEC): 1.Realistic 2.Investigative 3.Artistic 4.Social 5.Enterprising 6.Conventional Robert J. Drummond and Karyn Dayle Jones Assessment Procedures for Counselors and Helping Professionals, 6 th edition Copyright ©2006 by Pearson Education, Inc. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey All rights reserved.

Career Occupational Preference System (COPSystem) Part 1: Measure interests and presents a profile in 14 areas: 1.Science, Professional 2.Science, Skilled 3.Technology, Professional 4.Technology, Skilled 5.Consumer Economics 6.Outdoor 7.Business, Professional 8.Business, Skilled 9.Clerical 10.Communication 11.Arts, Professional 12.Arts, Skilled 13.Service, Professional 14.Service, Skilled Robert J. Drummond and Karyn Dayle Jones Assessment Procedures for Counselors and Helping Professionals, 6 th edition Copyright ©2006 by Pearson Education, Inc. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey All rights reserved.

Robert J. Drummond and Karyn Dayle Jones Assessment Procedures for Counselors and Helping Professionals, 6 th edition Copyright ©2006 by Pearson Education, Inc. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey All rights reserved.

COPSystem Part 2: Aptitude test (CAPS). Includes eight 5-minute subtests: 1.mechanical reasoning 2.spatial relations 3.verbal reasoning 4.numerical ability 5.language usage 6.word knowledge 7.perceptual speed and accuracy 8.manual speed and dexterity Robert J. Drummond and Karyn Dayle Jones Assessment Procedures for Counselors and Helping Professionals, 6 th edition Copyright ©2006 by Pearson Education, Inc. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey All rights reserved.

COPSystem Part 3: Measures work values (COPES) with eight scales: 1.accepting/investigative 2.carefree/practical 3.conformity/independence 4.supportive/leadership 5.noncompulsive/orderliness 6.privacy/recognition 7.realistic/aesthetic 8.self-concern/social Robert J. Drummond and Karyn Dayle Jones Assessment Procedures for Counselors and Helping Professionals, 6 th edition Copyright ©2006 by Pearson Education, Inc. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey All rights reserved.

Values Values are an important dimension of personality, and value assessment is an important component of career guidance testing. Robert J. Drummond and Karyn Dayle Jones Assessment Procedures for Counselors and Helping Professionals, 6 th edition Copyright ©2006 by Pearson Education, Inc. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey All rights reserved.

Guidelines for Interpreting Interest Inventories 1.Scale titles should be translated into terms clients can understand. Clients may be confused by scale titles such as altruism and aesthetics. 2.Clients may be encouraged to plot their own scores and make profiles, identifying their own high and low scores. This is a type of ipsative interpretation, with clients making their own intraindividual comparisons. 3.Client profiles can be compared with norming groups and available vocational and educational groups. 4.If key items are identified by research, specific responses may be considered and discussed with the client. 5.The meaning of values and interests in work and career fields should be discussed. Robert J. Drummond and Karyn Dayle Jones Assessment Procedures for Counselors and Helping Professionals, 6 th edition Copyright ©2006 by Pearson Education, Inc. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey All rights reserved.

Employment Testing Tests are used in employment contexts for: placement decisions assignment to training programs promotion retention licensing certification Robert J. Drummond and Karyn Dayle Jones Assessment Procedures for Counselors and Helping Professionals, 6 th edition Copyright ©2006 by Pearson Education, Inc. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey All rights reserved.

Types of Employment Tests general aptitude cognitive ability clerical achievement spatial and mechanical abilities perceptual accuracy motor ability tests personality tests ( Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, the California Psychological Inventory, the Edwards Personal Preference Inventory) Robert J. Drummond and Karyn Dayle Jones Assessment Procedures for Counselors and Helping Professionals, 6 th edition Copyright ©2006 by Pearson Education, Inc. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey All rights reserved.

Personnel Selection and Classification Techniques Biographical Data Interviews Assessment Centers Job Analysis Using the MBTI in Organizations Personnel Selection Inventory Robert J. Drummond and Karyn Dayle Jones Assessment Procedures for Counselors and Helping Professionals, 6 th edition Copyright ©2006 by Pearson Education, Inc. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey All rights reserved.