New Year, New Career 2018

Posted on January 1, 2014October 26, 2026 by Marjorie Wall Hofer, M.Ed., PCC, PCM

Historical article. The dates, pay figures and employment projections below reflect the article’s original sources. For current occupational information, consult the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Outlook Handbook.

New Year? New Career!

The New Year is a time for new beginnings, and a new career is one of those very important new beginnings. Every New Year, people like yourself seek a new job. It’s a great time to take advantage of trying new things, changing something you don’t like, and getting into a career that will make you happy and successful.

Looking for a New Career in the New Year

There are a host of reasons why someone looks for a new job. Are you fearful of the eventual demise of your company or career field? Maybe you need more benefits for a growing family, or more flexibility to manage other responsibilities. Send us a tweet to let us know why you are looking.

Whatever your reason may be, there are important factors to consider when seeking a different career. In this New Year, New Career series, we’ll unpack these factors as well as explore two sources of information: career tests and career lists.

The Four Part Series:

New Year, New Career 2018: Factors to Consider. This covers the 5 things to take into account when trying to find and select a career.
New Year New Career 2018: Top 5 Industries with the Fastest Growing New Jobs. These industries are projected to grow the fastest this year. That means you have a better chance of getting and keeping your new job!
New Year, New Career 2018: Best Careers for Introverts! We see you introverts! You’re looking for a new job in the new year, too. Here are some great jobs that you can do from home or with minimal human interaction
New Year, New Career: 10 Fastest Growing Jobs with Lowest Education Requirements. If you’re hoping to find a new career but only have a high school diploma, don’t worry! These jobs are not only growing fast, they don’t require college education.

These blogs will help you get a jump start on your new year! You can apply these principles any time you’re looking for a new job. If you want help on your new job search, get in touch with The Career Profiler today!

By Marjorie Wall Hofer, M.Ed., PCC, PCM. Learn more at TheCareerProfiler.com

The Hidden Reason Employees Quit

Posted on December 3, 2013October 26, 2026 by Marjorie Wall Hofer, M.Ed., PCC, PCM

Today’s average employee stays at the job a mere 1.5 years, according to recent Department of Labor statistic. Are managers doing that bad a job of engaging and retaining their people? Is this rate of turnover simply the new norm? Is it due to an increase in carer dissatisfaction?

Job dissatisfaction causes workers to quit job

There are hundreds of books about the causes of career dissatisfaction, yet a whopping 89% of managers still think low pay is the reason most employees quit. The facts are hidden from the people who need them most. In reality, 88% of voluntary employee turnovers are the result of something other than money, according to data from the Saratoga Institute.

There are plenty of suggestions as to why employees feel discontent and then quit. It’s a lack of coaching and feedback. The workplace and job weren’t what the employee expected. There aren’t enough advancement opportunities. Workers don’t feel valued. There’s too much stress. These can all be a part of dissatisfaction, but they do not help us find the solution to the problem.

The Solution

Managers and employees aren’t trained to recognize the real causes of career dissatisfaction or satisfaction. It can be hard to see the simple fact that the reason for turnover is that the wrong people are being hired in the first place. Managers look for people with the skills that make them right for the job, when what is actually most important is finding workers with the innate abilities that make them suitable for the job.

In other words, if the job requires climbing trees, you need to hire a monkey, not a goose. You can train the goose all you want, but the monkey is going to do a better and faster job every time. Not only that, but the monkey will love the job and therefore stay. The goose will definitely have some career dissatisfaction. But how do you find who’s a monkey and who’s a goose? It all comes down to ability-based career profiling.

Everyone has abilities that they were born with. The secret of ability-based career profiling is matching those abilities with the job that makes the most out of them. An abilities test takes the innate abilities of a person and creates a list of most suitable jobs. Oftentimes, these tests find subtle differences that turn into major outcomes.

For example, two people may have the innate ability to be good engineers, but only one of them is a generalist and extrovert. If you promote the wrong one, you may be removing your best engineer from the job and putting them in a position where they feel uncomfortable and incompetent. Choosing the right candidate, however, can take a merely competent engineer into a career where they really excel. This doesn’t mean one is objectively better than the other; they simply have a different array of natural talents that make them more fit for certain jobs. If a manager (and the employee) understand this, great work will be done efficiently, effectively, and produce career happiness!

Abilities Tests

Ability-based career profiling goes way beyond asking employees what they like to do. That’s simply a survey on which a person could lie or give an inaccurate answer. The great thing about ability-based career profiles is that they don’t lie. Through these tests, an employee’s true talents come out.

Don’t ignore the single most important factor in employee job satisfaction. Good employers want to build a great talent pool, and they know it all begins with selecting the right person in the first place. You can try to train the goose to climb, or you can let ability testing find the monkey.

Are you feeling the affects of career dissatisfaction? If you want to find out which career will allow you to excel and be happy, then check out our ability-based career tests. Finally, for questions or comments, feel free to get in touch with The Career Profiler!

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Know Your Aptitudes for Career Success and Happiness

Posted on December 3, 2013October 28, 2026 by Marjorie Wall Hofer, M.Ed., PCC, PCM

Reviewed October 28, 2026

You can do a job well and still want a different career. Natural abilities help you perform the work, and using them may meet important internal needs. But your interests, preferred work style and external requirements also need attention.

Career profiling brings those factors together so you will know the careers in which you can achieve success and satisfaction. The question is bigger than “What am I good at?” It is also “What work do I want to do, how do I want to do it, and what must it provide in my life?”

Ability is one part of career fit

A natural ability is different from an interest or a learned skill. Someone can reason readily about three-dimensional objects without wanting a career devoted primarily to machinery or structures. Someone else may be interested in mechanics but still need training to develop the skills.

The Highlands approach considers ability patterns alongside other dimensions of a person’s life. In my consultations, I bring your assessment findings together with your experience, priorities and circumstances.

Four parts of that discussion are:

Abilities and internal needs: What comes naturally, and which abilities need opportunities for expression?
Interests: Which activities, subjects and purposes engage you?
Work style: How do you prefer to approach information, decisions, responsibilities and people?
External needs: What income, schedule, location, training route and other conditions must the work provide?

A capable engineer with different interests

I met a woman who had been recruited by a defense contractor soon after college. Her strong spatial abilities had helped make her attractive for the work. Yet working primarily with things did not engage her in the way working with people did. Her deep interest was sports medicine.

Returning to college for another degree did not feel feasible to her. She moved instead into a more people-oriented position within the company.

The lesson is not that her abilities were wrong for the technical work. Her interests and practical circumstances were pointing toward a different use of her strengths. A suitable next step needed to account for all of them.

A student whose interests pointed elsewhere

Another young woman with strong spatial abilities attracted interest from a highly selective college’s engineering program. Engineering was an opportunity others could see for her. Her own deep interest, however, was clinical psychology.

Her faith also mattered to her choice of college. She chose a faith-based institution where she could begin a path toward doctoral study in psychology.

Her spatial strengths did not disappear because she chose another direction. They simply did not decide the whole question. Her interests, values and educational setting were essential parts of the decision.

These examples are drawn from people I met; identifying details have been kept general.

Why using an ability may still leave a gap

Certain abilities can be experienced as needs for expression. A person may find an outlet for those abilities in a technically suitable job and still feel that something important is missing: the subject does not interest them, the work style is uncomfortable, or the conditions do not meet their needs.

For example, a role might use your problem-solving strengths while giving you little contact with people you want to help. Another might involve work you enjoy but a schedule you cannot sustain. Performing successfully is important; it does not answer every question about satisfaction.

Read how driving abilities need expression for that part of the picture, and how to develop the skills associated with your abilities for the preparation involved.

Use your profile to choose a direction

Your profile package can examine ability patterns, interests and personality factors, depending on what you select. Different assessments and reports contribute different information; no single score replaces the combined discussion.

During the debriefs, I get to know who you are, what you do best and what you need from work. We connect the findings with the circumstances that affect your choice. For the fuller process, see Find a Career That Achieves Satisfaction.

Find My Profile Package to compare assessment coverage and debrief formats. First, buy and complete the package you choose. Decide your next step at the final profile consultation. If you want to continue with Targeting or Landing, those phases involve coaching sessions with me; we agree on the plan and scope of that further work.

The Career Profiler owns TestEts. When you come through this website, Marjorie Wall Hofer is your consultant. Each assessment in your selected package includes consultation, using its available video-plus-consultation or consultations-only format. If you have questions before choosing, request a free 30-minute introductory consultation.

Career Satisfaction Tests

Posted on July 26, 2013October 28, 2026 by Marjorie Wall Hofer, M.Ed., PCC, PCM

Reviewed October 28, 2026

Career satisfaction assessments identify what you need at work to be happy. They examine the activities that interest you, the abilities you need opportunities to use, and the personality factors that shape how you approach work. Consultation brings those findings together with your external needs and circumstances.

Through your completed profile and consultations, you will know the careers in which you can achieve success and satisfaction—and what those careers need to offer you.

What do satisfaction assessments measure?

“Career satisfaction assessments” describes the purpose of this profiling approach. It is not the name of one test that measures everything about your happiness. Different assessments reveal different parts of what makes work satisfying for you.

On a narrow screen, scroll across the chart.

The information that forms your satisfaction profile
Part of the profile	What it contributes	Question to answer
Interests	The activities and subjects that attract and engage you.	What do I want my work to involve?
Natural abilities and internal needs	Highlands ability patterns, interpreted in terms of the activities and contributions you need to express.	What do I need opportunities to use and contribute?
Personality factors	Your preferred ways of approaching work, information, decisions and interaction.	How do I prefer to work?
External needs and circumstances	Requirements such as income, schedule, location, responsibilities and access to training, explored through consultation.	What must a career or job provide in my life?

Interests: what draws you in

An interest assessment helps identify the kinds of activities you enjoy. The Strong Interest Inventory connects interest patterns with occupations and educational pathways. Available reports depend on the version and package you choose.

Interest and ability answer different questions. Enjoying an activity does not tell you everything about your ability to perform it, the skills you have developed or the working conditions you need. Read Career Interest Tests: How to Choose for the comparison.

Highlands: abilities that need expression

The Highlands Ability Battery uses timed performance tasks to explore natural abilities. In this profiling approach, Marjorie interprets your pattern to identify the abilities you need opportunities to use and how they contribute to satisfying work.

This is more specific than listing things you are good at. You may have developed a skill while still wanting a different kind of work. The Highlands explanation of abilities in context distinguishes aptitudes from learned skills and considers their place alongside other parts of a person’s life.

Personality: how you approach work

Personality findings add another dimension: how you prefer to gather information, make decisions, engage with people and organize your approach. The MBTI publisher distinguishes personality preferences from skills and abilities. A preference does not make a career off-limits.

Different reports apply personality findings to career exploration, relationships, leadership or development. The report should serve your goal rather than simply give you a type label.

Consultation: fit the work to your life

A satisfying career also needs to work in your circumstances. A report cannot discuss the income you require, the responsibilities you carry or the trade-offs you are prepared to make. Those external needs are addressed through consultation with Marjorie Wall Hofer.

For example, someone may need both complex problem-solving work and a predictable schedule. Knowing the first requirement helps identify suitable careers; understanding the second helps select the role and setting. The consultation connects the two.

Choose your profile package

Find My Profile Package to compare assessment coverage, reports and debrief formats. Packages vary; not every package includes every assessment described here. Current prices and specific inclusions appear on the linked TestEts product pages.

The Career Profiler owns TestEts. Clients coming through this website work with Marjorie. Each assessment in the chosen package includes consultation, either through the available video-plus-consultation format or consultations alone.

First, buy and complete your chosen profile package. Decide your next step at the final profile consultation. If you choose Targeting or Landing, the next phase involves coaching sessions with Marjorie. Read the process of finding a satisfying career, or request a free 30-minute introductory consultation to clarify your questions.

Find a Career That Achieves Satisfaction

Posted on July 26, 2013October 28, 2026 by Marjorie Wall Hofer, M.Ed., PCC, PCM

Reviewed October 28, 2026

Finding a career that achieves satisfaction is a process. It starts with assessments selected to identify your interests, the abilities you need to use and the personality factors that shape how you approach work. Consultation connects those findings with your external needs and circumstances.

Through your completed profile and consultations, you will know the careers in which you can achieve success and satisfaction—and what those careers need to offer you. The next task is to use that knowledge in choosing your direction and moving toward it.

1. Choose and complete your profile package

Begin with the goal you want to reach: career direction, college and career choices, leadership or another development need. Compare the assessment coverage, reports and debrief formats on Find My Profile Package, then buy and complete the package you choose.

The assessments are completed online. Packages differ, so check the actual product inclusions rather than assuming every package contains the same tests or reports. Current prices are shown on the linked TestEts product pages.

2. Identify what satisfaction requires

The assessments provide different kinds of information:

Interests: The subjects and activities that engage you.
Internal needs: The abilities and contributions you need opportunities to express, explored through Highlands ability patterns and interpretation.
Personality factors: Your preferred approach to the work, including information, decisions and interaction.

The point is to understand what you need from work, rather than choose a career from one isolated score. Career Satisfaction Tests explains what each assessment contributes and why a package brings different perspectives together.

3. Interpret the findings with Marjorie

During each debrief, Marjorie Wall Hofer gets to know who you are, what you do best and how the findings apply to your goal. Bring examples of work you enjoy, work that drains you and results you want to question.

Each assessment in your selected package includes consultation. In packages offering video + consultation, work through step-by-step interpretation before a comprehensive consultation. In consultations-only packages, debrief the results directly with Marjorie. See what happens in a career test consultation.

4. Include the life your work must support

External needs and circumstances require a conversation. Discuss the income you need, your schedule and location, family or other responsibilities, available training time and the changes you are prepared to make.

Some requirements are firm; others are preferences or can change over time. The consultation helps you identify which are which and how they affect the careers, roles and settings you consider.

Illustrative example: You may want work that combines analysis and helping people, while also needing to stay in your current location. The process is to identify suitable careers, then investigate which roles and employers offer the activities and conditions you need. A career title alone does not answer both questions.

5. Decide your next step

Decide your next step at the final profile consultation. Review the combined findings, your satisfaction requirements and the direction you want to pursue. You and Marjorie can then create a coaching plan for the goal you choose.

Targeting and Landing are possible next phases. Both require coaching sessions with Marjorie. Agree on the scope of that further work and what is included; continuing coaching is not automatically part of every profiling package.

If you are unsure whether you need a different career or a different job within your field, start with Career Satisfaction vs. Job Satisfaction. That distinction helps you decide what kind of change to investigate.

Start with your profile

The Career Profiler owns TestEts. When you come through this website, Marjorie Wall Hofer is your consultant. Your first step is to buy and complete the profile package of your choice.

If you have questions before choosing, request a free 30-minute introductory consultation. This clarifies the process and package choices; it is separate from the assessment debriefs included in your paid package.

Career Dissatisfaction or Job Dissatisfaction?

Posted on July 26, 2013October 28, 2026 by Marjorie Wall Hofer, M.Ed., PCC, PCM

Reviewed October 28, 2026

If work is leaving you dissatisfied, identify what needs to change before choosing a new direction. Is it the work itself, the way your job is organized, the workplace—or a combination? The answer determines whether to investigate a different career, a different role or changes within your present job.

The career-versus-job satisfaction comparison explains the distinction. Here is a practical way to apply it. These questions are a coaching reflection tool, not a scored diagnostic assessment.

1. Name the activities that matter

Think about specific work, rather than rating your whole job as good or bad. What were you doing during a satisfying part of your week? What were you doing during a frustrating part?

Which activities interest you enough that you want more of them?
Which abilities do you have little opportunity to use?
Which responsibilities fit the way you prefer to work?
What would you stop doing, even if the employer or pay changed?

If the core activities are the problem, another employer offering the same work may leave that need unmet. If you enjoy those activities but rarely get to do them, the issue may be your particular role.

2. Identify the conditions you need

List the external requirements that affect whether a job works in your life: income, hours, location, responsibilities, available training time and the working relationships or resources you need.

Separate firm requirements from preferences and from conditions you could negotiate. Also identify when an external condition prevents an internal need from being met—for example, a job organized around constant interruptions when you need time to investigate a problem thoroughly.

3. Test what a change would solve

Use concrete examples to explore the possibilities:

“I enjoy the work, but the schedule no longer fits.” Investigate scheduling, role or employer options before assuming you need a new profession.
“I like the people, but the daily tasks do not engage me.” Explore whether a different role could provide the work you need, or whether a new direction is appropriate.
“I keep changing employers and meeting the same frustration.” Examine whether the repeated duties leave the same interests or abilities unused.
“Both the work and the conditions are wrong for me.” Address both in the plan, rather than expecting one change to resolve everything.

These are illustrative situations, not conclusions about your own job. Discuss the evidence, options and practical consequences before committing to a move. A useful plan may begin with a conversation about responsibilities, an internal opportunity or research into another career.

4. Connect your profile with the decision

Satisfaction assessments identify what you need from work through interests, Highlands ability patterns and personality factors, according to your package. Consultation with Marjorie Wall Hofer adds the circumstances that a report cannot discuss with you.

Bring your examples and requirements to the debrief. Together, you can connect the profile with the actual duties and conditions you want, then identify what to investigate or change.

Start with what career satisfaction assessments reveal, or follow the process of finding a satisfying career.

Make the next move specific

A new job search should use what you have learned: which activities you want, which needs must be met and what questions to ask about a role. The job title, an attractive description or a stronger resume does not establish that an employer will provide those conditions.

If you begin with The Career Profiler, first buy and complete your chosen profile package. Decide your next step at the final profile consultation. If Targeting or Landing is the appropriate next phase, both involve coaching sessions with Marjorie. Discuss the scope and purchase of that further work as you create the plan.

Find My Profile Package to compare the options. The Career Profiler owns TestEts, and Marjorie is the consultant for clients coming through this website. Each assessment in your selected package includes consultation. A separate free 30-minute introductory consultation clarifies the process and package choices before buying.

Career Satisfaction vs. Job Satisfaction

Posted on July 26, 2013October 28, 2026 by Marjorie Wall Hofer, M.Ed., PCC, PCM

Reviewed October 28, 2026

Career satisfaction concerns the kind of work you do and how it fits your interests, internal needs and approach to work. Job satisfaction concerns how a particular role and workplace meet your needs. You can enjoy your profession and dislike your current job, or appreciate your employer while wanting a different kind of work.

These are useful distinctions for a career consultation, rather than two completely separate categories. The tasks you perform, the opportunities to use your abilities and the conditions around you can affect both.

Compare the source of satisfaction

On a narrow screen, scroll across the chart.

Work that fits you and a job that supports it
Consider	Career satisfaction	Job satisfaction
Main question	Is this the kind of work I want and need to do?	Does this particular job provide the tasks and conditions I need?
What to examine	Interests, opportunities to use natural abilities, personality factors and the responsibilities of the work.	Actual duties, autonomy, relationships, pay, schedule, location and other requirements.
A useful clue	The core activities remain unsatisfying across different employers or settings.	You enjoy the core work, but particular duties or working conditions are the problem.
Change to investigate	A different specialization, work role or career direction.	Adjusted responsibilities, a different team, another role or another employer.

The same title can hide different work

Illustrative example: Two people may hold the same management title. One spends most of the day developing people and solving new problems; the other spends it monitoring routine reports. If you need a particular kind of contribution, the title does not tell you whether the job will provide it.

Likewise, moving to a supportive employer will not necessarily solve a mismatch with the core work. And changing careers may be unnecessary if what you need is a different schedule, greater autonomy or a role that uses your abilities more fully.

Separate internal and external needs

Assessment findings help clarify your interests, ability-related needs and preferred approach to work. Consultation is where those findings are connected with your circumstances and the job itself.

Income, location, family responsibilities, training requirements and other practical considerations need to be discussed alongside your profile. Some concerns involve both the work and the setting, so there may be more than one change to consider.

Read Career Satisfaction Tests for what the assessments reveal, and the process of finding a satisfying career for how consultation brings the information together.

Use the distinction to choose your next step

Before making a change, identify the activities you want to keep, the needs that are not being met and the conditions you want to change. For practical questions and examples, continue to Career Dissatisfaction or Job Dissatisfaction?

If you want a fuller understanding of the work that fits you, Find My Profile Package. First, buy and complete your chosen package, including the assessment debriefs. Decide your next step at the final profile consultation. Targeting or Landing coaching can then be discussed with Marjorie Wall Hofer.

The Career Profiler owns TestEts. Clients coming through this website work with Marjorie; each assessment in their selected profile package includes consultation. You can request a free 30-minute introductory consultation to clarify the process before choosing a package.

Best Careers for Women in Satisfaction and Pay

Posted on February 24, 2012October 26, 2026 by Marjorie Wall Hofer, M.Ed., PCC, PCM

Most Satisfying, Top Paying, and Best Careers for Women

What is the best career for women? Which is the most satisfying career for women? What career pays women the most?

According to Forbes, teaching is the most satisfying job for women. As a chief executive or a medical professional, a woman can earn the highest pay – up to $165,000 and $130,00 respectively. Currently, almost half of all business are started by women. There is even more data that you can find at Best Careers for Women. These are all good questions and interesting facts… but what about the best career for you?

What about you? If you had to choose a new career for yourself, which one would you choose? What is the best career for you as one of many women?

Post your answer at my Facebook page and LIKE the page to receive a 33% discount coupon to use at www.TestEts on any career test or career profile package for yourself. If you have no idea what your dream career is, I’m still here to help! Fill out the form below to get into touch with me and we can work on finding the career that will make you most happy and successful!

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Career Personality and Career Personality Tests: part 6A

Posted on January 6, 2012October 26, 2026 by Marjorie Wall Hofer, M.Ed., PCC, PCM

Part 6a: Career Personality Tests use Subjective Assessments

All true career personality tests use subjective measures to assess the relevant factors. But when choosing such a test, it’s important to keep these things in mind.

Career Personality Test Limitations

Career Personality Tests have Limitations to Know About

Career Personality Tests use Subjective Measurements to Extrapolate Career Test Results

Of course, there is no perfect career personality test. But there are an awful lot of great ones, and taking a few can give you the best idea of what career fits you. When taking a career personality test, keep these limitations in mind so that you can get the most accurate results.

Gut Response

First of all, for a career tests to be based on subjective measurements means that results are based on what you “think” or deem to be the correct answer. Your response could be a guess, but it should be more like a “gut” response. In other words, the answer to a question on the test should result from your first impression to it. You’ll probably get the best result if you just allow your automatic gut reaction to take control.

Language

Secondly, career personality tests provide word-based options from which to select your answer. In other words, the subjective test is based solely on words or language. This means the confines of our language will shape your results. It’s best to think of the answer you choose according to its common meaning in order to get the most accurate results.

Another way to understand the impact of language in subjective measurements is to consider the following example. If I say the word “black,” what pops up in your head immediately? This may seem like a simple question to you. Well, over the past 15 years, I have received 39 different responses to this word including Halloween, blue collar worker, night, and white. The most common answer is white. Therefore, if a career personality test includes a question about “black” as part of their career test, the answer “white” would be one of the multiple choices answers. If you don’t think of “black” in terms of “white” you might have either a difficult time selecting from the answer options or you might attribute a different understanding to the word altogether. As you can see, your personal understanding of a word is, therefore, critical to producing accurate results on any career personality test.

Career Test Confustion occurs when you have not had enough opportunities to discover who you are

Opportunities

Thirdly, career tests are impacted by the opportunities you have had to know yourself. For instance, if you are a young adult who grew up in a household where your parents determined your activities, you watched a lot of TV, held no prior jobs, and engaged in no volunteer activities, you likely will not have had enough opportunities to know your personal responses to various situation. You probably don’t know your interests in a variety of categories that would determine accurate test results. This makes it very difficult to know how to respond to a question. An inaccurate answer could yield inaccurate results. While this is an extreme example, it is relevant for our society today. Many young adults have their lives so programmed by their parents, lack of self-knowledge is one of the unintended consequences of their good intentions.

There are more subtle examples of the lack of opportunities to know oneself. Most, if not all, career test takers are “stumped” by at least a couple of questions. Rather than react to it as they should, these test takers then ponder the question for to long, which can lead to inaccuracies. Bottom-line, the greater your personal self-knowledge,
the better and more accurate your career personality test results.

Purposeful Manipulation

Fourthly, tests can be manipulated. In other words, you might be taking a career personality test as part of work team and know that the result of your career test will be shared with the group. In this situation it might be tempting to answer according to what you want your coworkers to think of you. You have thereby skewed the results of your career tests and the career test results are not accurate.

Chance

Finally, the factor of chance plays a role in every career test. For instance, if you take a career personality test on a “bad hair day,” subsequently you will likely receive “bad hair day” results. The way you feel one day might change the results slightly compared to another day.

But don’t worry! Even though these limitations are part of every test, this does not mean your results will be dangerously inaccurate. The most well-researched tests have these limitations factored into the results.

Another Thing to Remember

Which career personality tests are the most susceptible to these limitations? The Myers Briggs is probably the most susceptible, but that doesn’t mean that it’s not a useful, reliable, or valid tool. Because it is! The publishers have recognized its susceptibilities and published a “test the test” process that I’ve been using with clients for years.

If ever you have taken a career personality test and questioned the accuracy of your results, please contact me or another career test expert to review the results with you. I can help you determine the inaccuracy and come up with an alternative solution to taking the test again. Or, you can simply retake the test at www.testets.com. Always remember, after taking a career test, get a career test consultation. This helps you understand your results, applications in real-life working situations, and brief descriptions and examples of your occupational matches. I can walk through your results with you and start on a plan to grab your career by the horns.

Still Have Questions…?

Given all of these limitations . . . Why would you want to take a career personality test at all? Starting to second guess your old Myers Briggs results? Wondering which career personality tests produce the most accurate results? These questions, the limitations, and reasons to take a test anyway, will be presented in the next blog (part 6b). Stay tuned.

Career Personality and Career Personality Tests: part 6

Posted on January 4, 2012October 26, 2026 by Marjorie Wall Hofer, M.Ed., PCC, PCM

Part 6: Career Personality Tests use Subjective
Assessments

All true career personality tests measure your personality using a subjective career questionnaire. This means that you choose an answer (usually one word) to describe an occupation, activity, or object. Then, rapidly interpret the meanings and select one of them based on your “gut” response. The Myers Briggs offers two options from which to choose from, whereas the Strong Interest Inventory offers either 3 or 5 choices on a continuum. The DISC is unusual in that it requires you to make a “least like” and a “most like” among four options.

If you are interested in these types of tests, you’ll find descriptions and samples at www.testets.com