Self-Assessment Tools
Following are some resources that may help you identify careers that could be right for you. For additional assistance, use Youthfutures to identify organizations that offer career guidance and career preparation services.
Four pilot high schools worked together with The Workforce Board of Northern Cook County to assemble this free web resource. This excellent site features connections to local employers, educational resources, and community-based organizations.
CareerZone
CareerZone website brings together multiple sources of career and employment information to make career exploration and planning for the future a little easier.
Illinois Career Resource Network - Countdown
What you like can lead to a career you love. Use this website to explore over 280 occupations.
The Riley Guide
The Riley Guide is a tremendous online resource for anyone seeking employment or career-related information.
CollegeJournal
This website can point to careers that might fit you and your interests and help you translate your education into a successful professional path.
What is Self-Assessment?
Self-assessment is a process by which you learn more about yourself -- what you like, what you don't like, and how you tend to react to certain situations. Knowing these things can help you determine which occupations and work situations could be a fit for you. You may recognize some of these tools if you ever worked with a career counselor or consultant.
Types of Assessments
There are many varieties of assessment tools, each measuring a particular facet of you, like your interests, skills, personality, and values. Self-assessment tools are either self-directed or require interpretive assistance.
Self-directed means the tool is designed so you can use it and review your results without a licensed or trained professional interpreting the results for you. Even though they do not require interpretation to read the results, you may still find you have questions. If that is the case, use Youthfutures to identify an organization that can help you better understand results of your assessment.
Tools requiring interpretive assistance mean your results will have to be discussed with a person licensed or trained in this particular tool to help you understand what the information is saying. The cost of the tool will include this interpretive assistance in some form.