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Chapter 8: Career and Occupational Assessment

Chapter 8: Career and Occupational Assessment. Interest Inventories Special Aptitude Multiple Aptitude Tests. Defining Career and Occupational Assessment. Career and occupational assessment can occur at any point in life--most critical at transition points .

Mercy
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Chapter 8: Career and Occupational Assessment

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  1. Chapter 8: Career and Occupational Assessment Interest Inventories Special Aptitude Multiple Aptitude Tests

  2. Defining Career and Occupational Assessment • Career and occupational assessment can occur at any point in life--most critical at transition points. • Counseling and assessment can help in this process. • Three kinds of assessment that can be helpful: • interest inventories • special aptitude tests • multiple aptitude tests

  3. Interest Inventories • Used to determine: • likes and dislikes of a person • personality orientation toward the world of work. • Many are good at predicting job satisfaction. • Three we will look at: • Strong Vocational Interest Inventory • Self-Directed Search (SDS) • Career Occupational Preference System Interest Inventory (COPS)

  4. Strong Interest Inventory • Developed as Strong Vocational Interest Blank in 1927 • For ages 16 and older, takes 35 to 40 • Five different interpretive scales or indexes: • General Occupational Themes • Basic Interest Scales • Occupational Scales • Personal Style Scales, and • The Total Response Index

  5. Strong: General Occupational Themes • Most commonly used score on the Strong • Offers three letter code based on Holland’s hexagon model (see Figure 8.1,p. 150; Box 8.1, p. 151) • Identifies top three Holland codes in hierarchical order

  6. Strong: Basic Interest Scale and The Occupational Scales • Basic Interest Scales (see Figure 8.2, pp. 152-153): • Shows top 5, and separately, top 25 broad interest areas. Relates them to Holland Code. • Uses T Scores • Occupational Scales (see Figure 8.2, p. 152): • Original basis of the 1927 Strong • Compares client’s interests to interests of same sex individuals who are satisfied in their jobs. • Lists 10 occupations to which client is most similar. • Separately compares client to 211 occupations (not in Figure 8.2) • The higher the T-Score, the more similar are one’s interests to those in the stated jobs.

  7. Strong: Personal Style Scales and Total Response Index • The Personal Style Scales • Gives estimate of client in certain activities: • work style (alone or with people) • learning environment (practical vs. academic) • leadership style (taking charge vs. letting others take charge) • risk taking-adventure (risk taker vs. non risk taker). • T-scores comparisons to men, women, or both. • The Total Response Index: • Percentage of client’s responses across all areas measured (e.g., school subjects, leisure activities). • Helpful if you suspect a response set. • Large percentage of indifferent or dislike scores can sometimes be an indication of depression or apathy.

  8. Strong: Normative and Test Worthiness Info • Can be mailed, software to use on work computer, or administered on Internet. • Norm data updated in 1992-1993 from over 55,000 people in 50 occupations. (More recent update may now be available) • Reliability from mid .60s to mid .90s for different subsections. • Evidence of concurrent validity of personality code with current jobs held. • Could use more predictive validity.

  9. Self-Directed Search (SDS) • Created by Holland--based on hexagon (Figure 8.1., p. 150) • Can be self administered, scored, and interpreted, but always good to have a counselor guide a client. • Primarily based on interests, but also includes self-estimates of competencies and ability. • Client obtains 3-letter Holland code

  10. Self-Directed Search (Cont’d) • Can cross-reference code with the 1300 occupations in “Occupations Finder” or 1200 occupations in Dictionary of Holland Occupational Codes. • Four forms for young adults through older adults. • Administered by booklet, on computer, or on Web. • Form R norms based on 2,602 people in 25 states. • Reliability coefficients range from the .80s to .90s. • Moderate correlation with job satisfaction.

  11. Career Occupational Preference System (COPS) • The three instruments measure interests, abilities, and values (Table 8.1, p. 155) • Career Occupational Preference System Interest Inventory (COPS). • Scores are related to a career cluster model used to guide the individual to a number of career areas (Figure 8.3, p. 156). • Career Ability Placement Survey (CAPS). • Measures abilities across 8 different dimensions related to career cluster (outer circle of Figure 8.3).

  12. COPS (Cont’d) • Career Orientation Placement and Evaluation Survey (COPES). • Assesses values important in occupational selection and job satisfaction. • Scales are based on eight dichotomous poles (Table 8.2, p. 157), which then are keyed to the career clusters in Figure 8.3

  13. Other Common Interest Inventories • Campbell Interest and Skill Survey (CISS) • SIGI PLUS: Computer based career self-assessment program primarily for high school and college students • Career Assessment Inventory (Uses Holland Code)

  14. Multiple Aptitude Testing • Measures several abilities. • Used to predict how an individual might perform in different jobs. • Often used in conjunction with interest inventories. • Usually used for career counseling. • Factor analysis often used with multiple aptitude tests to assure purity of the different subtests.

  15. Armed Services Multiple Aptitude Battery (ASVAB) • Most widely used multiple aptitude test. • Developed by military. • Eight “power tests”: • General Science 5. Mathematics Knowledge • Arithmetic Reasoning 6. Electronics Information • Word Knowledge, 7. Auto and Shop Information • Paragraph 8. Mechanical Comprehension Comprehension

  16. ASVAB (Cont’d) • Gives scores for the eight tests (See Box 8.2). • Also, gives 3 exploration (composite) scores in verbal skills, math skills, and science and technical skills. • Test often given by the military for free in HS. • Takes 170 minutes to take. • Reliability for tests and composite scores: .66 to .92. • Test does show moderate to strong predictions for success in military jobs. • Correlations ranging from .70 to .86 with the California Achievement Test.

  17. Differential Aptitude Test • For grades 7-12. • Measures students’ ability to learn and be successful in certain areas related to occupational skills. • Often administered/interpreted by school counselors. • Takes approximately 1.5 to 2.5 hours. • Eight separate tests that measure: verbal reasoning, numerical reasoning, abstract reasoning, perceptual speed and accuracy, mechanical reasoning, space relations, spelling, and language usage. • Also includes a Career Interest Inventory (CII) to examine interests in conjunction with ability.

  18. DAT (Cont’d) • Reliability of different tests range between 80 and .95. • Correlations with the DAT and several other major aptitude tests (ACT, ASVAB, SAT, and the California Achievement Test) ranged between .68 and .85 • Correlations with DAT scores and high school grades are sound. • Little data exists regarding predictive validity in job performance.

  19. Special Aptitude Testing • Measures a homogenous area of ability. • Used to predict success in a specific vocation. • Good for helping individuals decide if they might do well in a specific occupation or to help employers and schools make decisions about hiring/admitting. • Discuss: How is it to measure some special aptitudes like art, music? (See Figure 8.4, p. 163).

  20. Special Aptitude Testing • Some of the more population Special Aptitude Tests: • Clerical Test Battery • The Minnesota Clerical Assessment Battery • U.S. Postal Service’s 470 Battery Examination • Federal Clerical Exam • SkillsProfiler Series Mechanical Aptitude Test • Technical Test Battery • Wiesen Test of Mechanical Aptitude • Arco Mechanical Aptitude and Spatial Relations Tests • Bennett Test of Mechanical Comprehension • Music Aptitude Profile • Iowa Test of Music Literacy • Group Test of Musical Ability • Advanced Measures of Music Audiation.

  21. The Role of Helpers in Career and Occupational Assessment • These tests don’t require advance training • However, test examiners should have knowledge of testing and specific knowledge of these instruments.

  22. The Role of Helpers in Career and Occupational Assessment (Cont’d) • Examples of how helpers provide occupational and career assessment • Middle school counselors provide interest inventories to help students examine occupational likes and dislikes. • High school and college counselors provide interest inventories to help students think about occupational choices and make tentative choices about college major. • High school counselors orchestrate the administration of multiple aptitude tests and help interpret those tests • Private practice clinicians give interest inventories and aptitude tests to help clients examine what they’re good at and to guide clients into good occupational “fits.” • Even private businesses today can be found offering career and occupational assessment.

  23. Final Thoughts Concerning Occupational and Career Assessment • As with all testing, occupational and career assessment should not be done in a vacuum. • Understanding the complexities of one’s interests and abilities and eventual occupational choice is critical. • Clients make choices for such reasons as: • Psychodynamic reasons (e.g., parental influences), • Social pressures (e.g., racism, sexism, peer pressure), • Environmental concerns (e.g., the economy), and • Family issues (e.g., sibling rivalry). • Therefore, occupational and career decisions should be thoughtful and wise.

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