What are tips for interpreting personality-based career assessment results?

1 Understand the purpose and limitations of the assessment

Before you dive into your results, it is important to understand what the assessment is designed to measure and what it is not. Personality-based career assessments are not tests that can tell you what you should or should not do, or how good or bad you are at something. They are tools that can help you explore your interests, values, skills, and traits, and how they relate to different work environments and roles. They can also help you identify areas of growth and development, as well as potential challenges and conflicts. However, they are not definitive or comprehensive, and they may not capture all the nuances and complexities of your personality or career. Therefore, you should use them as a starting point for self-reflection and research, not as a final answer or a rigid prescription.

2 Learn about the framework and terminology of the assessment

Different personality-based career assessments use different frameworks and terminology to describe your personality type and its implications for your career. For example, some assessments use the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI), which assigns you one of 16 personality types based on four dimensions: extraversion/introversion, sensing/intuition, thinking/feeling, and judging/perceiving. Other assessments use the Holland Code, which categorizes you into one of six personality types based on your interests: realistic, investigative, artistic, social, enterprising, or conventional. To interpret your results, you need to learn about the framework and terminology of the assessment you took, and what they mean for your career. You can do this by reading the report or feedback provided by the assessment, or by consulting other sources such as books, websites, or career counselors.

3 Compare and contrast your results with other sources of information

Your personality-based career assessment results are not the only source of information you can use to understand yourself and your career options. You can also compare and contrast them with other sources of information, such as your personal and professional experiences, your achievements and goals, your feedback and evaluations, your values and beliefs, and your passions and hobbies. By doing this, you can validate or challenge your results, and identify any gaps or inconsistencies. You can also discover new insights or perspectives that can enrich your understanding of your personality and career.

4 Explore the suggested career paths and options

One of the benefits of taking a personality-based career assessment is that it can suggest career paths and options that match your personality type. However, these suggestions are not exhaustive or exclusive, and they may not reflect your current situation or aspirations. Therefore, you should not take them at face value or limit yourself to them. Instead, you should explore them further by doing some research and networking. You can research the nature, requirements, and prospects of the suggested careers, and see how they align with your skills, qualifications, and goals. You can also network with people who work in those careers, and ask them about their experiences, challenges, and advice. By doing this, you can gain a deeper and more realistic understanding of the suggested careers, and decide if they are suitable and appealing for you.

5 Apply your results to your career development plan

Finally, you can use your personality-based career assessment results to inform and improve your career development plan. A career development plan is a document that outlines your short-term and long-term career goals, and the actions and resources you need to achieve them. You can use your results to refine your goals, identify your strengths and weaknesses, and determine your learning and development needs. You can also use them to explore new opportunities, expand your network, and enhance your personal brand. By applying your results to your career development plan, you can make it more relevant and effective for your personality and career.

6 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?