The Role of Assessments in Career Planning

 This post will provide Brock University students an opportunity to identify their interest, which is an important component in career development. 

What are Career Assessments?

Career assessments are useful tools that help you gain self-knowledge about your strengths, interests, weaknesses, values, ambitions, passions etc. These assessments not only help you understand yourself better, but these insights are crucial to know when selecting a career path.

Tests such as TypeFocus, Career Cruising and Colour Code which can all be found on the CareerZone portal at careerzone.brocku.ca, often consists of subjective multiple-choice questions that evaluate your values, skills and personality traits. These matches are solely unique and based upon your responses. Thus, there are no right or wrong answers because at the end of the day, these assessments are purposed to provide prospective career options or personality traits that should be considered when finding careers suitable for yourself.

Importance of Career Assessments

Career or personality assessments are vital to career development and are an effective first step in planning your career or your career journey. The reason is, career assessments help you identify suitable situations that propel you in areas that lead to growth, while also identifying areas that you need to work on. This is important in developing effective strategies and specific efforts during your career journey, in order to build confidence in your approach to concrete and comprehensive details in your action plan.

When is it the Right Time to take a Career Assessment?

There is no right time to take a career assessment because over the course of career planning, skills and mindsets are prone to change as individuals become exposed to new experiences and opportunities. However, it is recommended that you take career assessments periodically to ensure that your skills, values, and interest may still align with your career goals.

Written By: Yaa Asare