Career Tests are also known as psychometric tests. The word Psychometric comes from the Greek psycho- ‘of the mind’ and metric meaning ‘measuring’. The psychometric tests we use are scientifically engineered and validated multiple choice questionnaires. They are designed to help our career guidance counsellors understand who you are, so we can provide tailored careers advice for YOU. The psychometrics ask questions about your interests, feelings and preferences. Additionally, they measure your reasoning abilities (verbal, numerical, abstract, mechanical etc.). From the results, we gather a great deal of information about who you really are and, therefore, what career is right for you. We developed this process 60 years ago. It still works today!

Why do we use Career Tests?

At Career Analysts, our career advisors have a vast knowledge of what careers there are, what the requirements are for those careers and what the routes into those careers are. If we can find out who you are, then we can match you up with the right career for you. So, in order to find out about you, we use career tests.

Career tests are an integral part of our process at Career Analysts. We rely on them to help us understand you and what you represent as a human resource. They are in real depth. As standard, you will spend 5 hours completing these questionnaires before you receive careers advice here. You don’t need to do all 5 hours in one sitting – you can break them up into smaller parcels of about ½ hour each, but they will take about 5 hours in total.

However, the one-on-one career consultation is the really important part of the careers advice we offer. This is with a fully qualified and trained Occupational Psychologist. You will talk through your personal circumstances, desires and ambitions with her in detail. At the end, she will help you make the crucial decision about what career is right for you.

We provide career tests to:

• Teenagers, choosing their A-Levels or degree or selecting the right career for them.
• Those in their twenties who are starting work for the first time or changing career.
• People in their thirties or above, looking for a career change.

Which Career Tests do we use?

If you think about what makes you happy in your career, there are 5 very important factors that you need to consider.

• Interests – You should do something you really want to do. If you pursue a real interest or passion in your career, you are far more likely to enjoy your work and succeed.
• Personality – How do you normally respond and behave?
  Which career best suits your personality? What is the right kind of working environment for you?
• Values and Beliefs – Some people have strongly held beliefs which lead to satisfaction in particular careers; for others, their values and beliefs prevent them working in certain industries.
• Aptitudes – These are looking at your reasoning abilities:
  What are you good at?
  What are your strengths?
  What are your weaknesses?
  Which career path will value your talents, and which should you avoid?
• Practicality – Your career choice has to be practical for you:
  Do you have health issues that affect your career choice?
  Do you have family commitments that limit what career you can do?
  How far can you travel to work every day? Is homeworking the best option for you?
  How much money do you need to earn?

Do HR managers use the same tests when recruiting?

In order to choose the right career, you need to find something that interests you. You should be good at it, ensure that it suits your personality and is in line with your values. Recruiters know this too! They don’t want to re-advertise the position in 6 months because the candidate doesn’t fit. So, of course, they are testing for the same factors to find the best person for their vacancy.

The difference is that they have a specific job in mind and are looking for a ‘type’ of person to fill it. Our perspective is that we have a specific person in mind and are looking for a career path that matches that person. So, for them, it is the job that takes first place, while for us; YOU come first.

Why we employ Occupational Psychologists

To interpret the results of the career tests, you need a fully qualified Occupational Psychologist trained in their use. Career advisors come in many forms, but without these qualifications and in-depth training, they are not allowed to use the psychometric tests.

So, all of our career guidance counsellors have a minimum of 2 degrees. Firstly, a BSc in Psychology so that they are trained to interpret the results of the psychometric tests. Secondly, an MSc in Occupational Psychology. Here they learn about how organisations work, what the career paths are within them and what the requirements are for those careers. So, they get to understand you by using the psychometric tests. Then, they draw on their vast knowledge of possible career paths to match you to the best career for YOU.

At Career Analysts, we base our careers advice on the results of the career tests. Our purpose is to advise you on what is the right career path for YOU. Our career guidance is provided by highly trained career advisors – they are all fully qualified Occupational Psychologists. Because of the depth of our career tests and the qualifications and training of our career consultants, we believe that our careers advice service is the best in this country. That’s the reason we are still here, serving the third generation of families, after 60 years.

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