You've graduated and you're finally ready to start your career. Congratulations! You have many options available to you, so how do you know which one is best suited for your personality? That's where these 10 expert recommended career tests come in handy. They'll help narrow down the different aspects that make up a person's ideal job, and give you an idea of what careers are the most suitable for who you are.
One of the most important aspects that make up a person's ideal job is their specific personality. Personality, at its simplest definition, can be boiled down into four categories: Extroverted vs. introverted personalities; sensing vs. intuitive personalities; thinking mindsets vs. feeling mindsets; and judging vs. perceiving viewpoints.
Personality type may not seem like an aspect that makes up your perfect career, but people really enjoy doing things they're good at. The more you explore careers which align with your strengths and weaknesses in these areas, the better idea you'll have about what kind of work suits you best. As you explore different career paths, you'll be able to narrow down your options by having a better sense of the type of work that suits you best.
There are many ways to get detailed information about your strengths and weaknesses in these four categories, but one easy way is through "personality" testing sites like 'What's Your Personality Type?' The site has an online assessment which will give you more insight into who you really are as a person, and what types of careers might suit your strengths and weaknesses most.
The infographic below shows how different personality traits can combine with career paths to create various combinations that could be perfect for someone looking for their ideal job.
The best way to find what type of work is most suited for you is by exploring careers which match up closely with your strengths and weaknesses in these four areas (extroversion vs. introversion; sensing vs intuition; thinking mindset vs feeling mindset; and judging vs. perceiving) – so take a personality test today!
Once you have a rough idea of your personality, you can delve deeper into career tests to best measure interests and find jobs that are in sync with your skills and ambition. We've compiled 10 of the best career aptitude tests you can take online for free and a fee to get in-depth analysis, so you don't waste time applying for jobs that wouldn't be a good fit.
It’s important to find a career that suits your personality. Jobs can sometimes be taken for money or status, but should ideally offer the chance to let your personality flourish in pursuit of something you love.
123 Career Test is a five-to-ten minute survey to identify your career personality. This website will show you a variety of career paths, and you answer "yes" or "no" in regards to whether that path would be interesting. 123CareerTest is a site that helps determine which occupation best suit your personality types and recommends occupations that you may enjoy.
Cost: Free
In less than 10 minutes, this career personality test will provide more insight into how you interact with others. The online test evaluates how you would react to new developments and situations, your extroversion, self-discipline, and more. Furthermore, it can help you understand how to handle your job and co-workers.
Cost: Free for the basic report; US$19.95 for the full report
Princeton Review's career quiz is integral in finding out what you would like to do. 123 Career Test shows pictures, but Princeton Review's test offers phrases such as "I would rather be a tax lawyer" or "I would rather be a newspaper editor". If you prefer words to images, take this test instead.
The test consists of 24 questions, and at the end, you'll be assigned a colour based on how your personality type aligns with different possible career categories. While not as comprehensive as some of the other options on this list, these resources are useful if you’re looking for a direction to explore your interests.
Cost: Free
The MAPP (Motivational Appraisal Personal Potential) test will help determine your true calling by analysing which tasks you enjoy most, how you like to work with people just as much as data and things, and how you reason. Various packages are available for more in-depth results but the free sample offers a basic look at the top two trait preferences and suggests ten possible career paths.
Cost: Free sample; US$89.95 for the full results
Finding a perfect company match with your values can be difficult because you never know what they are or haven't had experience in that type of environment. MyPlan.com offers a free values assessment that can help you choose your best jobs. The tests assigns an individual to one of six clusters. From there, you are shown a list of 739 occupations that match your assigned cluster best. If you're unsure about what industry to pursue, this quiz can offer some useful insights.
Cost: Free Career Value Assessment; US$19.95 for the whole package
This test is the best way to discover what your ideal career is according to one of nine personality types: The reformer, the helper, the achiever, the individualist, the investigator, the loyalist, the enthusiast, the challenger, and the peacemaker. This will create a detailed profile that highlights strengths and weaknesses of nine types in your overall personality.
Understanding the type of personality you possess can not only help you relate better to your co-workers, but also clue you in on which characteristics are necessary for a fulfilling career and the challenges that may come as a result with it.
Cost: US$12
Navigating your career can be a difficult task, and it is hard to know what you are good at or which jobs will make you happiest. Some people find themselves wondering if they are on track in their field or if they should explore another opportunity.
The Johnson O’Connor Research Foundation has developed this career strengths tests based on skills such as numerical reasoning and concept organisation. The Career Strengths test, which Oprah herself endorses, is a collection of assessments that evaluates your strengths in these skills. The test can simplify your career search by narrowing down which of the many jobs to pursue.
Cost: Free
This career test, created by the US Department of Labor, is a tool that seeks to offer personalised job suggestions based on an individual's interests and level of work experience. This 60-question quiz will allow you to learn about six professional areas: Realistic, investigative, artistic, social, enterprising, and conventional.
It comes with a detailed explanation for each area along with several career options, thus helping you to define your interests with explanations on what each career requires. For example, if you were to fall under the 'realistic' area, you might like being a driver, and what you'd need is a driver's license.
Cost: Free
The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator is the most effective way to assess your preferences and suitability for a career you're considering. MBTI helps individuals understand their strengths and preferred working styles, which ultimately improves their ability to find the right profession.
This assessment can be used in a workplace setting to better understand the strengths and weaknesses of people who work for your company, as well as an individual context to help you understand your own personality traits. Though interests can point to jobs that fit well with certain styles or personality types, they also give insight on what kind of workplaces are best for those scores, as well as how one might interact most comfortably in an office environment.
Cost: US$49.95 for basic online report; US$175 for personal feedback
The test uses the RIASEC theory, which analyse your results to recommend occupations that correspond with each personality type. This career quiz tests how well you fit into each type and shows your top three personality attributes. Those are combined to find a job that matches who you are best. The questionnaire is a brief 20-minute process that asks about your ambitions, and what drives you.
Cost: Starting from US$6.95
The various career tests available to today's job seekers can seem overwhelming, and many people wonder which test is best for them. Though there are a variety of assessments out there that offer insight into the right occupation or field for you, it helps to know what your personality type is in order to narrow down potential careers.
Use the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator if you want to understand your preferred working style and find occupations that suit those attributes; use PathSource if you need help figuring out where interests should lead; or try the Johnson O’Connor Research Foundation Career Strengths Test if you're not sure how well certain skills fit with jobs.
Whichever assessment suits your needs better, will provide an overview on which fields might be most fulfilling for you!