Find your career match p1 - Military Transition - Military Times EDGE

Answer a series of questions, learn more about who you are, find the right fit for your skills and interests — that’s the idea behind career aptitude testing.

And the tool is gaining popularity. About 50 million people worldwide have identified their personality types through the Meyers-Briggs Type Indicator. These classifications can start you on the road to finding your true calling.

Myers-Briggs is just one test among many. The military has its own — the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery, or ASVAB — geared toward high school students and others thinking of joining.

The best test

Dozens of online tests offer a free glimpse into your character and talent. Career counseling services and career-oriented Web sites such as Assessment.com and CareerMaze.com may charge for more detailed evaluations. A few of the free online tests:

• Monster.com has a quick quiz that, it says, identifies personality types and suggests corresponding careers.

• Self-help site SixWise.com has a free test that, the site says, measures not just personality but also practical workplace styles.

• Visitors to Keirsey.com can take the well-regarded “Temperament Sorter,” used by some of the nation’s biggest corporations.

A free assessment will give a quick read and a few generalities about personality and interests. Fee-based testing usually goes into deeper detail, and the most useful outcomes call for the help of a professional coach or counselor who can help interpret the test results.

Something for everyone

“We think these tests can be good for just about anybody, from midcareer changers to those just starting out, to those separating from the military,” said Nancy Check, communications director at career coaching firm Rockport Institute in Rockville, Md. “It’s hard to choose a career that is perfect for you unless you know your innate talents and abilities — unless you know your aptitudes.”

Those making the biggest leaps are often the ones most in need of clarity. Changing industries — going from school to work, or from military to civilian careers — calls for perspective and a objective judgment.

But a test won’t make decisions for you. No test-taker is going to be lucky enough to walk away with a paper saying, “Veterinarian.” But tests can give direction and provoke thought along unexpected avenues.

Many believe a catalog of personality traits can be a solid foundation for the career seeker. By showing you a bit of who you are, assessments may show you what you need and even how best to get there.

Putting the test to work

Skeptics say too many variables are at play in determining career aptitude. Opposite personality traits can thrive in the same setting.

Yet the tests do have value if applied properly. The way to make testing useful, experts say, is to go in with your eyes open:

Don’t expect easy answers.

The test is the starting point in a career exploration, not the source of definitive pronouncements.

Choose your assessment wisely.

Does the source seem legitimate? If you take the test twice, do you get the same results each time? Do the questions seem relevant to your own questions about yourself?

Tell the truth.

These evaluations are only as good as the information they are given.