ADD5106: Week 7 Discussion 2: Exploring Career Interest Inventories

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Fundamentals of Career Assessment

Objectives 1. Identify various constructs related to career assessment. 2. View career assessment as a multifaceted assessment process, including assessment

of personality, interests, values, and abilities. 3. Become familiar with a variety of assessment tools. 4. Understand Holland’s RIASEC model and its relation to personality, interests, and

values. 5. Identify how career assessment constructs can be used with clients and applied to

our case studies. 6. Become familiar with the O*NET system. 7. Identify strengths and weaknesses in using technology in the career assessment

process.

The purpose of this chapter is to provide an overview of assessment in career counseling. Foundations of career counseling are beyond the scope of the chapter. Rather, we focus on how career assessment may provide valuable information for guiding career counseling and overall wellness of clients served in multiple settings such as schools, agencies, organiza- tions, and practices.

What Is Career Assessment? The foundation of career counseling was based on career assessment. Frank Parsons, con- sidered the founder of vocational guidance and the counseling movement, identified the assessment of traits as the primary component to selecting a career (Sharf, 2010). Examples

Balkin, Richard S., and Gerald A. Juhnke. Assessment in Counseling : Practice and Applications, Oxford University Press, Incorporated, 2018. ProQuest Ebook Central, http://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/capella/detail.action?docID=5179769. Created from capella on 2023-11-21 16:48:21.

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of common career traits include personality, interests, values, and abilities. Career assess- ment, therefore, is a process in which counselors work with clients to gain a composite framework of personality, interests, values, and abilities to facilitate career counseling and foster a career identity. Counselors use career assessment to assist clients with career explo- ration, selection, and/ or adjustment to new career settings.

Counselors recognize that career development begins in childhood and advo- cate a lifespan development approach to understanding one’s career (e.g., Super, 1990). Therefore, career assessment may also begin in the formative years; yet extant research on career assessment in childhood is limited (Schultheiss & Stead, 2004). Schultheiss and Stead hypothesized that addressing career development in childhood (e.g., fourth grade) could provide information to counselors related to effective problem- solving and decision- making. The purpose in assessing career development at an early age is not to influence career choice but rather to use career assessment to promote goal- setting, achievement, and academic success.

Through matriculation of middle school and high school, career assessment may incorporate models that integrate interests, personality, abilities, and values (Armstrong & Rounds, 2010). Career assessment at this stage may influence individuals’ decisions on postsecondary education, training, and vocational placements. During this phase of career assessment, individuals may explore how their interests, values, and abilities relate to goal- setting and future career choice. For example, Super (1990) encouraged younger adolescents to focus on identification of careers and awareness of one’s own attributes. Older adolescents and young adults may be exposed to a wider variety of career assess- ment strategies that may be important to career decision- making. For example, the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB), college entrance examinations, various state achievement tests, and potential interest, ability, and values inventories (e.g., Strong Interest Inventory, Occupational Information Network [O*NET] instruments) may be administered or made available through guidance counselors.

Throughout adulthood, career assessment may be integral for clients who wish to explore different career opportunities or options, transition between careers or within a career, identify career needs or placement opportunities, or transition because of develop- mental needs. Such examples may include individuals who simply wish to change careers, realizing that their current career is less satisfying, to individuals who served in the armed forces and are transitioning to civilian life, or to transition to a new phase such as semire- tirement or retirement. In addition, career assessment may be helpful in identifying issues related to career satisfaction and work– life balance.

Elements of Career Assessment Personality, interests, values, and abilities are all relevant constructs to career assessment. Each of these facets of career assessment is addressed in this chapter, along with the implica- tions of career assessment. Previously in Chapter 9, we discussed the assessment of ability,

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addressing various types of instruments categories such as intelligence, achievement, and aptitude measures. Tests such as the ASVAB and Differential Aptitude Test, as well as various achievement tests, may be used to identify strengths and challenges for individuals seeking to begin, transition to, or advance in new career opportunities. Many of these tests empha- size various cognitive capacities, such as mathematical reasoning and verbal reasoning.

Evaluation of a single construct provides a limited approach to career assessment. We advocate for a multifaceted approach to career assessment that integrates abilities, interests, values, and personality in to a comprehensive profile. One extremely help- ful resource discussed to greater degree in this chapter is the O*NET system. O*NET is a comprehensive assessment system funded by the U.S. Department of Labor/ Employment and Training Administration (2017a). At the time of this writing, infor- mation on the O*NET system can be found on the O*NET Resource Center web- site: http:// www.onetcenter.org/ usingOnet.html. From the website, counselors can access and facilitate a variety of career exploration tools, including assessment instru- ments for career exploration and various occupational support and information materi- als for a variety of populations.

Interests and Personality Perhaps the most widely used personality theory tied to career assessment is Holland’s model of career interest based on personality theory. For this reason, it is difficult to address issues of personality assessment and interest assessment separately when discussing career assessment. The reason is that Holland’s theory incorporates issues of personality in respect to career choice. Holland believed that individuals would experience higher degrees of congruence when their personalities were matched with their occupational environment. In other words, a large degree of life satisfaction rests in the idea that an individual’s per- sonality should be aligned with the career vocation he or she chooses.

The RIASEC Model Holland (1973, 1985, 1997) outlined a model of six personality types aligned with cor- responding vocational environments in a hexagonal model that would attribute similar and dissimilar work environments for each personality type. The model incorporates six personality types, known as the RIASEC model: realistic, investigative, artistic, social, enterprising, and conventional. Figure 10.1 provides a visual representation of the model.

In Figure 10.1, personality types adjacent to each other share similar characteristics (e.g., enterprising and social), whereas personality types directly opposite (e.g., enterprising and investigative) share fewer characteristics. Next we describe each of the personality types.

Realistic Individuals who fit this personality type often engage in hands- on activities. Such work may involve using tools or machinery in a variety of environments (e.g., forestry, farming, construction, maintenance).

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Investigative Individuals who are investigative prefer careers that require problem- solving and fact- finding. Such individuals prefer to address issues mentally, rather than physically. Researchers in a variety of settings, engineers, and detectives are a few examples that fit this personality type.

Artistic This type of individual often prefers vocations that require creative elements or expertise. Although the arts (e.g., musician, artist, writer) are a natural fit for this personality type, areas of counseling, education, and architecture also serve as examples of the artistic type. People who ascribe to this personality type may be individuals who work well with forms, patterns, and diagrams.

Social Occupations in the social realm involve working with others in some capacity. These often include positions in the service and healthcare industries. Counselors and educators also fit this description quite well.

Enterprising Individuals who fit this profile often prefer vocations that require leadership and decision- making. Such individuals are not adverse to risk- taking. People who enter the busi- ness professions or move into leadership within an agency or organization often fit this personality type.

Conventional Individuals who fit this personality type may excel in working with details and prefer rou- tines. Although this personality type often is associated with bookkeeping, other potential vocations include such jobs as accountant, pharmacist, and research analyst.

Tests that Use the RIASEC Model Because of the prevalent nature of Holland’s theory, also referred to as Holland’s codes, a number of assessment batteries and career assessment resources were developed using

Realistic

Conventional

Enterprising

Investigative

Artistic

Social

FIGURE 10.1 Holland’s Code (RIASEC Model).

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this theoretical framework. Common assessment batteries include the Strong Interest Inventory (SII), Self- Directed Search (SDS), and the O*NET Interest Profiler (IP).

The purpose of the SII is to match individuals across a wide range of occupations based on the individual’s interests as operationally defined using Holland’s codes. Hence, individuals are matched with occupations that may appear congruent to their interests (Kelly, 2010). The SII takes approximately 40 to 45 minutes to administer and is specifi- cally geared toward ages 16 and older. Therefore, the SII is not appropriate for exploring career interests in early developmental stages. One advantage of the SII is that it may be used for group administrations, thereby making the SII an effective tool for group guid- ance in school settings. The psychometric properties of the instrument are sound, and the instrument has a long history with ongoing updates and renorming that encourage com- prehensive, current results.

The SDS is similar to the SII in that the SDS uses the RIASEC model to facilitate career exploration. The SDS is a psychometrically sound instrument with the following added benefits:

• The SDS was developed by John Holland, who created the RIASEC model. • The SDS was developed to comply with assessment guidelines of the National Career

Development Association. • The SDS includes multiple forms that can be used with professional- level employees,

such as adults in career transition, and younger adolescents (ages 11 and above), stu- dents, and adults with limited reading levels (Brown, 2001). An advantage of the SDS is that career booklets are provided with each of the forms to assist with career exploration activities.

The O*NET IP is part of a comprehensive assessment system operated by the U.S. Department of Labor/ Employment and Training Administration described earlier in this chapter. Similar to the SII, the IP uses the RIASEC model. The IP can be accessed in two forms from the O*NET Resource Center. Individuals may download the test manual and test form to administer or self- administer. A computerized version, referred to as the CIP, is also available. The test form and computerized version are identical, containing 180 items that match occupations with career interests. The psychometric characteristics of the IP are strong; with the added flexibility of materials being accessible online and free to the user, the IP is an excellent resource for counselors to use with clients or for individuals to use the assessment forms and additional employment/ vocational resources. One of the advantages to using the CIP is the wealth of resources presented at the end of the adminis- tration. Upon completing the 180 items, the user receives scores and a Holland code from the RIASEC personality types to identify potential jobs that match the user’s interests. In addition, the user is asked to identify the amount of training and education he or she has at present or to search for jobs that would require some additional training. Job zones are provided for the following areas:

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1. Little or no preparation. 2. Some preparation, such as previous work experience, vocational training, a high school

diploma or associate’s degree. 3. Medium preparation, such as on- the- job training, previous work experience, an associ-

ate’s or bachelor’s degree. 4. Considerable preparation, such as a bachelor’s degree or two to four years’ work

experience. 5. Extensive preparation, such as a graduate degree and extensive training in a

specific area.

One limitation of the O*NET system is the required skill needed to search through the abundance of materials in the O*NET Resource Center. Skills in using the Internet can be overwhelming for clients who have limited exposure to technology and the Internet.

Holland (1997) identified personality and interest as a unified construct. Counselors can be helpful in facilitating clients to seek out work environments that fit their personality type. Thus, through the use of assessment batteries that identify career interests according to Holland’s codes (i.e., RIASEC), individuals may achieve greater career self- efficacy and self- actualization.

Other Tools In addition to Holland’s codes, other personality theories and measures are used frequently in career assessment. Specifically, the Myers- Briggs Personality Type Indicator (MBTI) and instruments related to the five- factor model of personality (e.g., NEO Personality Inventory- 3, Adjective Checklist) are used frequently for career assessment.

The MBTI is a popular personality instrument used in various capacities, such as individual counseling; couples, marriage, and family counseling; and task groups in orga- nizations. The MBTI uses Jungian theory of personality to group individuals into specified categories. Using four categorical dyads, individuals may be classified along the following:

• Introversion— Extroversion • Sensing— Intuition • Thinking— Feeling • Judging— Perceiving

As a result of the multifaceted uses for the MBTI, applications to career assessment may appear to be a natural fit. Katz, Joyner, and Seaman (1999) evaluated college students and found the MBTI to be as helpful as the SII in making career decisions. Katz et al. recommended joint administration of the MBTI and SII to facilitate career choices in col- lege students. However, correlations between MBTI personality types and the RIASEC categories are low (Pulver & Kelly, 2008), which may indicate that although the two

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instruments together may provide a more comprehensive profile of the individual, using the MBTI in lieu of the SII is not advisable.

The five- factor model of personality (FFM) is a well- defined, highly researched per- sonality theory that identifies five aspects of personality: openness, conscientiousness, extra- version, agreeableness, and neuroticism. Openness refers to someone who may be receptive, accommodating, and/ or amenable to new ideas and situations. Conscientiousness may refer to one who is responsible and persistent. Individuals who fit this description may plan ahead in order to achieve. Extraversion refers to individuals who are sociable, amiable, and willing to assert their thoughts and points of view to others. Agreeableness refers to individuals who may be trustworthy, cooperative, and caring. Neuroticism may refer to individuals prone to negative affective states, such as feelings of hostility, fear, depression, anxiety, or negative self- evaluation (McCrae & Costa, 1992). The personality dimensions of the FFM tend to be predictive of career self- efficacy and achievement orientation, particularly with respect to individuals who are extraverted and conscientious (Reed, Bruch, & Haase, 2004). Similar to limitations of the MBTI, the correlations between the RIASEC personality model and the FFM are not overwhelmingly strong (Nauta, 2004), thereby reiterating caution in using such personality measures in lieu of interest inventories.

An additional limitation of such personality tests that do not specifically address the RIASEC model is that career exploration tools are not inherently developed to address other personality types at this time. Instruments such as the SII and IP use the RIASEC model and include an abundant number of resources (e.g., O*NET Resource Center) that can be used to facilitate career exploration.

Values Values within the context of career assessment refer to the subjective importance and meaningfulness of activities in work and the work environment (Smith & Campbell, 2008). Smith and Campbell further ascribed to the belief that work values are more tied to “standards or goals” (p. 41). Career interests may be viewed as means to pursue goals or objectives, which are identified through values. In this respect, career interests emanate from career values. Work values may be assessed through the identification of individu- als’ personal values, referred to as “person- based” assessment, or through identifying values that may be descriptive of various work environments, referred to as “occupation- based” assessment (Smith & Campbell, 2008, p. 41).

A popular person- based assessment is the Minnesota Importance Questionnaire (MIQ). The purpose of the MIQ is to evaluate adjustment toward work, operationally defined as the extent to which an individual’s needs and realization of rewards are met through work (Layton, 1992). To achieve this goal, the MIQ measures 20 psychological needs across six fundamental values: (a) achievement, (b) autonomy, (c) altruism, (d) com- fort, (e) safety, and (f ) status. Although the MIQ exhibits adequate psychometric proper- ties, one limitation is that the instrument is designed for individuals 16 years and older.

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Therefore, the MIQ is not appropriate for evaluating work values prior to the later high school years.

Aligned with the MIQ, the Minnesota Job Description Questionnaire (MJDQ) is an occupation- based assessment. The MJDQ uses statements aligned with the 20 psycho- logical needs of the MIQ to describe the types of reinforcement (referred to as occupa- tional reinforcement patters) from various occupational environments (Zedeck, 1978). Counselors can use client responses on the MJDQ to address alignment with client responses on the MIQ. In this regard, the MJDQ is not an independent assessment but functions as an addition to a comprehensive assessment system with the MIQ. Similar to the MIQ, the MJDQ has strong psychometric characteristics and is appropriate for use with older adolescents and adults. An additional limitation is that counselors need to adopt the system of assessment (i.e., use the MIQ) to make use of the MJDQ.

Similar to what O*NET did with the IP, O*NET created two work values inventories based upon the MIQ and MJDQ: the Work Importance Locator (WIL) and the Work Importance Profiler (WIP). The instruments are the same, with the exception that the WIP is a computer- based administration and the WIL is a card- sort administration and hand- scored instrument (Smith & Campbell, 2008). Similar to the MIQ and MJDQ, the WIL and WIP assess six work values across 20 psychological needs. The U.S. Department of Labor/ Employment and Training Administration provided the following work values and psychological needs:

1. Achievement— refers to individuals who value attaining results and using their strengths, resulting in feelings of accomplishment. Corresponding psychological needs are ability utilization and achievement.

2. Independence— refers to individuals who value making decisions and working autono- mously. Corresponding psychological needs are creativity, responsibility, and autonomy.

3. Recognition— refers to individuals who value advancement and potential to serve as a leader. Such individuals may value positions that garner prestige. Corresponding psy- chological needs are advancement, authority, recognition, and social status.

4. Relationships— refers to individuals who value providing service to others and working with colleagues in a noncompetitive environment. Corresponding psychological needs are coworkers, moral values, and social service.

5. Support— refers to individuals who value management that advocates, validates, and encourages employees. Corresponding psychological needs are company policies and supervision over personnel and technical expertise.

6. Working conditions— refers to individuals who value job security and a good working environment. Corresponding psychological needs are activity, compensation, indepen- dence, security, variety, and working conditions (U.S. Department of Labor/ Employment and Training Administration, 2017b; O*NET OnLine, http:// www.onetonline.org/ find/ descriptor/ browse/ Work_ Values/ ).

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Both the WIL and the WIP require the individual to sort through 20 psychological needs that apply to the six corresponding values. Individuals have the option of identifying the importance of each need from a scale of 1 (least important) to 5 (most important). Only four cards can be identified under each scaled score (e.g., four needs identified as most impor- tant [5] , four needs identified as important [4]). As each psychological need reflects a value, a score for each value is tallied. The top two values indicate job categories to be explored. Similar to the CIP, when the WIP is used in conjunction with the CIP, users can identify the match between their interests and values to identify jobs that are aligned with both con- structs. In addition, the user can search through various job zones described earlier in the chapter to identify required training for particular jobs. Hence, training, interests, and values can all be integrated in the O*NET system to provide a comprehensive profile of the client.

O*NET offers the Ability Profiler (AP) as an additional measure. The AP measures nine job- related abilities, including (a) verbal ability, (b) arithmetic reasoning, (c) com- putation, (d) spatial ability, (e) form perception, (f ) clerical perception, (g) motor coor- dination, (h) finger dexterity, and (i) manual dexterity. The AP includes components that cannot be provided online for the finger dexterity and manual dexterity subtests. In addi- tion, the instrument requires timed tasks. An administrator with training is necessary for this instrument, and additional scoring materials need to be purchased. For these reasons, the AP is less user- friendly than other instruments offered through O*NET.

Issues in Computerized Career Assessment Many publishing companies take advantage of technology to facilitate assessment, espe- cially with respect to scoring and interpretation profiles. Career assessment, by com- parison, includes far more resources, probably because the U.S. government dedicated significant resources to developing career assessment and exploration tools through the Department of Labor. As with any computerized assessment process, interpretations may be generated through the software and therefore lack a human element to interpretation. Hence, when counselors solely rely on computer output to evaluate clients, information garnered through clinical interviews, subsequent sessions, and/ or additional assessment measures may not be reflected adequately. Career assessment may complicate this process further with the multitude of resources all individuals have access to regardless of train- ing. For example, the O*NET system includes sophisticated measures that are not readily understood without training. Although a layperson could investigate the limited informa- tion on the RIASEC model or work values, having a theoretical understanding of how the O*NET system was developed and applied is helpful. More important is the issue of how clients will use career assessment to make decisions. Because of the amount of information presented, counselors should take considerable time to process with the client the results of various assessments. Issues that the counselor can facilitate include the amount of training the client has and is willing to obtain in order to advance or transition to a new career. Such information is important in successfully working through the O*NET system.

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Counselors who use the computerized career assessments may need to provide training to clients with respect to how they can navigate through the O*NET system. We offer the following suggestions to assist counselors with using this career assessment process:

1. Counselors should become familiar with the O*NET system by self- administering the assessment instruments, particularly the CIP and WIP. Once the assessment is com- pleted, the system produces results and provides search strategies for identifying poten- tial career options.

2. One benefit of the O*NET system is that the client can self- administer the assessments at home. However, for the counselor to be able to process the information from the assessments, the output produced from the assessments would be helpful. Clients may need assistance in identifying important personality interests or values versus less per- tinent personality interests or values.

3. Because of the opportunity to engage in career exploration after the completion of the assessment(s), administration, scoring, and subsequent career exploration activities might be best facilitated with the counselor present.

4. The scoring system for the assessment instruments, although available to the client in the user’s manuals, tends to be rather technical. Ethical administration, scoring, and interpretation of measures depend on the counselor’s knowledge of administration, scoring, and interpretation processes. Counselors should review the user manuals provided.

5. Clients who are less familiar with technology may find this process intimidating. Procedures to administer the instruments in the counselor’s office may be necessary. In addition, use of the O*NET system requires downloading of necessary software, so a level of technology literacy is necessary.

The use of career assessment processes through the Internet provides an opportu- nity and accessibility for assessment tools that is unprecedented in other assessment areas. Counselors should be cautious with such technology because of the potential of unstan- dardized administrations. The assessment tools provided through O*NET are useful and valid when used appropriately. However, the potential for confounding results through overreliance on individual client administration is apparent and should be addressed when training the client to use the materials appropriately.

Types of Information Derived from Eva Marie’s Case Study To provide an overview of career assessment and the application of the concepts presented in this chapter, we focus on administration of the CIP and WIP with Eva Marie Garza. To facilitate interpretation of Eva Marie’s career assessment profile, we present information

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from the user’s manual of the CIP and WIP that may be accessed from the O*NET Resource Center website.

The CIP was developed to be parallel to the hand- scored administration of the IP. Recall that the goal of the CIP (and IP) is to evaluate personality interests based on the RIASEC model. The CIP includes 180 items. There are 30 items that represent each of the personality interests (realistic, investigative, artistic, social, enterprising, conventional). Each item includes a work task in which the client responds with Like or Dislike. If the cli- ent is unsure, he or she can click on a question mark as a third option. The CIP is scored through the software, and results are presented to the client. The client receives a score in each of the six areas of the RIASEC model. For each of the 30 items endorsed on a particu- lar subscale, a point is recorded for that subscale. For example, if a client marks Like for an item that is matched with Conventional, then one point is recorded for Conventional. No points are scored for an item marked otherwise. So, with 30 items for each subscale, the maximum score for each subscale is 30. The top three scores represent the client’s Holland code. Once a score report is produced and a Holland code is put forward, the client is presented with job zones matching the Holland code and the amount of training he or she wishes to consider for a career. Clients can search through particular vocations that match their interests.

The WIP includes two tasks. The first task is to rank work needs, described earlier as psychological needs. Five different needs are presented at one time. The client ranks each of the needs, starting with the most important to the least important. This process is repeated across 21 screens with each need appearing several times in order to compare and rank each need across all other needs. Once the client completes the 21 screens, the second task requires the client to rate work needs. On a single page, 21 statements appear and the client provides a Yes or No response to indicate whether a particular work need is important to him or her. From these two tasks, the computer generates scores for each of the six work values: (a) achievement, (b) independence, (c) recognition, (d) relationships, (e) support, and (f ) working conditions. The score report may fit one of three categories. A differenti- ated score report occurs when at least one work value is positive and different from the other work values. A negative score report occurs when all work value scores are below zero. In this case, the client receives a notification indicating that the work values being measured on this instrument do not appear pertinent to the client. An undifferentiated score report occurs when no work value appears more or less important than other work values. In this case, a notification is generated to indicate this to the client. So it is possible that the results from the WIP contribute little to clients’ understanding of work values and the influence on career choice. However, it is also possible that the results from the WIP can be integrated with the CIP results to provide a rather comprehensive profile of the client.

The following is a description of Eva Marie’s score report on the CIP and WIP.

Eva Marie Garza is a 40- year- old Latina female who presents with a history of anxiety and depression. Based on a clinical interview with Eva Marie, some

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maladjustment is evident from dissatisfaction with her career. Eva Marie earned an associate’s degree and worked previously as a bookkeeper, first for a Catholic church and then for a local drug store. Eva Marie reported being “good with num- bers” and that bookkeeping gave her a “sense of purpose.” Eva Marie described her previous boss at the drug store as someone who valued her work, and she took pride in her job. When Eva Marie relocated to San Antonio, she was unable to obtain a bookkeeping position and now works as an assistant to the librarian at an elementary school. Eva Marie dislikes her current position but enjoys the oppor- tunity to make decisions.

Eva Marie was administered the Computerized Interest Profiler (CIP) and the Work Importance Profiler (WIP). Administration of the CIP and WIP was within the guidelines of stated procedures, and results from this test may be viewed as a valid measure. Eva Marie’s score report from the CIP indicated a Holland code of CSA (Conventional, Social, Artistic) with the following scores:

Realistic: 0 Investigative: 0 Artistic: 3 Social: 5 Enterprising: 2 Conventional: 14

The Artistic trait was quite low and comparable to Enterprising, indicating that emphasis on job interests should focus more so on Conventional characteristics and some Social characteristics.

Eva Marie had a differentiated score report on the WIP, identifying Relationships and Achievement as her most pertinent work values as indicated in the following score report:

Achievement: 1.4 Support: 0.2 Recognition: 0.8 Relationships: 1.5 Working Conditions: 0 Independence: 0.4

The score reports from the CIP and WIP fit the information from Eva Marie’s clinical interview quite well. Individuals described as Conventional tend to enjoy routines and prefer working with data and details. In addition, Eva Marie’s desire to work with tasks that help people or are important to an organization fit nicely with the Social personality interest, as well as the Relationship work value. Additionally, Eva Marie’s desire to feel productive and use her skills (such as working with num- bers) contributes to the Achievement work value.

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190 | assessment in counsel ing

When exploring potential career options, Eva Marie may want to consider whether she wants to explore career options with her current training or whether she is willing to obtain additional training. Although bookkeeping was an imme- diate fit, given her Conventional personality interest that fit her work values, 36 potential occupations were listed from the O*NET database. Some of these diverse positions include travel agent and ticket agent, statistical assistant, emergency dis- patcher, customer service representative, and municipal clerk. If Eva Marie is open to additional training, other job opportunities may include medical secretary or technician, legal secretary, city planning aide, licensing examiner and inspector, title examiner or abstractor, or court clerk. Eva Marie should be encouraged to explore both a current job that matches her interests and values as well as the potential to secure additional training/ education to pursue a new career. Such a transition, while stressful, may improve her self- concept and decrease her stress, which in part stems from an unfulfilling career.

This report may accompany a psychological report or stand alone as a career assess- ment report. What is important is that the client obtains a sense of validation, hope, and self- efficacy from the process. In other words, if a client is experiencing maladjustment from dissatisfaction with work, the prospect of exploring new opportunities and options may be both empowering and fulfilling. Individuals may spend an inordinate amount of time in career- related activities. Thus, the importance of addressing career and assessing career satisfaction can be a major component to address the overall well- being of clients.

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