Career tests are just tool to help you find the ideal Career

Career tests are amongst many different related tools that can help make the early part of your job-search manageable, and thus set you on a shorter path to your ultimate goals. Career tests are essential tools in opening up new possibilities and helping you to make important career decisions at key points in your life. Most of these tests are used to provide an indication of which jobs match your personality type and which will provide maximum job satisfaction.

Whilst there is a wide variety of tests available, some are proven and some are not, so you may need to take some 'with a pinch of salt'.

By completing a variety of different career tests, many of which will give you a free report, you'll get a wider profile of potential career options. You can follow up with buying reports only when they appear really relevant to your understanding. Career tests have one simple purpose: to provide ideas you might not have considered and suggestions that may be worth following up. The twist is that personality tests can give you ideas about what you should do rather than you simply pondering what you want to do. There are many types of assessments and career tests that all seem to be put under the same title of "Career Tests".

Personality tests assess your traits, values and attitudes that describe your character or personality profile. These are the type of tests employers typically use to screen candidates for employment. If nothing else, you will gain information on potential careers that you can explore to see if they really are a good fit. The other important aspect of this is you gain a better ability to talk about and describe your own personality - how many people have been floored by the question "what sort of person are you?" or "describe your personality for me"?

Whereas aptitude career tests try to determine how well you are likely to perform a role in future, that is one of the reasons that more and more businesses are using personality tests before hiring their new employees. It eases the burden of decision-making.

Career tests can be fun for some and agonizing for others but all in all, they are good springboards for future possibilities. On-line personality and career tests are useful tools to help you evaluate your interests, values, skills, personality, and then match these characteristics with careers that fit the above criteria.

Peter Fisher is an expert Author, Career Coach and Publisher of Tests: How To Pass Them