Why an online careers test won’t tell you what to do (but how they can help)
Regular scene in a careers coaching consultation: “I want to change careers. Which test will tell me what I should do? I’ve already tried a few, and they weren’t any good – they came up with [insert random weird jobs here]. But, as you’re a careers coach, can you tell me about what the good ones are?”
If only it were that simple.
In today’s society, we’re used to getting quick, straightforward solutions to our problems. Need to get home from the party? Call an Uber. Need food for the week? Get your online supermarket shop. Need a new career? Do an online test.
We’re pretty wedded to the idea that a careers test will sort our lives out. In fact, the UK Government even has one that, “contains fewer than 50 multiple-choice questions [and] takes 5 to 10 minutes to complete.” (That test suggests that I could enjoy being a butler – not on my list of possible jobs)! So why don’t they work and what can we do instead?
The theoretical background to these careers tests is what’s called “person-environment fit”, or “matching”. It’s one of the earlier forms of careers thinking, developing to assign men to military positions during the First World War. Considered in this context, the approach makes a lot of sense: in a scenario where vast numbers of men need to be placed in roles, it’s important to have a quick and easy approach. Job satisfaction probably wasn’t a massive consideration (other than it being sufficient that the recruit performed well in their role).
Today, we demand much more from our jobs. But we (and our governments) still like quick and easy solutions. Here’s where the tests fall down:
Whilst it’s true that those in certain occupations often have common personalities and interests, there’s also a lot of variation. If you’re a creative person, a test may suggest you work as a designer, writer or artist for example. But you could also be creative in occupations we might not immediately think of in that light, such as logistics or accountancy. By definition, the matches are based on what the test writers think constitute a good person for the role – which may not fit with how you see the world.
The world of work is changing, and the selection of different careers is vast. I have a careers book on my shelf from 2002. There’s no mention of digital media jobs: no-one predicated the growth of that sector back then (and Facebook was still a couple of years away). Tests can only ever show a snapshot of careers, and will never encompass the complexity of the world of work.
Our personalities and interests can and do change significantly over the course of our lifetimes. Matching approaches assume that these are relatively stable.
Congruence – that is how well we “match” the job, only accounts for around 5% of job satisfaction [1]. You may find this surprising, but consider how many people who enjoy their careers “just fell into it”. Actually, factors such as learning, variety, liking your colleagues, autonomy and workload have significant impacts. (Note that if you’re in a job that’s incongruent, you’ll significantly increase your satisfaction by moving to one that is. So I’m not saying you should pick any job, but there’s not much to choose between a decent fit and the "perfect" fit.)
So, how can we use this kind of test? Well, it’s a starting point, and it’s especially useful if you’re early in your career and don’t have much knowledge of the world of work. Approach the results with an attitude of enquiry. I can pretty much guarantee that you are not going to look at your results and think “Well, I hadn’t thought of that before. It’s the perfect job for me! Search over.”
Instead, think about what jobs seem interesting, and which are definitely not. What is it that attracts or repels you? Are there some which seem sort of interesting, but aren’t quite right? What are they missing? What might be a better match? Are there any jobs which haven’t come up but you wish had? This definitely doesn’t mean that you’re not suitable to do them – and the fact that you wish that they were on the list says something important about your interests.
Thinking about the suggestion that I might enjoy being a butler: well, there are aspects of the job which I think might be quite fun, and others I think would be boring. By listing these out, I can start to refine what’s important to me in a job. This analysis stage is the key aspect of doing any test, and it can helpful to have a coach to guide you and help you to stretch your thinking.
So to summarise: a test is not going to give you your ideal job, no matter how much their creators promise. But they are a useful tool to stimulate your thinking. Approach them with curiosity and use them as a launch pad to explore further, and you’ll find that you can get benefit from them after all.
[1] Spokane, A.R., Meir, E.I. and Catalano, M. (2000) Person-environment congruence and Holland’s theory of careers: A review and reconsideration. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 57:137-187