Inventory Tests Using resources such as the Internet rcesearch various interest inventory t ests and select one free t est to attempt. After attempting the test, write a r eport

Interests & Occupations.html

Interests & Occupations

There is a relationship between a person’s interests and their satisfaction with a job. Therefore, career counselors analyze applicants' interests and identify the job profiles that best suit the applicants. However, simply being interested in certain activities or occupations does not mean that the applicants are fit for those occupations. The applicants must also possess the necessary skills and abilities for success in those occupations.

The degree to which an individual is satisfied with her/his employment and feels motivated to achieve in the workplace is affected by a complex set of internal and external interactions. Historically, one's personality has been thought to be central to the motivation one brings to the workplace. As was discussed in earlier lectures, personality and intelligence assessments are often used in the hiring process in organizations, but once an individual has been hired, the results of the personality assessment are also thought to lend information as to the type of interactions one will have in the workplace and the levels of motivation and initiative one will take.

Along with cohesiveness and ability to work in groups, the personality assessments used in organizations are also thought to inform the types of leadership traits that will be useful in the workplace. Based on the level of congruency between individual values and workplace values, one's personality traits can lead to more or less effective leadership behaviors. The more committed and congruent one's values are with those of an organization, the higher job satisfaction is believed to be.

Values.html

Values

Values are broad preferences concerning appropriate courses of action or outcomes. Values influence the attitudes and behavior of an individual. They are relevant to work situations because if individuals' values do not match up with those espoused by their organizations, individuals are likely to be unhappy at work.

For example, if an individual values equal rights for all and the organization treats the managers better than the lower level workers, the individual might start believing that the company is not a good place to work (attitude), and he or she might eventually leave the company (behavior).

For counseling purposes, values inventories are classified into two types that measure:

• Primarily work values associated with job success and satisfaction.
• Broader aspects of lifestyle, such as needs and satisfaction, associated with life and work.

Both types of inventories provide information that helps determine an individual's needs associated with work, home, family, and leisure. The choice of which inventory to use for an individual depends on where the major problems lie.

For example, if the problems are more with the person's life, in general, then you might prefer a general values inventory. If the person's problems are more work-specific, then you might use a work-specific inventory.

Values Scale.html

Values Scale

One type of values assessment is based on the work of Gordon Allport, and classifies people based on their ranking of values such as:

• Theoretical
• Economic
• Aesthetic
• Social
• Political
• Religious

Clients are required to rank these value types in terms of importance. Although this classification was developed as a general values scale, it is also used as an occupational values scale. Specifically, it has been found that different occupational groups differ in the way they rank these values.

For instance, ministers typically rank the values in the following order—religious, social, aesthetic, political, theoretical, and economic. Purchasing executives typically rank the values in the following order—economic, theoretical, political, religious, aesthetic, and social. Industrial scientists typically rank the values in the following order—theoretical, political, economic, aesthetic, religious, and social.