The Career Key®

Solutions for Unemployed Adults

Download free resources like "Choose a College Major Based on Your Personality"

If you are unemployed, you may be asking questions like these: “What kind of future does my career hold? What is the job outlook? Should I go back to school? Does it fit my personality?” If so, Career Key can help.

Our scientifically valid, career personality test can help you identify occupations that fit your personality (or confirm that your previous one fits). For each of those jobs you identify, you get accurate career information – including the employment outlook. You also receive solid career advice. All of these are based on the best practices and science of career development.

I recommend,

1. The Career Key personality test. When you take the Career Key career test you assess the strength of your six Holland personality types and identify matching occupations – this leads to matching your personality to majors and training programs, a vital step (more on this in #2 below).
   
   You get full and accurate information about each occupation, will see the related occupations for each one, and download a 4-page interpretive booklet. Research shows that a good personality-career match is a predictor of career and academic satisfaction and success (if you use a valid career test).
   
   Simplicity, practicality, and validity are Career Key’s strengths. It takes about 15 minutes; results are immediate; and there are no complicated tables or abstract concepts to understand. It also provides a gateway to services unique to Career Key, like the following:
   
   
2. Choosing a College Major or Training Program that fits your personality. You may want to consider additional training or schooling. In this article you learn how to make this match following a 4-step process. A close personality-major match is vital. It is one of the predictors of academic success and satisfaction – grades earned and graduation. The companion e-book, Match Up! Your Personality to College Majors, links the Holland personality types to all 1300+ college majors and training programs. It is the first to do this (more on our ground breaking research).
   
   
3. Identifying and strengthening your job skills. As you know, job skills are what count in the workplace. Are you going back to school to strengthen them? The Foundation Skills: Job Skills All Workers Need article describes those that experts

   "I want to thank you for making the online career assessment test available. I am currently unemployed and have limited finances. I am also changing careers and was uncertain in my direction. Your career key was a big help to me." -- Tina

   consider essential.
   
   The Free Agent Outlook on Work describes six basic principles that guide the “free agent” worker – an essential primer for today’s workplace, where marketable skills are the key to success. Identify Your Skills and Make Them Work for You follows up with sound advice and practical steps.
   
   
4. Making good decisions. Decision Making Process describes the essential steps in making a good decision. The ACIP method is practical and based on many research studies. The evidence clearly shows that the more you use these steps, the less likely you will regret your decision later. Use it in making the decision of your career direction.

   Our popular e-book, The 2011 What Job is Best for Me?, takes you through the ACIP steps. It embodies the essential concepts of our website.
   
   

5. Learning about Holland’s Theory of Career Choice. This article is one of our most popular. Career development professionals and their clients praise its clarity and practical applications. And, literally hundreds of studies show that the theory has a solid scientific foundation. Our e-book, What Color are Your Feathers?, describes his theory and expands on how to apply it to career and educational choices.
   
   

6. Reading our articles and e-books. Articles include Change, Job Satisfaction, Military to a Civilian Career, and Self-Employment. Popular e-books: Choosing Your College Major, The 2011 What Job is Best for You?
   
   

7. Visiting our eBookStore. We offer many high quality publications. All are
   offered in a “green”, sustainable PDF file that you download to your computer. Your purchase is an important way to support our efforts.

Lawrence K. Jones, Ph.D., NCC President, Career Key.