The Career Key®

Solutions for Parents of College Students

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

Are you wondering how you can help your son or daughter make good decisions – about future schooling, and career direction?  Career Key can help.

I recommend,

1. Focusing your efforts. Get sound advice from our online article Parent’s Role. Some of the advice applies to parents of younger children, but most of the same principles apply to college-age students. It is the key to making the best use of our site.
   
   
2. The Career Key personality test to assist in career exploration and good decision-making. Persons taking the Career Key test assess their six Holland personality types, identify career opportunities that match, get full and accurate information about each one, and download a 4-page interpretive booklet – encouraging career exploration.
   
   Research shows that a good personality-career match predicts better grades and higher career satisfaction (if you use a valid career test).
   
   Our paper-pencil version is available through our eBookStore.
   
   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: 
   
   
3. Strengthening job skills. Job skills are what count in the workplace. Period. The Foundation Skills:  Job Skills All Workers Need article describes those that are essential. And, in The Free Agent Outlook on Work students learn why marketable skills are the key to success.
   
   
4. Choosing a College Major or Training Program that fits students’ personality. In this article students 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 (more . . .). The companion e-book, Match Up! Your Personality to College Majors, links the Holland personality types to all 1300+ college majors and training programs.
   

   “Match Up! encourages a learner-centered interaction between understanding one's key personality types and occupational and training information… [It] will be of great use to students and counselors who need to provide a list of options related to personality in a quick manner... It is a great resource that provides solid information necessary for making effective career decisions.” Read more. Debra Osborn, Ph.D. President-Elect, 2010-2011 National Career Development Association

   
   This research-based system is unique to Career Key (read about our ground breaking research in NCDA’s Career Convergence).
   
   
5. 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.
   
   

   Is your son or daughter undecided? Our article Undecided should help.
   
   

6. 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.
   Here are a few of our titles:
   Choosing Your College Major
   The 2011 What Job is Best for You?
   What Color are Your Feathers?  Holland’s Theory and Your Career
   How Parents Can Help Their Children’s Career Development

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