The Career Key®

Teachers: Career Solutions for Your Students

Download our free white papers/guides for professionals, like "Personality-College Major Match and Student Success" (new!)

I know you want to prepare your students for the future – to help them in their career planning, in making good career choices.  So do we.

For more than ten years we have offered educators top-quality career development tools – career test, career guidance articles and activities, career information – all unique to Career Key. Science and CTE teachers especially value them.   They are based on the best practices and science of career development.

Most are offered at no cost, others for a nominal fee.

I recommend,

1. The Career Key personality test to spark students’ exploration and good decision making. Students 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 (a close match is a predictor of career success).
   
   It takes about 15 minutes; results are immediate; and there are no complicated tables or abstract concepts to explain. Cost? A dollar with our group discount plan.
   

   It also provides a gateway to services unique to Career Key, like the following: 
   

2. Choosing a Career Cluster, Career Field or Career Pathway that fits your students’ interests. This interactive article clarifies the often confusing concepts of “career clusters and “career pathways”, and helps students match their interests to career clusters and pathways (a close match is a predictor of academic success).   It includes a downloadable map showing how the Holland personality types are related to these clusters and pathways.  
   
   5 Steps to Choosing the Right Career Cluster, Field, or Pathway provides the full, detailed information needed in a e-book, PDF format. This system is unique to Career Key (read about our ground breaking research).
   
   
3. Strengthening students’ job skills. Job skills are what count in the workplace. Period. Middle school is the time to learn about and strengthen them. The Foundation Skills: Job Skills All Workers Needarticle 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 using a 4-step decision-making process.  Personality-major match is one of the predictors of academic success and satisfaction -- GPA 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).
   

   “I would wholeheartedly recommend this book for busy school counselors… 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

   
   
5. Making good decisions. Our article Decision Making Process teaches students this essential life and work skill. The ACIP method is practical and based on numerous studies.
   
   
6. Green Careers, Green Jobs clarifies the meaning of these terms.  Students identify “green occupations” that match their interests.
   
   
7. Involving parents in the career development of their child. Our popular article How Parents Can Help and e-book gives them valuable information and practical tips. Read what we tell parents at our website.
   
   
8. 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 Classes in High School
   Choosing Your College Major
   The 2011 What Job is Best for You?
   What Color are Your Feathers? Holland’s Theory and Your Career
   Advice and Actions For Making Smart Decisions
   How Parents Can Help Their Children’s Career Development
   
   

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