"I don't know what I want to do?" This is the question that most of the people ask when they are not sure about which career is the right one for them. Well, making a right career decision is one of the most important things that candidates need to do in their life. In fact, there is no magic formula that can tell you at once which career is right for you. But, thanks to the availability of so many career assessment tools that can really help people make a well informed career decision. To use the multiple career assessment tests and tools to their benefit, students and jobseekers need to understand how these tools function and what career planning process is all about. Below, we will talk about career assessment tests and how a well informed career decision can be taken through self assessment.

Career planning is a long and continued procedure. And the very first step towards planning a career is to make a self assessment or take a career assessment test. What does a career assessment test actually do? During a self assessment, candidates accumulate essential information about themselves. The gathered information, in turn, helps candidates and jobseekers make well informed decision while choosing a career.

How would it make you feel if you come to know, after getting enrolled in a specific degree program or training, that you made a wrong career decision? It can be really disheartening. It is, therefore, always advisable to assess your career and then make a decision. Developed by psychologists, career assessment tests can really help candidates in knowing which career option is right for them. A career test may comprise of online tests, exercises and questionnaire.

Career tests assess an individual on the basis of their values, interests, personality, skills etc.

Values
A candidate's values are things that they find important. These things can include the candidate's status, accomplishments and autonomy among others. Values of an individual can be classified into intrinsic values (related to work and contributions to society) and extrinsic values (work environment, earning potential etc.). While choosing a career or assessing a career, it is extremely important for candidates to know these values.

Interests/ Hobbies
A number of questions in the career test questionnaire are developed to find out the candidate's interests, activities that they like to do most. Candidates' interests or hobbies may include playing golf, hanging out with friends, taking long walks etc.

Personality
Questions based on personality form an important part of a career assessment tool or test. Different persons have different personalities that distinguish from one another. To assess the right career option for an individual, it is important to know their individual traits, needs, attitudes, motivational drives etc.

Skills
Knowing a person's skill sets immensely helps in assessing their career. During a self assessment, the candidates must be aware of about what activities they are good at. These skills can include writing, teaching, debating, computer programming etc.

Looking at the difference that they make in an individual's career, the value of assessment tests can never be underestimated. We are living in a world where career opportunities and options are many more than one can imagine. Though candidates do not need a lot of preparation for taking a free career assessment test, knowing beforehand what to expect can actually enhance the candidate's performance. You would not probably need preparation to answer test questions related to your interest, personality and motivations. However, some advance preparation may be required to answer questions that test your aptitude. So, are you ready to realize your true potential?

Career exploration and finding new opportunities should be like the show that must go on. In due course, our professional career can pass through numerous ups and downs. What's most important is to be able to decide whether we need a job or career change. When you examine whether you need to change your career, you may also perceive some barriers to making that change. So, when do you need a career change? You may find at some point of time that things are not working in your favor. It really takes courage to accept that you are in such a situation. The next big thing is to muster up confidence for taking that courageous step which will open new opportunities in your professional career. That's why experts say that career planning should be done on an annual basis to find out what's working, what's not working and what would actually work. While changing careers, a major step needs to be taken with all the courage and confidence.

It happens to many of us that we bury our heads into sand when we actually need to take that courageous step forward for our professional career growth. Candidates, therefore, should be ready to face the need for career change rather than avoiding the change that our career needs. In such situations, instead of changing careers, we make an attempt to convince ourselves that every thing is just right and there really is no problem. If you are the one who does not like taking chances, who does not devote time to career planning on a regular basis, who does not like to take on new career opportunities or create such opportunities at the workplace themselves, you seriously need to change yourself and the way you think. You need to step out of your comfort zone and explore and grab opportunities.

Nothing may be permanent on this earth, but change has been and is permanent. We can never avoid career change issues like we are just blindfolded to them. Many times it happens that you work extra hours at the workplace and even bring the work home. Work is always on our mind and we try to put in as many hours into our work as we can. Try to find out the reason behind your working to excessive limits, as this can be a case of compulsive behaviors. Such behavior also indicates that we are in need of a career change. Be ready to do some self examination and think whether changing the career of job is required.

There are many of us that seem to continue with our jobs longer after it has stopped serving us and you are not actually satisfied with the job. Such circumstances completely wipe out the need for a career or job change. Why are we not ready to face the changes that we need in our lives? Why do we ignore even our own instincts? Why can't we change and stop playing these mental games with ourselves? We should be able to identify the mistaken logic that we apply to no one but ourselves.

Employees who have eliminated the need for changing careers from their life might be suffering from a job burnout situation. Physical exhaustion, emotional exhaustion and mental exhaustion together lead to getting burned out on your job. Under such circumstances, you would feel quite helpless and entrapped and develop a negative self concept. A great career is all about doing a job that you enjoy and love doing. But, when a job makes you feel helpless and entrapped, it is definitely not the career you are looking for. You need to change your career or job. When you start enjoying your job and loving what you do, it becomes a career.

While changing jobs or careers, you should also give it careful though and consideration. Think of what you like to do and what your weaknesses are. Is your current job utilizing the skills that you are strongest in? It is important to consider the reasons that signal a career change. You really need to decide whether you need to change the job or the career. Make a careful analysis of your career and your present job situation. The job outlook in a particular industry may also be an indicator of a career change if situations are really aggravating. If you are planning a career change, you can also go for one of the many free career tests available online. Based on your responses to a set of questions related to your strengths, weakness, aptitude and skills, the career test can actually recommend you a career path that would be most profitable and fulfilling for you.

College graduates and students can avail themselves of a number of job search resources to get entry level jobs. College students can not only benefit from their college career services office and the alumni, but they can also browse through their college websites that provide useful listings including current entry level job openings and other job search tips and suggestions. To successfully land entry level jobs, college students need to make use of all these essential resources available to them. Whether it is in terms of personal assistance or online search, entry level job search options are many. However, students should be equipped with tips and suggestions on how to go about searching for various entry level positions in the job industry.

College Job Search Tips
College students need to kick start their entry level job search at college and university career services office. While doing their job search, students should never overlook or miss to avail themselves of the facilities provided by these college and university career services. Essential services provided at these centers include job listings, internships listings, career counseling, recruitment programs accessibility and job search assistance among others. Career counselors at these college career services centers also help students with comprehending the guidelines and procedures associated with entry level college job search.

Plenty of online job search resources are also available for college students. Whether you are looking for part-time jobs, full time entry level jobs, seasonal job opportunities or internships, you can easily find a number of job and career sites that can help you in your search as well as obtaining a job of your interest. In fact, there are specific job sites dedicated to entry level jobs alone. On these sites, students can register, post their resume and apply for the jobs too. Entry level job sites can be broadly classified into college-specific and open-to-all job websites.

Sites that operate in collaboration with college career services offices will need you to acquire passwords to access the online services whereas those that are not operated through a college welcome college students from all background and places. In case of the former type, you need to make sure whether the college has partnered with a particular entry level job site and then get in touch with the college career services centre to obtain the password.

Entry Level Employers
Recent college graduates as well as seniors should be aware of the fact that every year multiple employers hire a huge number of college graduates at entry level positions. In spite of the hype created by media, there are thousands of entry level job positions are available. However, college students need to use the essential job search tips, use job hunting skills and be persistent in their effort. Students can prepare themselves to target from among these employers and apply for the available jobs for entry level positions. Besides, most of the employers also recruit college graduates directly from their academic institutions through campus interviews and resume collection from the college career services office.

Being a recent graduate, you may not find yourself actually prepared for a full time or real job. Candidates need not worry about that, as there are multiple alternative working options are available including part-time jobs, short term work experiences, summer jobs, other seasonal jobs, internships etc. Whether you are a recent college graduate or a senior, you should develop a search strategy to apply during your graduate level or entry level job search. Be consistent in your effort, be focused and apply to as many job opportunities as available.

Searching for a job is a long process and takes effort. It can take months before you are able to find a job that matches your specific requirements. Patience is the key while you do your job search. However, there are some methods and tips that can really help you to speed up the process of searching and finding a job. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, jobseekers who make use of multiple job search methods find a job faster than candidates who use just one or two of these search methods. Given below are some advice and tips on how to do job search faster and find job openings. Read on.

Personal Contact or Network
Those who are aware of the career planning tips must be aware that almost 50% of the jobs are acquired through personal network. Jobseekers, therefore, should know that there are multiple job openings that they will not find in advertisements. These jobs can be found only through the personal network that they have developed. While doing your job search, you must be in continuous touch with friends, neighbors, family, teachers, former co-workers etc. These people on your personal network can prove to be an effective source of job search. Keep contact with these people and also remember to keep your personal network growing to maximize job search benefits.

Career Placement Offices
High schools and colleges have their own placement offices. From time to time, they also organize many careers fairs and campus interviews. If you are a member of the college or high school alumni, you can avail maximum job search benefits. These school career planning and placement offices also offer services including career counseling and career testing. These career placement offices also host job workshops. Apart from that, they also have a list of the current job openings and can be of immense help for all those who are searching for jobs.

Classified Advertisements
Jobseekers can check out both the online classified ads and print classified ads. Many people land required job by getting in touch with the employers through these classified ads. While you use classified ads for job search methods, you should keep a couple of things in mind. First and foremost, these job ads mostly list urgent job openings and need prompt response from jobseekers. Read the classified ads on a daily basis and also keep a record of the job ads that you have already applied or responded to.

Online Job Search
The World Wide Web or the Internet has also proved to be one of the greatest job search resources. Whether you are an Internet savvy or not, you should not miss the opportunity of landing excellent job opportunities by searching online. There are hundreds of job search websites that list current job openings across a wide range of industries. These job sites can be categorized into those that list local jobs and the ones that list national jobs. Internet forums are also a wonderful way to discuss job related issues and be aware of latest job openings. Most of the job websites also offer jobseekers to submit their resume online.

State Employment Service Offices
Do remember to check out the state government telephone listings under ‘job service' category. The state has its local offices distributed across the nation. Also referred to as Job Service, the State Employment Service works in collaboration with the US Department of Labor's Employment and Training Administration. These state employment services benefit both jobseekers as well employers. And the best part is that the job services come free of cost.

Community Agencies
There are many religious institutions and vocational rehabilitation agencies that also provide free job search and career counseling services for youths, minorities, women etc. These are non-profit organizations and work towards contributing towards the community. Usually, these community agencies function to assist particular groups of jobseekers, as aforementioned.

Labor Unions
Labor unions and state apprenticeship councils are also a good option to turn to while doing your job search. Besides offering employment services to members, these labor unions also run a variety of apprenticeship programs.

Private Career Consultants & Employment Agencies
Private employment agencies can prove to be a good job search and career placement option if you are looking to save time. However the consultancy and employment services of these private agencies are provided for a charge or on a commission basis. If you are using these job search services, either you or the employer will be paying the service fees. Private career consultants that provide services on a commission basis may charge a percentage a percentage of your first year's salary as their service fees.

While searching for jobs, you should be smart enough to make use of as many job search methods as possible. Keep these job search advices in mind, but be careful not to fall prey to job scams.

Career opportunity is the need of the time. Graduate, undergraduate, employed or unemployed all equally search for a career opportunity. There are books written on how to get a career opportunity and counselors to help you locating career opportunity in various fields. It is in your best interest to locate a career opportunity by assessing your skills.

Locating career opportunities

Career opportunity largely depends on the qualifications you have. Qualifications can be divided into three categories academic, sports and fine arts for locating a career opportunity. This classification will certainly help you to narrow down your search for a career opportunity.

Academic career opportunity

A number of degrees are offered in this category. You can go for a degree in master of business administration, medical, finance, law, engineering, computer engineering, graphic designing, accountancy and more. You will career opportunity to become administrator, doctor, finance officer, legal adviser, software engineer etc. by getting one of the above mentioned degrees.

Sports career opportunity

Cricket, football, swimming, baseball, basketball, hockey, tennis, cycling, gymnastic etc. are some of the sports with a career opportunity for deserving sportsperson. You can get a career opportunity to become coach, referee or a renowned personality in sports after getting training in the concerned field. Becoming the coach of a team of a country is zenith of sports career opportunity.

Career opportunity in fine arts

Painting, sculpting, music, stage performing, acting, writing are some of the fine arts where you can find a career opportunity. Get trained in a fine art school to make career as a painter, musician, actor, writer etc.

Career opportunity institutes

A number of online and traditional institutes offer courses to student. You can easily locate a career opportunity by getting certificates, diplomas and degrees in a course. People opt to study online because they get wide variety of choice between courses. Moreover they can attend classes, do practical, work on a project and chat with their professors online. Studying online is economical too because the fees structure varies from one institute to another. You can search for an online institute, which has a cost effective fee structure.

Online institutes best suit to those persons, who are busy earning bread and butter for their family. They need not to take long study leaves. It is at the liberty of students to attend classes. You can attend online classes either on weekend, night or whenever you feel free. Admissions for online institutes are open round the year. Universities, schools and colleges are the traditional institutes. You can study in a college if you have ample time to spend on education.

Choosing the right course

The kind of career opportunity you get largely depends upon the course you study. You can take guidance from a career counselor. The career counselor has vast knowledge on courses, eligibilities for different courses, institutes for courses and the career opportunity you can get by studying different courses. There are books written on various courses available as well as the career opportunity you will get. One can choose a course by going through a book. You can also take guidance from your parents and friends.

According to experts, the students must analyze their strengths and weaknesses for choosing a course. First search of a course of your ability and then locate a career opportunity. Stick to your decision unless you get a career opportunity.

Career development is the primary goal of studying for a student. For career development you go to school, college and if required career development institutes too. Schools have become the center where students start their career development activities. Attending seminars on career development, asking questions regarding career development to school counselor, reading books on career development

are some of the career development activities. By selecting a course while in school, a student wins half the battle. You can further study the course in a college and thus make a steady progress in your career development.

Career counseling for career development

Without taking the help of a career counselor, one cannot think of career development. The first career counseling is provided to a child by parents. There are career counselors in school and colleges. You can also avail the services of professional career counselors by paying their fees. A career counselor helps in career development in many ways.

• Your career development depends largely on your strengths as well as weakness. To analyze your capabilities career counselors ask various questions.
• Career counselors are experts in helping career development. They will give you a list of career courses to choose between.
• Career counselors have wide knowledge, which they use to introduce many areas of career development.
• Your career development is solely depended on the information you have. Career counselors are the reliable source of information.
• Career counseling makes it easy for students to choose a course for career development among an assortment of courses available.

Career tests for career development

Students will like to appear for career tests conducted by many websites. These websites conduct test either free or paid. The test is conducted online. Students need not to spare time for this career test as you can appear whenever you feel free. It contains a set of basic questions regarding your career development. A group of career development experts examines the answers to provide you various career courses matching your qualification. Although there many websites, which conduct career tests but Princeton Review Career Quiz, Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI), Strong Interest Inventory, jobdiagnosis.com and Keirsey Temperament Sorter are the prominent.

Career development institutes

Students can get certificate courses, diplomas and degrees for career development from online as well as traditional institutes. Online career development institutes are becoming popular day be day. Majority of students are enrolling in online career development institutes. Some major benefits of studying online are as follows.

• It is easy to do career development for working people by enrolling themselves in online institutes.
• Online institutes offer thousands of career development courses to the aspirants.
• Students can attend classes online whenever they feel free. This flexibility has inspired many persons to study online.
• Fees for various career development courses vary from one online institute to another. You can search for an institute, which offers cost effective fees structure.

Career development courses

A number of career development courses are taught by traditional and online institutes. You should decide on your own which course to study. You can go for master of business administrations, law, fashion designing, graphic designing, finance, accountancy, engineering, computer engineering, medical etc. If you are interested in sports or other arts then you should choose cricket, football, baseball, swimming, athletics, cycling, mountaineering, painting, singing etc. as a career development course.

Career counseling is required by everyone. Career counseling is taking the shape of an industry due to its rising demand among career conscious generation. Career counseling services are available online and offline too. Either you can visit the office of an expert career counselor or chat with him online for career counseling.

Reasons to seek career counseling

• You need career counseling as a fresh graduate. Career counseling makes it easy for you to choose the right career among a host of careers available.
• Career counseling is also required for those, who want to change their career. They can visit a career counselor for scanning various career options.
• The persons, who are stuck in the mid of their career, go for career counseling. A career counselor can tell them whether they should change the career or only a job change can help them.

Benefits of career counseling

Career counseling can be beneficial for you in many ways.

• An expert career counselor can put your qualification, experience, strengths and weakness in a broad perspective. It will help you greatly to find your current position as well as the future direction.
• You have to answer some basic questions asked by counselor. On the basis of your answers, the career counselor will give you some career options to choose.
• The career counselor with his vast knowledge of careers can open the doors of a new world before you. Only a career counselor can tell you pros and cons of various careers.
• By taking career counseling you can make a long list of career options, which suits to your qualifications.

The benefits you can get from career counseling do not end here. You will come to know about more benefits by visiting a career counselor.

Career counseling centers

The actual career counseling of a child starts from his or her home. Parents are the career counselors you meet first. Afterwards as you progress, you come to know about more career counseling centers.

• Every school has career counseling centers. They appoint expert career counselors to guide their students.
• You can find career counselors in colleges to show you the right path. Colleges either have their own career counseling centers or they call professional career consolers.
• Ask your friends about what careers your friends are choosing? Why they are choosing those careers? Career counseling by friends will help you to narrow down your search for careers.
• There are books written by prominent authors on career counseling. You can read them in libraries.
• You can visit a professional career counselor for career counseling. It may cost come money.
• Many career counselors give free online advice. You can search on internet for getting free career counseling.

Appearing for online career test is the latest way of online career counseling.

Career test for career counseling

There are many websites, which do career counseling by conducting career tests. It contains a set of questions which range from your family background to personal likes and dislikes. On the basis of your answers the expert career counselors provide you a list of career options. Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI), jobdiagnosis.com, Princeton Review Career Quiz, Strong Interest Inventory and Keirsey Temperament Sorter are some of the most visited career test conducting websites.

People think of career change due to many reasons. Career change is more than just switching over to new kind of job or searching for a new employer. Career change may bring in high salary for you but you must be prepared to compromise on your first salary after career change. A deep deliberation over the reasons of career change is required for a successful career change.

Reasons for career change

Career change does not require a particular reason. You can go for career change anytime you feel you should. Following are the probable reasons for career change.

• Enthusiasm to earn more money is the most prominent reason for career change in twenty first century. If you see that one of your friends is earning more than you then you may feel inspired to adopt his career in the hope to earn more.
• Frustration from your present career can also inspire you to seek career change. If you cannot get a job according to your expectation then you may get frustrated.
• People, who are working just to earn bread and butter, may consider a career change after becoming financially strong.
• Sometimes friends and family members try to persuade you for a career change. They assume that you can excel in life if you go for a career change.
• It is analyzed that ratio of career change is higher in young generation than adults. People in their young age are more involved in career change because they get impressed or frustrated quickly. Young people have more time to invest in career change than the adults.

Planning before career change

Whatever the reason may be for your career change, you must remember that you have opted for your present career. Moreover, a career change does not mean happiness forever. Ask yourself why you opted for present career and why do you want career change? You may not need a career change after getting the answer to these questions. If you still want to go for career change then take some careful steps.

• In your new career, you will start searching for a job as a fresher and not as an experienced person. It may take some months to you to get at least a job. You must strengthen your financial position before career change.
• Every career needs some sort of training. You should join an online institute for training. You can study online without loosing your present job.
• Gather as much information as you can on the career you want to join after career change. It will help you to differentiate between your present and future job.
• Try to locate your career change goals in your present organization. If you are successful in doing this exercise then you will escape the hurdles of searching a new job.
• Start making plans for career change months before you actually change your career. You should start searching for new career as you did last time to search your present career.

It is advised from expert career counselors that doing career change for wrong reasons or on impulse leads to resentment. You may not feel happy with the career you are going to choose. If you are unsatisfied with your present job then do not blame your career. Just a job change can save you from career change.