Some career assessment resources

If we take qualitative assessment instruments to mean those “methods [which] are flexible, open-ended, holistic, and nonstatistical” (Goldman, 1992, p. 616), then logically, quantitative methods should be those which are structured, close-ended, focused, and use statistical methods. Testing should be standardised, valitated, and replicable. However, testing is also largely normed for US populations (Osborn & Zunker, 2016). A review of Buros shows that there are very few tests which have actually been normed for other nations, let alone for the smaller population groups within those nations (Spies et al., 2010).

While I appreciate the cost in developing career assessment instruments, It can be difficult to find sound quantitative testing methods - and their base theories - which aren't hidden behind a pay wall. Fortunately, the following two pages of testing resources are kindly supplied and maintained by US academic Paul Spector, of the University of South Florida. They should be of interest to anyone in career practice:

• Assessment Archive List
• Personality Test Battery list

Paul says on his page: "Looking for measures for a study? I have created two free assessment archives with links to dozens of organizational and nonorganizational measures. Almost all are free to use for noncommercial (educational/research) purposes. Where possible, I linked to the article itself that contains the measure, mostly on ResearchGate". These resources provide "organizational measures of attitudes, behavior, environment, leadership, occupational health/safety", plus "general measures of mental and physical health, health behavior, positive well-being, personality".

Paul can be emailed at pspector@usf.edu.

Sam

References

• Goldman, L. (1992). Qualitative assessment: An approach for counselors. Journal of Counseling and Development, 70(5), 616–621. http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/j.1556-6676.1992.tb01671.x
• Osborn, D. S., & Zunker, V. G. (2016). Using Assessment Results for Career Development (9th ed.). Cengage Learning.
• Spector, P. (2021). Assessment Archive. https://paulspector.com/assessments/assessment-archive/
• Spector, P. (2021). Personality. https://www.stevenericspector.com/mental-health-assessment-archive/personality/
• Spies, R. A., Carlson, J. F., & Geisinger, K. F. (Eds) (2010). The Eighteenth Mental Measurements Yearbook. The Buros Institute of Mental Measurements.