Career Assessment on the Internet: An Exploratory Study

Abstract

In spite of the proliferation of job/career Web sites and the many articles and books discussing how to use these sites in job searching, we know of no research dealing with career assessment on the Internet. In an effort to remedy this deficit, the authors located a multitude of career sites containing a bewildering array of offerings. The research reported here focused on 24 Web career sites identified as having no-cost career assessment. While easy to use, the sites provided only a moderate degree of test interpretation and fit into a schema of career planning only to a limited extent. The authors' subjective overall evaluation of these sites was not high (3.3 on a 5-point scale)—just above the mid-point of "Neither good nor poor." Ratings of the factors based on the National Career Development Association (NCDA) guidelines for career planning on the Internet tended to be low: few sites provided much information about the developers of the site, no site asserted that its assessment instrument was validated for self-use, and no site stated that the sites to which it provided links met NCDA guidelines. Most sites provided confidentiality only to a limited extent in that they generally did not ask for the visitor's name and password. The authors discuss implications of their research for career counseling professionals, for career research, and for career site developers.

Cybercounseling: A New Modality for Counselor Training and Practice

“…Oliver and Zack (1999) discuss how career counselors can use the WWW to conduct career assessments to assist clients with making effective decisions that are in keeping with the clients' overall career goals. Through their research, Oliver and Zack examined and evaluated a number of career-related sites on the WWW and discussed the types of information provided, ethical precautions taken, and potential benefits for clients.…”

The Internet and School Psychology Practice

“…In regard to assessment, it is clear that many of the same psychometric standards (e.g., reliability, validity, norms) by which we evaluate non-Internet assessments also need to be applied to assessments given on the Internet. The importance of evaluating Internet-based tests is un-derscored by a recent review that indicated that most career tests on the Web were mediocre relative to professional standards (Oliver & Zack, 1999). Moreover, because an FTF or a paper and pencil assessment instrument has sound psychometric qualities, it cannot be assumed that an Internet version will have the same quality.…”

Strategies for Career Assessment Research on the Internet

“…Currently, the interpretations available on some sites are inadequate (Oliver & Zack, 1999). If access to counselors is not available, the caliber of interpretation becomes crucial.…”

“…As Jones (1999) stated, &dquo;in general, the Internet does not meet requirements for fixity that scholarship might require&dquo; (p. 7) and notes the complications this characteristic presents for rigorous research. Oliver and Zack (1999) reported that site changes-sometimes drastic onesrequired revisions of their ratings and their descriptions of some career assessment sites. In any event, researchers need to consider the impact of constant change and decide how to handle the difficulties it poses for research.…”

“…Oliver and Zack (1999) called for such research after noting considerable variation in the quality of the career sites and assessment instruments they examined. Hence the purpose of this paper is to discuss three approaches to Internet data collection and to describe several major research areas that need to be investigated.…”