How much work have you done to know more about your personal values, interests, skills and abilities? I refer to this as your V.I.S.A. Just like visas get you travel access into countries, your V.I.S.A. gets you access to more successful career experiences.

Knowing who you are and what you have to offer must be considered as you contemplate any career choices or decisions.

There are many career assessments to help you get started and costs range from free to very expensive.

Tip: Remember that no career assessment will tell you what you should be or what you should do. The results, however, can offer you a framework within which to start exploring options or help reinforce your current choice. The results can tell you more about who you are in terms of your values, interests, skills and abilities. That information then becomes a filter as you evaluate career options.

Career Assessments:

O*NET Interest Profiler - Find out your interests and how they relate to your work. This Interest Profiler helps with decisions about what careers to pursue.

Myers Briggs Type Indicator - This is one of the most well-known assessments which results in a four-letter “type”—INFP or ESFJ, for example. The test helps to identify basic preferences for each of four dichotomies (such as introvert and extrovert) and describes 16 distinctive personality traits.

MAPP - The MAPP career assessment is perfect for students, graduates and working adults. You'll get a wealth of information to help find the right career that matches your unique assessment profile.

Values Assessment - The Values Test can help you learn more about your underlying work needs and motivations, and can help you decide what is important to you in a job.

Planning future career moves? Use our career insights tool to research education and certifications needed to succeed in your field, salary ranges in your profession, and the overall prospects of your industry.