69传媒

Special Report
College & Workforce Readiness

Country鈥檚 Oldest Career-Matching Test Gets an Update

By Sarah D. Sparks 鈥 May 24, 2017 2 min read
  • Save to favorites
  • Print
Email Copy URL

The makers of the country鈥檚 oldest career tests are taking a fresh look at how to help students find careers in which they can feel successful.

The , or ASVAB, now includes a 12-minute survey designed to match students to occupations based on their interests, not their personality traits. While now used only for those enlisted in the U.S. Navy and U.S. Air Force, the interest survey is a model for a more concrete way to predict students鈥 success in different fields. Stephen Watson, the director of Navy Selection and Classification, who helped develop the interest assessment, said its format could be used more broadly for students and civilian jobs.

鈥淚t鈥檚 a matchmaking service, but instead of matching people to people, we match people to jobs,鈥 Watson said.

Most career-interest assessments, such as the Campbell Interest and Skill Survey or the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, rate students on an array of personality traits鈥攆or example, how gregarious or conscientious they are鈥攁nd help students compare that with the characteristics considered typical in a given occupation. The inventories for particular occupations must be regularly revised as more diverse people come into the workforce.

鈥淲e talk a lot about whether kids have the skills they need in college and careers. Wonderful, ... but we don鈥檛 talk about how students鈥 interests affect how they succeed in college and careers,鈥 said Wayne Camara, the senior vice president of research at ACT. Though not affiliated with the ASVAB, he previously served on a technical committee for the test.

The ASVAB has long tested several general academic areas, such as reading, mathematics, and science as well as more technical skills like assembling objects and mechanical understanding. For the new career-interest survey accompanying the test, the Navy created profiles of 80 active jobs in the service, by interviewing service members who had been in each of the jobs for several years鈥攁nd who had been both successful and happy in those jobs.

When someone takes the survey, they are asked to rate their interest in photos of people doing specific tasks on each job. For example, instead of asking a participant if he likes working outside, the assessment might give specific photos of someone taking field samples, operating underwater equipment, or setting up a campsite.

鈥淭hey just have to look at something and say, 鈥楥an I identify myself in that? Is that something I can see myself doing?鈥 鈥 Watson said.

Rather than getting a single score, each participant gets a profile based on his or her qualifications, physical capabilities, and security screening, plus a 40-point interest assessment.

In an evaluation following nearly 4,800 new sailors who took both the ASVAB and the interest survey, those who were matched to jobs based on the Job Opportunities in the Navy (JOIN) survey were more likely than those who had not been matched based on their scores to have been promoted to a higher pay grade by the end of their term of service and also more likely to express satisfaction in their job and re-enlist in the military when their time was up.

A version of this article appeared in the May 24, 2017 edition of Education Week as Hey, Sailor, What Career Matches Your Interests?

Events

School & District Management Webinar Crafting Outcomes-Based Contracts That Work for Everyone
Discover the power of outcomes-based contracts and how they can drive student achievement.
This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
School & District Management Webinar
Harnessing AI to Address Chronic Absenteeism in 69传媒
Learn how AI can help your district improve student attendance and boost academic outcomes.
Content provided by 
School & District Management Webinar EdMarketer Quick Hit: What鈥檚 Trending among K-12 Leaders?
What issues are keeping K-12 leaders up at night? Join us for EdMarketer Quick Hit: What鈥檚 Trending among K-12 Leaders?

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide 鈥 elementary, middle, high school and more.
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.

Read Next

College & Workforce Readiness These 69传媒 Are the Hardest for 69传媒 to Track After Graduation
State education chiefs are working with the Pentagon to make students' enlistment data more accessible for schools.
5 min read
69传媒 in the new Army prep course stand at attention after physical training exercises at Fort Jackson in Columbia, S.C., on Aug. 27, 2022. The new program prepares recruits for the demands of basic training.
69传媒 in the new Army prep course stand at attention after physical training exercises at Fort Jackson in Columbia, S.C., on Aug. 27, 2022. State education leaders are working with the Pentagon to make graduates' enlistment data part of their data systems.
Sean Rayford/AP
College & Workforce Readiness As Biden Prepares to Leave Office, He Touts His 'Classroom to Career' Work
At a White House event, the president and first lady highlighted their workforce-development efforts.
3 min read
President Joe Biden speaks at the Classroom to Career Summit in the East Room of the White House in Washington, Wednesday, Nov. 13, 2024.
President Joe Biden speaks at the Classroom to Career Summit in the East Room of the White House in Washington on Nov. 13, 2024.
Ben Curtis/AP
College & Workforce Readiness Can the AP Model Work for CTE? How the College Board Is Embracing Career Prep
The organization known for AP courses and the SAT is getting more involved in helping students explore potential careers.
5 min read
David Coleman, CEO of the College Board, speaks at the organization's annual conference in Austin, Texas, on Oct. 21, 2024.
David Coleman, CEO of the College Board, speaks at the organization's annual conference in Austin, Texas, on Oct. 21, 2024. Long an institution invested in preparing students for college, the College Board increasingly has an eye on illuminating career options.
Ileana Najarro/Education Week
College & Workforce Readiness The Way 69传媒 Offer CTE Classes Is About to Change. Here's How
The revision could lead to significant shifts in the types of jobs schools highlight, and the courses students are able to take.
4 min read
Photo of student working with surveying equipment.
E+