Career Matching Assessment

Career Matching Assessment - Video


Overview

The Defined Career Matching Assessment is designed to help students explore careers aligned with their interests, abilities, and work values. This tool supports career discovery and guidance — it does not predict outcomes or limit opportunities.

What Is the Assessment Based On?

The assessment is grounded in the U.S. Department of Labor’s O*NET occupational framework, a nationally maintained database that defines the characteristics of careers across the workforce.

The matching model incorporates three research-based components:

  • Interests (50%)

    Based on O*NET Interest themes aligned with Holland-style vocational interest theory.

  • Abilities (30%)

    Based on O*NET Ability categories (cognitive, physical, perceptual, and other work-related abilities).

  • Work Values (20%)

    Based on O*NET Work Values, which reflect what individuals find important in a work environment (e.g., helping others, independence, achievement).


Students self-assess in each of these areas. Their results are then compared to O*NET’s published occupational importance data.

How Career Matches Are Calculated

Career suggestions are generated through the following process:

  1. A student completes the self-assessment.
  2. The system creates an individual profile across interests, abilities, and work values.

  3. That profile is compared to O*NET’s importance ratings for each occupation.

    A weighted fit score is calculated:

    • Interests: 50%
    • Abilities: 30%
    • Work Values: 20%
  4. Careers are ranked based on alignment within that student’s own results.

Important Clarifications

  • Careers are ranked only within each individual student’s profile.
  • Students are not ranked against each other.
  • There is no comparison across the student population.
  • The system does not track, assign, or restrict students to specific career pathways.
  • All students can explore the entire career library, regardless of match score.

Matches are intended to serve as starting points for exploration, not final determinations.

College and Non-College Pathways

Results include careers across multiple education and training levels, including:

  • Careers requiring shorter-term training (O*NET Job Zones 2–3)
  • Careers requiring four or more years of postsecondary education (O*NET Job Zones 4–5)

This ensures students are exposed to a broad range of postsecondary options.

Bias and Fairness

The Career Matching Assessment is designed as an exploratory guidance tool, not a high-stakes decision system.

  • The algorithm does not use demographic information (such as race, gender, income, or disability status) in calculating results.
  • It does not determine eligibility, placement, or tracking.
  • Occupational data is sourced directly from the federally maintained O*NET database.
  • Students retain full access to explore any career, regardless of match results.

Because the tool is based on self-report responses and standardized occupational data, results are meant to encourage reflection and discussion rather than serve as definitive career prescriptions.

How Often Should Students Take It?

We recommend students complete the assessment multiple times as interests and abilities change over time.  The assessment is suitable for grades 6-12.

Sections may be retaken if desired, and results are automatically recalculated based on the most recent responses. Past attempts are stored and always accessible.

What Students See After Completing the Assessment


When a student finishes the career assessment, their results are

processed and displayed as a personalized career report. The report has

four main sections:


  1. Overview

A written summary explaining the student's top strengths, interests, and

workplace preferences in plain language. This gives the student (and

you) a quick snapshot of their profile before diving into the details.


  1. Your Unique Profile

This section breaks down the student's results into three categories:


  • Abilities — What the student is naturally good at (e.g., Verbal Abilities, Spatial Abilities, Memory). Each ability includes a rating from "Getting Started" to "Excellent" and a short description of what that strength means in practice.
  • Interests — Based on the RIASEC model (Realistic, Investigative, Artistic, Social, Enterprising, Conventional). Each interest includes suggested exploration activities students can try, like joining clubs, volunteering, or trying new hobbies.
  • Work Values — What matters most to the student in a job (e.g., Achievement, Independence, Relationships, Working Conditions). Rated from "Least" to "Most" important. These help students understand what kind of work environment will keep them motivated.

  1. Career Suggestions

Matched careers are split into two groups:


  • Quick Start — Careers requiring 2 years or less of education (certificates, associate's degrees, apprenticeships)
  • Advanced — Careers requiring 4+ years of education (bachelor's degree or higher)

Each career card shows:


  • A/I/W bars — Small color-coded indicators showing how well the career matches the student's Abilities, Interests, and Work Values individually. Green = excellent match, blue = good, yellow = moderate, red = low.
  • Industry cluster — The broader career field the job belongs to
  • A brief description of the career

Students can click View Details on any career to open a deeper look with

three steps:


  1. Background — What people in this career actually do, alternate job titles, the career cluster it belongs to, and an AI Impact score showing how much artificial intelligence may affect the role in the future.
  2. Why It's a Match — A breakdown showing exactly which of the student's abilities, interests, and values align with this career and how strongly.
  3. Experiences — Hands-on career experiences the student can try right now, plus simulated job postings they can use for mock interview and application practice.

At the top of this section, a Top Career Clusters summary shows which

broader career areas appeared most often across all the student's

matches — helpful for spotting patterns.


  1. Next Steps

Links to additional platform tools:


  • Job Boards & Mock Interviews — Practice applying and interviewing
  • Career Tools — Additional planning and exploration resources

How the Matching Works


The assessment scores each student across three areas, then matches them

against 900+ careers using O*NET occupational data. The final match is

a weighted combination:

Section Weight
Interests 50%
Abilities 30%
Work Values 20%

Interests carry the most weight because research shows people are most satisfied in careers that align with what they enjoy doing.   


Tips for Discussing Results with Students


  • No wrong answers. The results are a starting point for exploration, not a final answer.
  • Look at patterns, not just individual careers. If several matches fall in the same cluster (e.g., Healthcare or Technology), that's a strong signal worth exploring.
  • The A/I/W bars tell a story. A career with high Interest but low Ability match might mean the student is drawn to the field but could benefit from skill-building. High Ability but low Interest might mean natural talent the student hasn't considered yet.
  • Encourage students to click into the Experiences tab. Trying a hands-on activity is worth more than reading about a career.
  • Students can retake the assessment as their interests and self-awareness develop over time.

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