Understanding self by identifying your interests, personality, skills and values through career assessments.

The first step to the career decision making and development model is to learn more about yourself. Complete the following four sections to learn about career decisions that are consistent with your interests, personality, skills and values. To get started, select one of the career assessment areas below.

Combined assessments help you to explore interests, personality, skills and values.

• Self-Assessments (Interests, Personality, Skills, Values)
• Handbook for Students Choosing or Changing Their Major
• Career Assessment Guide Activity

FOCUS 2

FOCUS 2 is an online, interactive, self-guided career and education planning system that can help you:

• Select a major based on your interests and aspirations
• Discover occupations matching your personal preferences and attributes
• Map out your career plans, present and future
• Make informed career decisions

Learn More

View FOCUS 2 Online Career and College Major Planning Presentation

Get Started

View/Print Setting Up Your FOCUS 2 Account Handout

Access code: NOVA
VCCS student e-mail account required to create an account

Click on the FOCUS 2 icon above to access the system.

Interest assessments help you to explore what you like and what you dislike.

Select an assessment below to explore your interests:

• R.I.A.S.E.C. O*NET Interest Profiler
• R.I.A.S.E.C. Minnesota MN Interest Assessment
• Virginia Education Wizard Interest Assessment

Career information by Interests:

• R.I.A.S.E.C. Descriptions
• R.I.A.S.E.C. Master Occupations List
• R.I.A.S.E.C. Code Job Description Search Tool
• R.I.A.S.E.C. Code Occupations Search Tool
• Interest Themes (George Mason University)
• R.I.A.S.E.C. Guide to Holland Codes
• Career Clusters Descriptions
• Career Clusters Information

Personality assessments help you to explore who you are as a person.

Select an assessment below to explore your personality:

• Jung Typology Test (based on MBTI)
• Keirsey Temperament Sorter II (based on MBTI)
• TypeFocus Assessment (based on MBTI)

Career information by Personality Type:

• MBTI Profiles
• Know Your Type
• Keirsey Personality Type & Temperament

Skills assessments help you to explore what you are good at and your talents.

Select an assessment below to explore your skills:

• Functional Skills Assessment
• Skills Assessment
• Transferrable Skills Assessment

Values assessments help you to explore what matters to you.

Select an assessment below to explore your values:

• Values Assessment
• Work Values Inventory 1
• Work Values Inventory 2

Assessments For Purchase At Each Campus Counseling and/or Career Center: (Please contact a career counselor directly to receive authorization for one of these assessments for purchase; these assessments are highly recommended.)

• Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (M.B.T.I.) – a personality inventory with a wide range of applicability including career decision making, learning, stress, relationships, communication, and etc.
• Strong Interest Inventory – a career assessment instrument based on work related to interests and occupational information.

Exploring careers by researching information on academic majors, job salaries, outlook, required skills, educational requirements and typical work duties.

The next step in the career decision making and development process is to research occupations and majors that compliment your interests, personality, skills and values. There are many resources available to help you search these career options to include academic major information, occupational websites, informational interviews, the NOVA library, and Student Development courses (SDV) at NOVA.

Select an area below to begin your major and occupational research. 

Majors and Academic Information

• NOVA Degrees and Major Programs of Study
• Choosing Your Major
• Major Resource Kits
• Exploring Majors
• Guide to College Majors
• Major and Career Profiles

Occupational Information

• Occupational Outlook Handbook
• O*NET
• CareerOneStop
• Virginia Career View
• Virginia Education Wizard

Informational Interviews

• Questions for Informational Interviewing

NOVA Libraries

• NOVA Library

SDV  Career Courses

SDV 106 - Preparation for Employment
SDV 107 - Career Education
SDV 195 - Topics in Career/Major Decision-Making
Find Available SDV Courses in the Schedule of Classes

Making Decisions: Evaluate academic and career options to develop a personalized career plan.

The next step in the career decision making and development process is making a career choice. Answer the questions below according to the information you gathered about yourself and occupations to make an initial career choice.

Making Decisions: Identify Career Options

Making Decisions: Weigh the Pros and Cons

Making Decisions: Make a Decision

Making Decisions: Form S.M.A.R.T. Goals

Making Decisions: Take Action

Find employment by searching jobs, writing resumes and preparing for interviews.

"The next step in the career decision making and development process is finding a job. The successful job search takes preparation, planning, identifying job leads and interviewing."

Employment Preparation - Find jobs, write a good resume, and interview successfully

• Identifying Job Leads
• Building Resumes, Cover Letters and Portfolios
• Learning Interview Skills

Job Search Engines & Resources

• Career Builder
• Monster
• Job Search Engine
• Craigslist
• Job Hunters Bible
• USA Government Jobs
• Washington Post
• SnagAJob
• America’s Job Exchange
• Indeed

External Job Announcement Database

The External Job Announcement Database is a searchable database for external off campus jobs posted by community employers for NOVA students. The database allows students to conduct searches for regular full and part time jobs.

External Cooperative Education & Internship Announcements Database

The External Cooperative Education & Internship Announcements Database is a searchable database for external off campus coop and internship jobs that support work-based experiential learning posted by community employers for NOVA students. Most employers require students to be affiliated with an institution of higher education such as NOVA in order to participate in these coop and internship jobs under regulations set forth by the U.S. Department of Labor. Students interested in work-based experiential learning through NOVA must register for the required Cooperative Education or Coordinated Internship courses with Cooperative Education & Coordinated Internship Services.

DISCOVER

DISCOVER, ACT's comprehensive career planning program, combines the power of a research-based developmental guidance model with the career inventories, occupational information, majors information, and job search resources.

Please contact a career counselor to receive a user name token to access the Online Discover Program.

Internships Search Engines & Resources

• College Grad
• F.B.I. Internships
• Intern Web
• Monster
• USA Government Internships
• WetFeet Internship Search Engine