University of South Florida

Self-assessment is a critical first step in choosing a career. Taking time to reflect on your interests, skills and work values will help you find a good match with careers that use those traits.

Assessment instruments ARE NOT TESTS. They are only tools to help you better understand yourself and see how your interests, skills and values fit into the work world. The results are just one piece of information you can use when making a career choice.

The Career Center offers a number of assessment instruments. After completing one or more of these instruments, we encourage you to schedule an appointment with your career counselor to discuss the results and match them to career options. Be sure to bring a copy of your assessment results with you.

The following assessment tools are free of charge and available online:

CareerBeam Brings you some of the most comprehensive company and industry research tools, international databases and lead generation technology in the market. Their success center also has a career development seminar series with assessments, professional resume & cover letter builders and job search strategy resources. Purchased by the USF Career Center for the use of USF students.

e-Choices is designed to help you assess and identify your interests, and match those interests with occupations within the state of Florida. The site also has extensive databases of occupations, colleges, universities, and graduate schools.

Keirsey Temperament Sorter
is designed to identify different kinds of personality temperaments and help you assess your preferences. The results will give you a 4-letter personality indicator and explanation of what each means.

SIGI 3 is a comprehensive, interactive, computer-assisted career guidance system designed to assist you in making career choices. The system matches your personal and occupational profile to potential career fields. Information regarding work descriptions, required skills and education, advancement, income and employment outlook is provided for numerous occupations. SIGI 3 is housed on the FACTS.org website. You can access it by clicking on Career Planning and scroll down the menu to reach SIGI 3. NOTE: You will need an access code to log on to Sigi 3. This can be obtained in Walk-in Advising or by contacting your career counselor. Purchased by the USF Career Center for the use of USF students.

The Occupational Information Network (O'Net)
maintained by the Department of Labor, allows you to find jobs that fit your interest, skills and experience; explore career profiles from the latest labor market data; search for occupations that use your skills; view specific details about occupations and identify related occupations.

Transferable Skills Survey
Developed by the University of Minnesota, this survey asks you to rate 62 items from 0 to 3 in the following categories: communication, research and planning, human relations, organization, management and leadership and work survival skills and provides a percentage ranking of your skills from these major skill set categories.

Holland’s Self- Directed Search (SDS)
The Self Directed Search is one of the most widely-used assessment tools. The SDS measures your strengths and interests based on multiple factors and identifies three occupational categories matching your responses from the following six: Realistic, Investigative, Artistic, Social, Enterprising, and Conventional. Each of the categories leads you to specific occupations that people with responses similar to yours have found satisfying. This assessment is not on-line. It is assigned and interpreted by a career counselor when he/she has determined it is the appropriate instrument for your use.

Career Center Resources to Help you with Self-Assessment

Online Seminar : "Find a Career that Fits.”

Career Library & Computer Lab

Career & Job Search Websites: Skills Identification

Walk-in Advising: 15 minute question and answer session. Fall & Spring only.

Individual Appointment with a Career Counselor: Call 813-974-2171 to schedule.

Office Hours: M-F: 8am-5pm
Walk-in Hours: Mon/Wed/Thur, 10 - 3 & Tues, 10 - 12:30, Fall/Spring