Summarize the main features of the SII, KCS and SDS - Essay Example

A summary of the main features of major career assessment instruments: SII, KCS, and SDS Summary of the main features of major career assessment instruments: SII, KCS, and SDS In any quest for making an effective career decisions, one must be equipped with the right tools to help know more about itself. The Strong Interest Inventory (SII) is a self-report questionnaire that measures career and leisure interests. This tool encourages individuals to find a career where they are both good at and are interested in.

In 1927, E.K. Strong Jr. published a book on interest inventory which became the basis of this instrument (CPP, 2009). There are four main categories of scale that are used by most career counselors and educators. These are the General Occupational Themes (GOTs), Basic Interest Scales (BISs), Personal Style Scales (PSSs), and Occupational Scales (OSs). The Self-Directed Search (SDS) also works on the basis of interests and can be taken online. It was developed by Dr. John Holland based on his RIASEC Theory.

The principle behind is that people are most satisfied in work environments that reinforce their personalities. Therefore, SDS categorizes people based on RIASEC Codes: Realistic, Investigative, Artistic, Social, Enterprising, and Conventional (Sigma, 2009).The Kuder Career Search (KCS) is a comprehensive and research-based approach to career planning and development which is guided by the principles and vision of Dr. Frederic Kuder. Individuals are usually assessed in areas such as skills and values.

KCS is best suited to aid in generating lists of possible occupational possibilities. The individuals are compared to normative responders with a similar KCS patterns (Helledy, et. al. 2010). The Kuder instrument is widely used by students and adults worldwide. It is viewed that this instrument has more validity and stable norms (updated regularly) since interests tend to change over time. Studies have shown that job success is correlated more to abilities than interest (Drummond and Jones, 2010).

ReferencesCPP. 2009. Validity of the Strong Interest Inventory instrument. Retrieved from: https://www.cpp.com/Products/strong/strong_info.aspxR.J. Drummond and K.D. Jones. 2010. Assessment procedures for counselors and helping professionals. 7th ed. Pearson Education Inc. Merrill. Helledy, K., Zytowski, D.G, and N.A. Fouada. 2010. Kuder Career Search: Test-retest reliability and consequential validity. Journal of Career Assessment, Vol. 18. Pp. 97-110.Sigma. 2009. Self-directed Search. Sigma Assessment Systems Inc.

Retrieved from: http://www.sigmaassessmentsystems.com/assessments/sds.asp