Career Assessments

Career assessments are designed to help you understand how your personal attributes impact potential success and satisfaction with different career options and work environments.

While no assessment can perfectly capture who you are or predict what occupation you’ll pursue, they can help you narrow choices and discover options you may not have considered. Taking an assessment is a first step in the career exploration process.

MyMajors

MyMajors is a major exploration assessment that will help you identify your best major fits at the University of Iowa based upon your academic aptitudes, interests, and personality. MyMajors is a free assessment that takes about 15 minutes to complete.

YouScience

FREE, online assessment that is comprised of 16 separate "brain game" exercises

Identifies both your interests AND aptitudes allowing you to discover what makes you unique

Offers an interactive result profile that provides information on occupations that align with who you are and your abilities

Plan on 1.5 - 2 hours to complete the assessment; results are provided within 12 hours

Focus2

FREE, online assessment that is comprised of five short inventories

Examine your interests, skills, personality, and values

Review and research majors and occupations that best match your profile

Plan on 20 - 30 minutes to complete the assessment; results are provided instantly

Note: Access code for our school is "Hawks".

Exploring Majors

Choosing a major can be a difficult task! There are so many great options to choose from - but how do you determine which one is the best fit for you?

Visit with a Career Coach to discuss the options and/or take a career or interest assessment
Talk with someone who is currently in that major, professors teaching in that major or friends/parents/alumni who have graduated with that major - here is a guide to Informational Interviewing
Take classes in different areas to see what you are interested in
Explore volunteer opportunities, internships or other experiences in those areas to see if it is something you want to pursue.

Career Exploration Worksheet

This worksheet will help you reflect on what's important to you, which is the first step to understanding what to look for in a job or career. In this document, you will gather what you are good at, experiences you have had, what you would like to improve or learn and what is important to you.

Gaining Experience Worksheet

Looking to explore careers? Consider getting involved in experiences. There are many benefits to engaging with activities on and off campus. Find your fit by rating your goals in each column.

Below are free resources you can use to learn more about different career fields. Explore types of jobs available in different fields, what a job entails, if the field is growing, educational requirements, salary ranges and other helpful information.

**O*Net**

Look up occupations to discover tasks, skills, values, work activities, educational requirements, salary ranges and other fun facts associated with different careers. Explore tools to help you match skills, experiences and interests to occupations and plan your next move.

Occupational Outlook Handbook

Find career information on duties, education and training, pay and outlook for hundreds of occupations.

FirstHand for UI Users

Be sure to log in from this link or bookmark to access the UI portal for FirstHand. This allows you free access to services you would otherwise pay for as an independent user.

Browse, career & industry guides for many different fields within business, non-profit and government sectors. Learn what jobs are associated with different careers and what you’d do in those positions. Research companies, see employer rankings and view internship/job postings.