Tip for Aimless Grads: Online Career Tests

Got kids coming home after graduating from college this month with a diploma, a truck-full of belongings and no clue what kind of career they want to pursue?

Not a new dilemma. But I was intrigued to learn that some grads are taking a mid-career approach at the start of their careers: working with career coaches to figure out what they want to do with their lives.

We're not talking college career centers. Career-counseling businesses geared directly to college grads are finding clients whose parents are eager to spend a few more thousand dollars after hefty tuition bills are paid, according to this New York Times article.

If your freshly minted grad could use some help but doesn't have a spare $2,950 for eight 90-minute career-coaching sessions, suggest she take a spin with some online career tests and career-planning tools.

As this QuintCareers.com article (not surprisingly) points out, test results may be better understood with the help of a counselor. But they can also provide a starting point for young adults who are still in test mode and need some help deciphering their interests and mapping their job skills.

In my years of writing about job-hunting and career planning, one of my favorite, most clear-eyed sources of advice has been Richard Bolles, author of the multi-edition job-hunting guide, "What Color is Your Parachute?" Check out his Web site for his views on online tests and job-advice Web sites. Then click your way to his "Seven Rules About Taking Career Tests." Here's one: Take a few tests, then " 'triangulate' the test 'profiles' to find your true self."

Bolles lists his recommended tests at the bottom of this section. Included are:

• The Princeton Review Career Quiz—A short, free list of 24 forced-choice questions

• John Holland's SDS (Self-Directed Search)—A 15-minute test for $9.95

• The Career Key—A 10-minute test for $7.95

It's a start, and a whole lot cheaper than shelling out thousands of dollars. But no test will provide a sure-fire answer. As Bolles says, tests have one purpose: "To give you ideas you hadn't thought of, and suggestions worth following up. But if you ask them to do more than that, you're asking too much."

Anyone had good or bad luck with online career tests? Share you experience below.