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What's New
January, 2010
The 2010 edition of our most popular e-Book "What Job is Best for Me?" is now out! To learn more about it and to see sample pages, please visit our eBookstore here.
November, 2009
You can now follow us on some of your favorite social media websites:
- Twitter
- Facebook
August, 2009
July, 2009
- The Career Key Summer 2009 Newsletter is now available for free download, with CK News, new products/updates and CK media coverage. For more information, please visit our Career Key newsletter page.
July, 2008
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The spread of harmful invalid career tests, especially on the internet, is a growing problem attracting national media attention. Top career development news outlets recently took the lead in raising awareness that people are harmed by invalid career tests, matched with careers chosen with no scientific basis. And viewing invalid career tests as "harmless guidance" denies the importance users give their test results while diminishing the credibility of the career development profession.
In the last six months, Dr. Lawrence K. Jones, author of the popular Career Key public service website and a recognized national expert on career development, wrote three articles in the top career development trade publications read by approximately 30,000 career development professionals nationwide:
- November/December 2007 issue of School Counselor magazine, "Testing the Test: Career interest tests can be an important tool in a school counselor's repertoire. Not, however, if the tests aren't valid. Learn how to separate the wheat from the chaff," published by the American School Counselors Association. For an article download, visit our Press Room.
- May 2008 issue of the national Washington Counseletter, "Special Report: Testing the Test; Harming Students by Using an Invalid Career Test," published by Chronicle Guidance Publications; and
- Summer 2008 issue of NCDA's Career Developments magazine, "Caution: Internet-Based Assessments May Be Hazardous to Your Career," published by the National Career Development Association.
Concern about harmful career tests has spread to the national media. In the Sunday June 29 column for Tribune Media Services, one of the U.S.'s most well-known career columnists, Joyce Lain Kennedy, wrote about invalid career tests: "Tests Just One Spoke on Career Wheel." See the column here.
And MSNBC's career columnist, Eve Tahmincioglu, wrote about The Career Key in her popular blog, Career Diva, listing our tips for choosing the right career test. Check out her post here.
May, 2008
- We are proud to announce the launch of our newest website, Career Key Canada. Canadian users can now take the scientifically valid Career Key test and receive accurate, up to date, and comprehensive Canadian information about matching Canadian jobs that interest them. We also integrated into the Career Key Canada website the best online Canadian resources for occupational information, labour market forecasts, and education options.
December
3 , 2007
We
are excited
to be in the
final stages
of launching
these new
features:
- 90-day
access to
test results
and career
exploration
history; and
- Multi-page
downloadable
color
booklet, "What
Your Scores
Mean"
By December 15, these features will be up and running on the Career Key website.
Existing password holders from our group purchase program can continue using the Career Key,
except they will also enjoy our new features; an email explaining
these changes to our existing group purchasers is coming soon.
Also by December 15, our new Self-Employment Key test will be launched with the same new features.
This unique test, along with high-quality self-help
modules, helps people decide whether self-employment
is right for them and what type of business
best fits their personality. In addition to receiving
scores for Holland's personality types, users will receive
scores for the two personality dimensions
most indicative of success in self-employment.
November,
2007
- Made available online for purchase the popular, scientifically
valid Career Decision Profile®. It is widely used by career
counselors to help assess clients' readiness for counseling,
determine the best services to provide, and to evaluate
counseling and program effectiveness. It is also frequently
used in research. Click here to order.
March - July, 2007
- Created an easy-to-use, one-page Guide to Using The
Career Key® to Meet the ASCA National Model Competencies. Download
here.
- March 3rd we presented at the Joint Conference of the
Oregon and Washington School Counselor Associations on "Meeting
ASCA Standards Using the Career Key®" Practical
and affordable methods school counselors can use to meet
the competencies of the ASCA National Model were discussed. Download
handouts.
More . . .
- July 6 we will present at The National Career Development
Association Global Conference in Seattle, WA: The Career
Key® and Global Collaboration via the Internet: Case
Study - The Caribbean. Ms. Angela deFreitas, the preeminent
leader of career counseling and guidance in the Caribbean
will be our guest and co-presenter. The Career Key® is truly international in its impact, positively
affecting the lives of students and adults.
January, 2007
- The Self-Employment
Key progresses. It will give you expert help in answering:
Do I want to be self-employed? Be an entrepreneur? Own
my own business? Which businesses best fit my personality?
It is based on the best science and practices of career
counseling. You get comprehensive, accurate information
about each one you identify.
- A special version of the Career Key test will match your
personality with occupations where 10 percent or more of
the people are self-employed AND much more . . . It will
be ready in the fall.
September, 2006
- The five island/nation tour presenting the Caribbean
edition of the Career Key was warmly received by school
counselors, educators, and labor officials. The presentations
were given by the author, Dr. Lawrence Jones, and the publisher,
Ms. Angela DeFreitas. It was sponsored by the ministries
of education, St. George’s University, J.E. Bergasse,
PSDP/European Union and Jolly Beach Vacations.
May, 2006
- The online store of the American School Counselor Association
offers the new notebook version of the Career Key.More.....
March, 2006
- A simple, inexpensive, discounted group purchase
option created for taking the Career Key® test.
This gives schools, colleges, and other groups an affordable
option for offering the Career Key test to those they
serve.
February, 2006
- Updated the occupational information database
for the Career Key website with the new 2006-7 data from
the Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational
Outlook Handbook.
All of the occupational information visitors receive at
the Career Key website is based on this new data -- the newest
and most comprehensive available.
September, 2005
- Fee-based Career Key test created to support
increasing costs of the website.
July, 2005
- The redesign of The Career Key® website is completed
and launched! Begun in April (see below), it is
designed to fulfill our mission: to be The nation's
source for professional help in making career choices. Email
us with your comments.
- Military
to a Civilian Career added. It
helps service personnel decide whether to leave the military
or not, and which career to choose, if they decide to
leave. Advice on minimizing adjustment problems
is also offered.
June, 2005
Five new modules added:
- Self-Employment is
designed to help individuals make a thoughtful, informed
decision about whether self-employment is a good option
for them.
- Getting Started Choosing a Career shows visitors how make
the best use of the many resources on the Career Key
website . . . where to start and how to proceed.
- Networking describes a powerful strategy
for job searching and career development. Practical
steps for developing an effective network are described.
- Changing
Careers is
about making good decisions about changing one's career.
April, 2005
The highly respected web design firm, Gravitate
Design Studio, helps us consider the aesthetics,
graphic design, navigation, and content of our website. How
can we best fulfill our mission: The nation's source
for professional help in making career choices --
the website everyone goes to for expert help with career
choices -- career changes, career planning, job skills,
and choosing a college major or educational program.
March, 2005
Job
Satisfaction added. Based on more than 40 years
of research, this article helps us understand why some
workers are happy in their work and others are dissatisfied
(over 50%). Visitors learn eight proven strategies
for maximizing job satisfaction.
March, 2005
Holland's
Theory of Career Choice and You revised to include
guidance for those people who have inconsistent
personality patterns, like Realistic-Social.
January, 2005
Angela deFreitas, the dominant leader in career education
and development in Jamaica, and publisher of the Caribbean
Career Key, launches A D Publications website, Choices.
Through her efforts the Caribbean Career Key now serves
thousands of adults and children.
April, 2004
In collaboration with the USAID and Alternative
Sociale in Romania, The Career Key® paper-pencil
test was translated and adapted for use in Romania. This
was part of a grant to discourage the exploitation of
children, especially sex slave trafficking. The
Romanian Career Key is now being distributed to teachers
and counselors by UNICEF.
February, 2004
The
Value of Career Counseling & Guidance added. The
authors of this report reviewed the research literature
for studies investigating the educational, social, and
economic benefits of informed career decisions. The
results help counselors and educators justify career
counseling and career guidance programs.
February, 2004
Achieving
the ASCA National Standards helps professional school
counselors use resources on the Career Key website to
meet most of the American School Counseling Association's
student competencies for Career Development, as well
as many in the Academic and Personal/Social areas.
January, 2004
Choosing
a Military Career added. Using a scientific
approach, visitors are helped in deciding about a career
in the military. The emphasis is on making a good
decision. Many helpful resources are offered.
January, 2004
Beware
of Harmful 'Tests' on the Internet is written for
the public. It describes how invalid career tests
can mislead and harm people. If evidence of validity
is not given, people should assume that they are invalid
and harmful -- and this includes most of the measures
on the Internet.
January, 2004
Harmful
Career 'Assessments' on the Internet warns professional
counselors and educators about the profusion of new career
tests, quizzes, sorters, finders, and profilers on the
Internet -- and the potential harm invalid measures can
do to their students and clients. |
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