As a career coach, helping my clients gain insights into their personalities, interests, and career aspirations is a fundamental part of guiding them toward fulfilling and successful careers. If you’re exploring options for career coaching in Atlanta, two valuable tools to consider are CareerHunter and the Birkman Method. In this blog post, we’ll break down the strengths and limitations of each career assessment to help you make an informed decision that aligns with your professional goals and coaching needs. One of my clients was exploring the use of CareerHunter.io, so I took a look and compared it to the assessment that I use in my coaching practice.
CareerHunter:
CareerHunter is a comprehensive career assessment platform that comprises six psychometric tests, covering career interests, work personality, career motivators, and abstract, numerical, and verbal reasoning. The assessment’s purpose is to help users identify suitable career paths by analyzing these personal dimensions and using an algorithm to match their profile against an extensive database of over 250 career options. Upon completing all six tests, users receive personalized career matches (each with a fit percentage) and a detailed career report that highlights their top career recommendations. This comprehensive report not only lists the top 20 career matches (with in-depth profiles for the top five) but also provides additional guidance, including relevant course suggestions and real job openings aligned with the user’s results. Here is a sample report for your viewing pleasure.
Pros:
- Career Alignment: The CareerHunter assessment specifically helps individuals identify career options that align with their interests, skills, and values. It offers a focused approach for those seeking career clarity.
- User-Friendly Interface: CareerHunter typically features an easy-to-use interface, making it accessible for clients who may not have experience with complex assessments.
- Quick Results: The assessment typically provides swift results, which can be valuable for clients seeking immediate insights into potential career paths.
- Practical Recommendations: CareerHunter often includes recommendations for specific careers and industries, helping clients envision their future roles.
- Cost: The assessment costs less than $100, as of the time of this writing, as shown here. https://www.careerhunter.io/get-access
Cons:
- Limited Depth: While CareerHunter is excellent for pinpointing career interests, it may lack the depth to explore other crucial aspects of personality, such as interpersonal dynamics, leadership potential, or stress behaviors.
- Lack of Customization: The assessment typically follows a fixed format and may not accommodate customization based on unique client objectives or specific industry requirements.
- Narrow Focus: CareerHunter primarily concentrates on career-related aspects and may not be as versatile for broader personal development or leadership coaching.
The Birkman Method:
The Birkman Method is a comprehensive personality and occupational assessment that provides insight into an individual’s unique motivations, behavioral styles, and workplace needs. Unlike many personality tools that focus solely on traits or interests, Birkman integrates four key dimensions—Interests, Usual Behavior, Needs, and Stress Behavior—to offer a holistic view of how a person functions at their best, what support they require to sustain that performance, and how they react under prolonged stress. It’s particularly powerful in career development and team dynamics because it reveals both visible and invisible drivers of behavior, enabling deeper self-awareness, improved communication, and alignment between personal strengths and organizational environments. With over 70 years of research and validation, The Birkman Method equips individuals and teams with the insights needed to foster clarity, purpose, and psychological safety in the workplace.
Pros:
- Holistic Approach: The Birkman Method offers a comprehensive understanding of individuals’ personalities, encompassing traits, needs, interests, and stress behaviors. This holistic approach provides a well-rounded view, which can be invaluable in various career contexts.
- Needs: Birkman is the only assessment that helps you understand your underlying and motivational needs. When your needs are met, all is well with you, and when your needs are not met, you are likely to experience stress.
- Real-world Relevance: The Birkman Method focuses on understanding interpersonal dynamics and workplace behaviors, making it highly applicable in contexts such as career development, leadership coaching, and team dynamics.
- Visual Reports: The assessment provides visually engaging reports that are easy to understand, making it accessible to clients with varying levels of psychological expertise. You can check out my pricing page for sample reports or explore my resources page.
Cons:
- Cost: Similar to CareerHunter, the Birkman Method often involves fees, which can be a consideration for clients with budget constraints.
- Interpretation Complexity: Although the reports are user-friendly, interpreting Birkman Method results can be complex due to the multiple dimensions and variables involved. This complex interpreting is where a career coach can help you dig deeper to gain a better understanding of yourself.
- Time: It can take time to absorb all the data. Birkman can generate 40 different reports on an individual after they have taken the assessment, and digging into these takes some time and a commitment to learn.
Both the CareerHunter and the Birkman Method offer valuable insights into personality, interests, and career alignment. The choice between them should align with your specific needs and career objectives.
If you are primarily seeking immediate clarity regarding potential career paths and require practical recommendations, CareerHunter may be a suitable choice. Its user-friendly interface and focus on career alignment can help clients quickly identify promising avenues.
However, if you are seeking a more comprehensive understanding of their personality, interests, and interpersonal dynamics within a career context, the Birkman Method provides a versatile solution. Its adaptability, holistic approach, and real-world relevance make it particularly valuable in contexts such as career development, leadership coaching, and team dynamics.
What Should You Do Next?
Ultimately, you should base your choice on how well the assessment aligns with your career goals and how effectively you can apply it in your personal and professional journeys. As a career coach, my goal is to empower my clients to make informed career decisions and achieve their desired outcomes. I love the Birkman because of its focus on needs. After all, how can you find a job, a boss, and a culture that meets your needs if you don’t know yourself?
