Career Assessment Inventory™- The Vocational Version

Author: Charles B. Johansson, PhD

Updated: The Career Assessment Inventory has been updated to provide additional occupations, new suggested readings, new vocational codes, and career resources on the web. See the Profile Report and Interpretive Report descriptions later on this page for more information.

The Enhanced Version of the CAI inventory focuses on careers involving at least 4 years of post-secondary training.

The Career Assessment Inventory – Vocational Version compares an individual's vocational interests to those of individuals in 91 specific careers that reflect a range of positions in today's workforce – including skilled trades and technical and service professions – requiring 2 years or less of post-secondary training. The inventory is used by school counselors, job training specialists, psychologists, and personnel professionals who provide career guidance, adult career development, and human resource development.

How to Use This Inventory

This inventory can be used to help:

• Guide students to focus on the patterns of interest that are important in making educational and occupational choices



• Explore new career options with clients in vocational rehabilitation settings or one-stop career centers



• Advise individuals who are re-entering the workforce, in workforce development, considering a career change, or who have been displaced



• Clarify vocational opportunities for individuals in Tech Prep and School to Work programs

Key Features

• Provides scales for 91 occupations, enabling the counselor to explore a variety of career possibilities with the client.



• Easy to administer, taking only about 30 minutes on average to complete.



• Graphic and narrative test reports can be shared with the client and the narrative report provides a 3-page counselor's summary.



• Combined gender scales allow for the broadest interpretation of survery results.



• Uses occupational themes based on the widely-accepted RIASEC model to assist in the interpretation and explanation of interest scores.

Quick Facts

Scales

Basic Interest Area Scales

Realistic Theme

Investigative Theme

Artistic Theme

Social Theme

Enterprising Theme

Conventional Theme

Occupational Scales

Realistic Theme

Investigative Theme

Artistic Theme

Social Theme

Enterprising Theme

Conventional Theme

Nonoccupational Scales

Norms

Reference Samples (for the General Theme Scales andthe Basic Interest Area Scales)

The reference sample consisted of 1500 employed adults (750 male,750 female).

Reference Samples (for the Theme Scales, Basic Interest Area Scales,and Occupational Scales)

The reference sample consisted of 1,200 employed adults and students.The sample was stratified by selecting cases from a larger sample so that100 females and 100 males had their highest score on each of the six different theme scales.

Criterion Samples (for the Occupational Scales)

To be included in a criterion sample for one of the occupationalscales, an individual had to:

1. Be currently employed in the appropriate job
2. Have at least two years of experience on the job
3. Respond positively to the question "Do you like your work?"
4. Be less than 60 years old
5. Have the proper accreditation or degree required for the occupation

Report Options

Profile Report (Product Number 51461)
The profile report provides a graphical depiction of the individual's score on each scale, a list of Additional Occupations to investigate, and a page of career resources on the web. There is an option to print "Understanding Your Results," an in-depth description of how the results apply to the test taker.

View a sample Profile Report.

Interpretive Report (Product Number 51463)
The interpretive report presents several pages of graphs and narrative statements that explain the significant score elevations on each scale. It also provides additional reference information relevant to the highest scores, such as a list of Additional Occupations to investigate and a page of career resources on the web, new O*Net codes (SOC-Standard Occupational Classification) and older DOT codes (Dictionary of Occupational Titles) if required, and page references to the Occupational Outlook Handbook. There is an option to print a Counselor's Summary, which graphically represents the individual's scores on each scale, and "Understanding Your Results," which is an in-depth description of how the results apply to the test taker.

Scoring Options

Q™ Local Software - Enables you to score assessments, report results, and store and export data on your computer.

Mail-in Scoring Service - Specially designed answer sheets are mailed to us for processing within 24–48 hours of receipt and returned via regular mail.

- Allows you to score the assessments at your site.

Common Questions and Answers

What is the difference between the Vocational Versionand the Enhanced Version of the Career Assessment Inventory instrument?
The Vocational Version has 305 items and 91 occupations that requirelittle or no post-secondary education. It provides options for the trade-oriented individual or for immediate entry into the workforce. The Enhanced Version has 370 items and covers 111 occupations that require various levels ofeducation, meeting the needs of both non-college-bound and college-boundindividuals.

If I want to give one assessment to everyone (college-bound andnon-college-bound), which assessment would you recommend?
The Enhanced Version.

Does the Career Assessment Inventory instrument provide a counselor'ssummary?
Yes. When the interpretive report is generated, the counselor willreceive a counselor's summary, which is a profile of the client's results. The client may be given the interpretive report results.