Campbell Interest and Skill Survey

What is the value of the skills component of the CISS assessment?

When making career decisions, people generally weigh several factors, including interests and skills. Self-report skills reflect a level of confidence in the ability to do various activities. Estimates of skill level are typically based on experiences doing similar tasks and learning new things. The basis for the development of the CISS assessment is the belief that interests and skills are closely intertwined. In general, people tend to enjoy things they do well; likewise, they tend to perform well in areas they find interesting.

How does the new Campbell model and its seven orientations relate to the RIASEC model?

The CISS orientations and the RIASEC themes correspond as follows:

Although many of the CISS orientations have a reasonably close resemblance to their Holland (RIASEC) counterparts, there are some differences. Specifically, the CISS Influencing orientation reflects leadership activities, whereas Holland's RIASEC Enterprising theme tends to reflect sales and public relations activities. The CISS Organizing orientation tends to reflect management and financial service activities, whereas Holland's RIASEC Conventional theme reflects activities related to office and clerical work. The biggest difference is with the Holland Realistic theme. Within the CISS assessment, this theme is represented by the Producing orientation, which reflects mechanical, construction, and farming activities, and the Adventuring orientation, which reflects military, police, and athletic activities.

Can I use the CISS assessment effectively with individuals whose work-related experiences are limited?

Because no one has actually performed all of the activities listed in the CISS assessment, all respondents are, in a sense, extrapolating beyond the data. They are estimating their probable level of skill, given sufficient training and opportunity to learn. Younger respondents are also capable of making these estimates, provided they have a basic knowledge of the world of work.

Respondents, regardless of age or work experience, should be encouraged to identify overall themes in their scores rather than putting undue emphasis on the point values of single scores. Underlying themes are more stable and provide a solid base for respondents to extrapolate beyond the data provided by the CISS assessment.

How should flat or deflated profiles be interpreted?

Flat or deflated profiles often present the greatest challenge to career counselors. The absence of clear preferences or aversions yields little information about interest. Some initial clues for interpretation may be found in the Procedural Checks section on page 11 of the respondent's profile, especially in the Response Percentage Checks sections for interest and skill items. Comparing the respondent's patterns with the average patterns of the norming sample (Figure 3-1 in the CISS manual) will highlight any differences.

With this general information and some knowledge of the respondent's personality and motivation, the tester may wish to ask the respondent about his or her test-taking strategy:

• "When you answered the CISS items, did you use any particular test-taking strategy?"
• "How did you decide how to answer the questions?"
• "What were your criteria?"

If it seems clear that the respondent misunderstood the directions or used a distorted or highly idiosyncratic approach, you may either readminister the survey or use the results on a very tentative basis only.

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