An ability assessment is a way to determine roles and responsibilities that take less effort, and are enjoyable to you. More and more companies are providing ability assessments to employees, managers, and leaders to make informed decisions about how to target professional development, coach, and support their teams.
We’d say career assessments are transforming the way business is done.
What Are Abilities?
Natural abilities are your gifts. You can learn additional skills to enhance your overall performance, but your natural abilities take less time, effort, and energy than skills and you do not need to practice them to maintain them. Other words for abilities are talents and aptitudes.
Another way to consider abilities is to look at the worksamples included on the Highlands Ability Battery (HAB). There are 19 worksamples, all timed, that when completed will reveal where your natural abilities lie. Here are some of the natural abilities assessed on the HAB:
Personal Style like whether you are a Generalist or Specialist, Extrovert or Introvert, and your Timeframe OrientationDriving Abilities like Classification, Concept Organization, Problem Solving Styles, Idea Productivity, Spatial Relations Theory and VisualizationMusical Abilities, Language Learning Abilities, and more
The Highlands abilities assessment looks at the accuracy of your answers and the amount completed in the set time in order to determine if the ability comes naturally to you. There’s no studying or preparing for the Highlands Ability Battery. In fact, it’s the opposite. You want to see what you can do without preparation to really see your abilities.
What Are Some Career Assessments I Can Take?
There are many different career assessments. Some of the most popular tests are the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI), True Colors, the Strong, and DISC. These measure different influences on careers including personality, communication differences, interests, and motivators. And then there’s the HAB.
(For a thorough comparison of the different career assessments, check out our “Review of Personal Assessments.”)
Why Should I Choose an Abilities Assessment Like the HAB?
Only choose the HAB if you want ALL of the following:
1. A convenient online assessment experience that can be taken anywhere you like, taken in a single or multiple sessions – your choice. The HAB was the first and remains one of the few ability assessments that can be completed online from the convenience of your own home.
2. An assessment you can’t fail. High, mid-range, and low scores all have strengths and challenges associated with them. It’s knowing what YOUR strengths and challenges are.
3. Objective measures rather than subjective self-analysis. As hard as we try, we’re still human and are prone to under and over estimate our talents. The use of objective worksamples (representations of cognitive processes used at work) requiring you to actually complete tasks provide these objective measures. Questions to which you provide information about yourself (self-report) provide subjective and typically less accurate information.
4. Accurate information. The information of the HAB is highly accurate, allowing it to take the lead when it comes to the validity and reliability of ability assessments. By using results provided to you by the HAB, you are increasing your chances of following a career path that you find enjoyable and fulfilling.
5. Customized, comprehensive reports. Understanding each ability provides the foundation. Building upon that foundation, we address your specific combinations of abilities. Since no single ability tells the whole story, its important to understand how they blend to create your unique profile.
6. Reference points for your abilities. Your HAB scores are normed reference scores so you’ll know how you compare to the tens of thousands of other HAB takers.
7. A live person who is a trained and certified to review your results with you, answer questions, and further customize the application of your abilities to present and future work. This Debrief will be done in-person or on the phone with a Highlands Certified Consultant. Debriefs can also be conducted with groups!
The HAB has the ability to provide you insight into what types of work you should pursue (and what types you should not). In one study, the HAB is ranked number one when compared to other career assessments.
In this video, we talk more about career assessments. See what it is and how it works!