Qualitative Career Assessment: An Overview and Analysis

Abstract

Qualitative career assessments are theoretically based interventions that are grounded in constructivism. Constructivism is a departure from the traditional logical positive worldview that has influenced the development of many traditional career assessments. A central concept to constructivism is the importance of meaning, which can only be understood in relation to context. Qualitative career assessment is idiographic in nature, and the individual serves as the reference point in both identifying pertinent themes and interpreting the meaning of those events. Furthermore, there is often a focus on social processes and the understanding that one’s view of the world is not static and is concurrently influenced by historical and cultural contexts that are continually changing and developing. Qualitative assessment often is seen as a potentially useful method for attending to issues related to diversity in career assessment. Because the purpose of qualitative assessment often is to co-construct a working narrative, the clinician must be skillful enough to not misinterpret clients’ discourse or unduly influence clients’ understanding of the meaning of their experiences. In addition, the advantages of integrating qualitative and quantitative career assessments are explored.