Can a Career Test Help You to Know God's Will?

For many, aligning their career with their faith can be challenging. In her interview for Studs Terkel's classic book Working, Nora Watson encapsulates this sentiment: "Most of us are searching for a calling, not just a job. Our jobs often feel too small for our spirit, not big enough for us."

Nora's words resonate with those who feel trapped in work that provides a paycheck but little opportunity for personal growth or using their unique gifts. Christians struggling to discern their calling believe that God must have something better for them—something more connected with who He has created them to be—but they often don't know how to find work that feels like a calling, not just a job.

The Search for a Career Calling

Throughout our lives, we strive to find a personal sense of purpose in our lives and work. At age twenty, Marianne expressed the struggle to find her identity and purpose: "I believe God is calling me to use my gifts, but I don't know what they are. I'm trying to figure out what He wants me to do, but I feel lost." John, thirty-five, shared his need for a new direction: "If I died tomorrow, my years of work would have had little meaningful impact in this world. Success isn't enough anymore. I know I should be doing something different, but I have no idea what that would be." At forty-eight, Jackie reflected on her new phase in life: "My children are grown, and I want to find out what I should be doing now."

These reflections highlight a common quest for a deeper sense of meaning and knowing God's will for our careers and lives. Many of us undertake the search for a calling rather than just a job as we seek to integrate our work with our true selves and the larger purpose we feel called to pursue.

The Christian Dimension of Prayer and Action

For Christians, understanding God's will combines prayer, reflection, and seeking guidance through Scripture and their community. In addition to these important activities, successfully finding your job calling often also takes knowledge of relevant career planning strategies and targeted action. Saint Augustine said, "Pray as though everything depended on God; act as though everything depended on you." This well-known quote highlights the importance of praying to know God's will and taking the career planning steps needed to find work that uses your God-given design in purposeful work.

Today's work world offers an overwhelming array of career options. The ONET lists over 900 jobs! It's no wonder that many Christians need help finding work that fits their gifts, interests, and values. Effective career planning often includes the use of career tests. Have you ever wondered whether a career test could help you discern God's will for your career?

Understanding Career Tests

Career tests are tools designed to assess your interests, strengths, and personality traits to suggest potential career paths to explore. These tests, such as the Career Fit Test™, Self-Directed Search, or Strong Interest Inventory, provide insights into how you might find career satisfaction and success. They often highlight how your preferences and skills align with specific occupations. Some career assessments, including the Career Fit Test™, also provide the steps for career exploration, decision-making, planning, and conducting a successful job search.

Bridging the Two: Career Tests and God's Will

The idea that a career test could help you discern God's will might initially seem secular or reductionist. However, these tools can be valuable in several ways when approached thoughtfully and prayerfully.

1. Self-Awareness and Stewardship: Career tests can help you better understand your God-given talents and interests. Recognizing your strengths and preferences can be seen as an act of stewardship—taking responsibility for the gifts God has given you. You might uncover clues about where God calls you to serve by identifying areas where you can excel and find joy.
2. Confirming Inner Promptings: Many Christians believe God speaks to them through their desires and inclinations. A career test highlighting specific interests or aptitudes can confirm these inner promptings. For instance, if you feel drawn to a helping profession and a career test suggests nursing or counseling, it can help affirm that this inclination is worth exploring further in the context of prayer and discernment.
3. Guiding Conversations: Career tests can be starting points for conversations with mentors, pastors, spiritual directors, or career coaches. These discussions can help contextualize your career test results within a broader spiritual framework, examining how the suggested career paths align with your sense of vocation and God's purpose.
4. Reducing Anxiety: The pressure to choose the "right" career can be overwhelming. A career test can provide a sense of direction and reduce anxiety by narrowing down options, freeing you to focus more on spiritual discernment rather than being paralyzed by endless possibilities.

The Career Fit Test: An Online Tool to Find Your Career Calling

One unique, comprehensive tool is the Career Fit Test™, designed to match individuals with careers that fit their skills, interests, and values. This career test can be beneficial in a faith-based context for several reasons:

1. Comprehensive Assessment: The Career Fit Test™ provides a holistic view of your strengths, weaknesses, interests, and values. This comprehensive assessment can help you understand how your unique combination of traits aligns with potential career paths, which can reflect your God-given design.
2. Values Alignment: Unlike some career tests focusing solely on skills and interests, the Career Fit Test™ often includes evaluating personal values. This alignment can be crucial for honoring your faith through your career choices, ensuring that the suggested paths resonate with your spiritual and ethical beliefs.
3. Personalized Guidance: The Career Fit Test™ offers customized career suggestions that consider what you can do, what you are passionate about, and which careers align with your values. This information can be valuable for Christians seeking to follow God's will, as it integrates a sense of calling and purpose into the career exploration process.
4. Facilitating Discernment: The Career Fit Test™ can be a practical tool in spiritual discernment by providing detailed insights and actionable career suggestions. It can help you identify careers that suit your abilities and feel like a natural extension of your spiritual journey and calling.

Limitations and Cautions

While career tests, like the Career Fit Test™, help Christians in making wise decisions within the will of God, there are several limitations and cautions to consider:

• Tools, Not Divine Communications: Career tests are tools created by humans and based on psychological theories. They should be used as one of many resources in the discernment process, not as a divine pronouncement providing unequivocal answers about God's will.
• Prayer and Discernment: Discerning God's will involves more than identifying personal strengths and preferences. It requires prayer, meditation on Scripture, and seeking guidance from the Holy Spirit. Career tests should complement, not replace, these spiritual practices.
• Community and Counsel: Engaging with a faith community and seeking counsel from wise and trusted advisors is crucial. These relationships provide support, perspective, and accountability that a career test alone cannot offer.
• Flexibility and Openness: God's will can be dynamic and multifaceted. Individuals should remain open to the possibility that their career path may evolve and that God might call them to unexpected opportunities.

Career tests can indeed help individuals discern God's will for their lives. For example, the Career Fit Test™, when used thoughtfully and in conjunction with spiritual practices, can help determine God's calling for one's career.

The best career tests can support self-awareness and guide conversations about vocation by providing insights into your strengths and preferences. However, they are just one piece of the puzzle. True discernment involves a holistic approach that includes prayer, reflection, community support, and a willingness to be led by the Holy Spirit. In this way, career tests, such as the Career Fit Test™, can be valuable resources but should be integrated within a broader, faith-based framework of seeking God's guidance.

© Article copyright by Kevin Brennfleck and Kay Marie Brennfleck, ChristianCareerCenter.com, ChurchJobsOnline.com, ChristianJobFair.com, CareerFitTest.com and LiveYourCalling.com. All rights reserved. The above information is intended for personal use only. No commercial use of this information is authorized without written permission.

Photo credit: JLco - Julia Amaral