Take Illinois workNet Surveys to Discover Your Skills
July 15, 2024
Start exploring your skills and interests while discovering new career paths with the Skills and Interests Surveys on Illinois workNet! Provided by the Illinois Career Information System (CIS) (brought to you by the Illinois Department of Employment Security), these surveys are free to use anytime! CIS launched four new assessments in June 2024, along with an updated platform.
What are they?
The Skills and Interests Surveys are short questionnaires that allow you to explore what makes you, you. Understanding yourself is one of the best ways to explore careers. Answer questions to discover interests, values, likes, and dislikes. Use these tools to find an enjoyable career!
- CCI Quick Pic (5-10 minutes) – Use images to find which career clusters match your interests. Career clusters are careers with similar knowledge and skills. From the 16 national career clusters, your answers to rating 48 activities as "Like Very Much," "Like," "Not Sure," or "Dislike" will populate a list of career clusters that align with your interests. Your top three career clusters will show.
- CCI Quick Pic Guide (PDF)
- Career Cluster Inventory (5-10 minutes) – The Career Cluster Inventory helps determine which career clusters match your interests. Rate 48 activities as “Like Very Much,” “Like,” “Not Sure,” or “Dislike.” The Career Cluster Inventory creates a list that matches the 16 national career clusters to your interests. Clusters group careers by similar knowledge and skills. Your Top Three Career Clusters will show.
- Career Cluster Inventory Guide (PDF)
- Entrepreneurial Assessment (5-10 minutes) – See if self-employment fits you. Rate 20 activities as “Strongly Agree,” “Between Strongly Agree and Somewhat Agree,” “Somewhat Agree,” “Between Somewhat Agree and Strongly Disagree,” or “Strongly Disagree.” The Entrepreneurial Assessment helps you decide if self-employment is a good match for you.
- Entrepreneurial Assessment Guide (PDF)
- Interest Profiler (5-10 minutes) – Discover work areas that match your interests. Rate 60 activities as “Strongly Like,” “Like,” “Unsure,” “Dislike,” or “Strongly Dislike.” You can use your interests to explore careers. The Interest Profiler measures six interest areas. Check the chart to see your high-interest areas. Your top two interest areas will show. Careers that match your interests will be more satisfying and rewarding.
- Interest Profiler Guide (PDF)
- Learning Styles Survey (5-10 minutes) – Identify the ways you learn best. Rate 24 activities as “Often,” “Sometimes,” or “Not Often.” The learning style with the highest score may be your preferred learning style. Knowing more about your learning style will make you a more effective learner. You will also get study tips for your learning style.
- Learning Styles Survey Guide (PDF)
- Occupation Sort (10-15 minutes) – Learn more about your work preferences. Occupation Sort lets you rate your likes and dislikes and creates a list of careers based on factors that are important to you. The number of items varies depending on the factors selected. Careers that match your preferences are listed. Select the chart icon beside the career to see how your preferences match the career requirements. Select the career title to view a complete description.
- Occupation Sort Guide (PDF)
- Reality Check (5-10 minutes) – Find out how much money you need to live your desired lifestyle. Expenses for rent, car payments, food, and clothes add up quickly. Reality Check will total the amounts for the items you select to determine how much money you'll need to cover those expenses.
- Reality Check Guide (PDF)
- Workplace Employability Skills (5-10 minutes) – Evaluate your employability skills. Employability skills are things like professionalism, collaboration, and ethical practices. These are skills that employers look for when hiring. Rate 36 activities as “High,” “Medium,” or “Low.” Nine skill areas are measured, and your top two workplace employability skills will show. Check the chart to see your strengths and skills that need improvement. Knowing more about your skill levels will allow you to build on your strengths and work on things that need improvement. Strong employability skills are important for a successful job search.
- Workplace Employability Guide (PDF)
- Work Importance Locator (5-10 minutes) – Prioritize your workplace needs and values. The Work Importance Locator helps you find careers that match your work values. Work values are things like achievement, work environment, and work relationships. Rate 20 activities as “Most Important,” “Important,” “Somewhat Important,” “Less Important,” or “Least Important.” You can use your values to explore careers. The Work Importance Locator measures six work value areas and shows your top two work values. Careers that match your values will be more satisfying and rewarding.
- Work Importance Locator Guide (PDF)
Why should I use them?
Knowing what you are good at and what you are interested in can help you make the best career choice. Working at a job that matches your skills and interests will bring more satisfaction and motivation to succeed. Employers are more likely to notice you when you enjoy your role.
Skills and Interests Surveys take you through questions that help you move toward a career choice or career change.
Who should use them?
The Skills and Interests Surveys are ideal for:
- Individuals exploring a career change.
- Individuals wanting to learn about different jobs.
- Youth exploring what skills and interests they have.
- Any individual who wants to learn more about themselves.
How can I get started?
It's super easy; follow the steps below:
- Login or sign up for an Illinois workNet account using the links in site's header.
- Once logged in, go to the My Dashboard bar and click "Skills & Interests."
- The page will redirect you to the CIS 360.
- You now have the option to take any (and all) of the nine surveys.
- When finished, click Save.
- The "Save My Thoughts" option appears (optional); select Save.
Where can I find my results?
To view saved results in CIS:
- Login to your Illinois workNet account.
- Go to My Dashboard.
- Select "Self-Survey Results."
- Click a self-survey title to access your most recent results.
360 CCI Quick Pic