U-Turn Ahead

Using Online Self-Employment Assessment Tools

A few posts back, I talked about pros and cons of employment versus self-employment. Changing careers can be moving to another company or starting your own company. Starting your own business is not for everyone. Too often is it touted as the “American Dream”, but working at a fulfilling job can also be the answer to a dream.

So, how do you know if you are the type of person that has the entrepreneurial drive?Can you be happy working for someone else, or would you be most satisfied creating your own company? Well, it may not be the perfect answer, but there are some assessment tools that examine your potential as a future business owner.

Monster.com has a 16 question quiz on whether or not you are ready to be self-employed. The quiz, Is Self-Employment for You?, examines your attitudes as well as some practical considerations. Simply check yes to each of the sixteen statements that apply to you. After the five minutes or so that it takes you to complete the assessment, you will receive some advice on your suitability and readiness for self-employment. This test was designed by Pat Boer, a career counselor who has extensive experience in the area of midlife career changes.

Another tool that I particularly like is the Entrepreneurial Self Assessment found on the Business Development Bank ofCanada website. This assessment tool will take about fifteen minutes to complete. There are fifty questions about you and how you like to work. This is followed by four demographic questions. After completing the test, your answers are compared to those of Canadian entrepreneurs from a variety of businesses. Unlike the Monster.com tool, you will not find advice at this site. Instead, you get an idea if you have the same motivations, attitudes and perceptions as the typical Canadian entrepreneurs (who I don’t believe is all that different than U.S. entrepreneurs). This test is a more scientific assessment of your self-employment match.

If you try either of these tools, I would love to hear about your experience. Please leave a comment. I am curious what others think of tools that assess one’s readiness to work for themselves.