You have likely heard to trust your first instinct when taking a test. The research supports this guidance if you are assessing your knowledge of facts or taking a multiple-choice exam. But this advice does not hold up when completing the Elevations career self-assessment.

In a state of ambivalence, you may be tempted to rush through prioritizing your values, skills, and interests. If you do this, your results will reflect your confusion. In the hunt for clarity and career direction, you might get the opposite outcome.

So, here are a few quick tips to help you get the most out of Elevations:

• Take Elevations when you are well rested. Limit distractions. You need to think deeply about who you are and what you want in the next chapter of your life.

• As you determine your top 15 values and enjoyable skills, make sure you are tapping into what matters to you—not what society, your family, or your culture is telling you to do.

• Notice you can move items from the thumbs up, to the OK, and to the thumbs down column easily. In other words, feel free to change your mind as you get more options to consider.

• When you get to the Interest section, don’t analyze each career from a practical standpoint. Imagine the career options are a stack of magazines. Select as many as you would like for the thumbs-up column, reflecting the full range of your interests.

• Slow down and engage both your heart and your head. You are designing the foundation for your future.

• Take advantage of your 30 days of access to revisit your assessment. You can refine your choices and get the best results.

While Elevations can be purchased by anyone without special training or a license, it is a powerful platform that can be optimized if you follow the guidance I offer here. If you are in a career crossroad and need additional help, please visit our career coach directory found at the ElevateYourCareer.com website.

This newsletter is hitting your inbox on New Year’s Eve. Perhaps this is the nudge you’ve been needing to level up your career in 2026.