CISS^®
(Campbell™ Interest and Skill Survey)

Qualification Level	2
Administer To	Individuals 15 years and older
Reading Level	6th grade
Completion Time	25 minutes (200 interest and 120 skill items; 6-point response scale)
Formats	Paper-and-pencil or computer or Internet administration
Report Option	Individual Profile
Scoring Options	Q™ Local Software Mail-in Scoring Service Optical Scan Scoring Internet Scoring
Scales	7 orientation scales 25 basic scales 60 occupational scales
Norm Groups	5,225 working adults

About the Author

Dr. David Campbell is the H. Smith Richardson Senior Fellow at the Center for Creative Leadership (CCL). A nonprofit educational institution founded in 1970, CCL develops models of effective managerial practice and applies them as guides for assessment and development. Dr. Campbell was formerly a professor of psychology at the University of Minnesota. He has served as a visiting professor at the University of Utah and Duke University. He has been an honorary research fellow at the University of London and a distinguished visiting professor at the U.S. Air Force Academy.

A recipient of the E. K. Strong, Jr., Gold Medal for excellence in psychological testing research, Dr. Campbell is also co-author of the well-known Strong-Campbell Interest Inventory. He is currently involved in training and research programs in creativity and leadership. Dr. Campbell has published extensively in professional journals and has written three popular books:

• If You Don't Know Where You're Going, You'll Probably End Up Somewhere Else
• Take the Road to Creativity and Get Off Your Dead End
• If I'm in Charge Here, Why Is Everybody Laughing?

Scales

Orientation Scales
The seven Orientation Scales, 25 Basic Scales are based on Dr. Campbell's model for occupational orientations. These orientations generally correspond to the familiar RIASEC themes.

Basic Scales
The 25 Basic Scales, which represent parallel interest and skills scores, divide the Orientation Scales into the following categories:

Influencing:	Leadership, Law/Politics, Public Speaking, Sales, Advertising/Marketing
Organizing:	Supervision, Financial Services, Office Practices
Helping:	Adult Development, Counseling, Child Development, Religious Activities, Medical Practice
Creating:	Art/Design, Performing Arts, Writing, International Activities, Fashion, Culinary Arts
aNalyzing:	Mathematics, Science
Producing:	Mechanical Crafts, Woodworking, Farming/Forestry, Plants/Gardens, Animal Care
Adventuring:	Athletics/Physical Fitness, Military/Law Enforcement, Risks/Adventure

Norms

The CISS instrument was standardized using a reference sample of 5,225 employed men and women representing a wide array of occupations and ethnic backgrounds.

Report Option

Individual Profile Report (Product Number 51456)
The CISS results are presented both numerically and graphically and include narrative comments to facilitate easy interpretation by the respondent. In particular, the report recommends vocations that the respondent should pursue (high interest and high skill), avoid (low interest, low skill), explore (high skill, low interest) and develop (low skill, high interest). Also, a worksheet is available to facilitate action planning, and a two-page file summary is included for use by the career counselor.

Sample Reports: Internet version | Paper version

Scoring Options

Q™ Local Software - Enables you to score assessments, report results, and store and export data on your computer.

Mail-in Scoring Service - Specially designed answer sheets are mailed to us for processing within 24–48 hours of receipt and returned via regular mail.

Optical Scan Scoring - Allows you to score the assessments at your site.

Internet Scoring - Offers flexibility and interactivity.

Common Questions and Answers

What is the value of the skills component of the CISS assessment?
When making career decisions, people generally weigh several factors, including interests and skills. Self-report skills reflect a level of confidence in the ability to do various activities. Estimates of skill level are typically based on experiences doing similar tasks and learning new things. The basis for the development of the CISS assessment is the belief that interests and skills are closely intertwined. In general, people tend to enjoy things they do well; likewise, they tend to perform well in areas they find interesting.

How does the new Campbell model and its seven orientations relate to the RIASEC model?
The CISS orientations and the RIASEC themes correspond as follows:

RIASEC	Campbell
Realistic	Producing AND Adventuring
Investigative	Analyzing
Artistic	Creating
Social	Helping
Enterprising	Influencing
Conventional	Organizing

Although many of the CISS orientations have a reasonably close resemblance to their Holland (RIASEC) counterparts, there are some differences. Specifically, the CISS Influencing orientation reflects leadership activities, whereas Holland's RIASEC Enterprising theme tends to reflect sales and public relations activities. The CISS Organizing orientation tends to reflect management and financial service activities, whereas Holland's RIASEC Conventional theme reflects activities related to office and clerical work. The biggest difference is with the Holland Realistic theme. Within the CISS assessment, this theme is represented by the Producing orientation, which reflects mechanical, construction, and farming activities, and the Adventuring orientation, which reflects military, police, and athletic activities.

Can I use the CISS assessment effectively with individuals whose work-related experiences are limited?
Because no one has actually performed all of the activities listed in the CISS assessment, all respondents are, in a sense, extrapolating beyond the data. They are estimating their probable level of skill, given sufficient training and opportunity to learn. Younger respondents are also capable of making these estimates, provided they have a basic knowledge of the world of work.

Respondents, regardless of age or work experience, should be encouraged to identify overall themes in their scores rather than putting undue emphasis on the point values of single scores. Underlying themes are more stable and provide a solid base for respondents to extrapolate beyond the data provided by the CISS assessment.

How should flat or deflated profiles be interpreted?
Flat or deflated profiles often present the greatest challenge to career counselors. The absence of clear preferences or aversions yields little information about interest. Some initial clues for interpretation may be found in the Procedural Checks section on page 11 of the respondent's profile, especially in the Response Percentage Checks sections for interest and skill items. Comparing the respondent's patterns with the average patterns of the norming sample (Figure 3-1 in the CISS manual) will highlight any differences.

With this general information and some knowledge of the respondent's personality and motivation, the tester may wish to ask the respondent about his or her test-taking strategy:

• "When you answered the CISS items, did you use any particular test-taking strategy?"
• "How did you decide how to answer the questions?"
• "What were your criteria?"

If it seems clear that the respondent misunderstood the directions or used a distorted or highly idiosyncratic approach, you may either readminister the survey or use the results on a very tentative basis only.

Next, you and the respondent can explore some of the possible reasons for the flat profile:

• Respondents with limited life and work experience may be unfamiliar with many occupational activities and therefore uncertain of their interests or abilities. Students who are beginning to explore career options may be at this stage. If only the skill scores are low, the respondent may be encouraged to weigh the interest data more heavily and use it as a starting point for getting relevant occupational experience. Younger or less experienced respondents may benefit by using other assessment tools (card sorts or checklists), working with a counselor who can explain the concepts as they appear.
• Respondents may have unique patterns of interests and skills that are not adequately covered by CISS items. The CISS assessment targets occupations requiring a college degree; other surveys that focus on blue-collar careers are more appropriate for some respondents.
• Some people are not career-oriented and do not find personal fulfillment in the world of work. If a job is seen as simply a source of income, the choice of a specific career may be less important to the individual.
• Some people who report only mild interest or average skills across all areas may be experiencing a lack of enthusiasm about life in general. Emotionally, they may be feeling as "flat" as their profiles. Personal counseling may be a higher priority than career planning for the individual in this situation.