Does your job score a 10 on the satisfaction scale? If not, it may be time for a career checkup to determine "what ails you." Where do you start? Career assessments are an excellent way to do some diagnostic work.

Here are seven "S's" that underscore the benefits of career assessments to you and your career:

1. Speed: Career assessments jumpstart the career reconnaissance process, cutting off hours of time soul-searching and spinning your wheels.
2. Structure: Assessments provide a framework or blueprint for thinking and planning action steps.
3. Self-Esteem: You can quickly spot your top talents and boost your self-confidence with the right combination of assessments. Appreciate what you have to offer and unearth the tangible evidence of your value to employers!
4. Stance: Need a new or different view of your career? Career assessments can help you gain a whole new perspective about your strengths, your options, and your possibilities!
5. Simplify: Career assessments can simplify the transition process by helping you narrow down from the 12,000+ types of careers what will work best for you. If you're overwhelmed about where to start or what to focus on, the right assessments will be of immense value.
6. Safeguard: Assessments can also help safeguard or protect you from pursuing a career that may not be the best match for you.
7. Suited: Ever wish you could find a career perfectly suited for you and your unique DNA? The right combination of assessments will provide you with evidence of the ingredients you need to know to tweak your career so that it does, indeed, fit you like a glove.

If you'd like to do some career diagnostics -- whether to cure an ailing job or add greater health and vitality to an existing position, contact a career coach or counselor (Editor's Note: See our Directory of Life and Career Coaches and also check out our Online Career Assessment Tools Review).

Be sure to go to the Career Assessment Tools & Tests section of Quintessential Careers.

Questions about some of the terminology used in this article? Get more information (definitions and links) on key college, career, and job-search terms by going to our Job-Seeker's Glossary of Job-Hunting Terms.

Susan Britton Whitcomb is a career coach, author, speaker, and trainer with more than 17 years' experience in the careers industry. She has been a careers columnist and featured chat guest for Monster.com and America Online and, as an industry expert, has been cited in U.S. News & World Report, CBS Marketwatch.com, the Dow Jones' National Business Employment Weekly, and numerous national publications. She holds designations as a Certified Career Management Coach, Nationally Certified Resume Writers, Certified Professional Resume Writer, and Credentialed Career Master.