Running head: VOCATIONAL HISTORY AND SELF-ASSESSMENT 1. Vocational History and Personal Self-Assessment. Alison Andrade. Bridgewater State University

Transcription

1 Running head: VOCATIONAL HISTORY AND SELF-ASSESSMENT 1 Vocational History and Personal Self-Assessment Alison Andrade Bridgewater State University

2 Running head: VOCATIONAL HISTORY AND SELF-ASSESSMENT 2 Vocational History and Personal Self-Assessment It is well understood that assessment instruments play a key role in the work done by career counselors. Counselors working with clients on issues related to potential careers that they may be interested in pursuing can utilize various career assessments as tools to aid this process (Andersen & Vandehey, 2012). Andersen and Vandehey (2012) provide a detailed explanation of Holland s Self-Directed Search, an assessment that provides individuals with a three letter code demonstrative of their personality attributes that is determined based on their answers to a series of questions. The codes thus provide guidance as to what work environments and careers may be best suited for them. This simple assessment is especially useful for individuals who are just beginning the process of determining which careers may utilize their personal strengths and attributes (Andersen & Vandehey, 2012). While taking this assessment can certainly provide beneficial insights for individuals, Holland s Self-Directed Search is only one of many tools that exist in order to provide such career guidance. Other assessments such as TypeFocus, the Keirsey Temperament Sorter, and the Color Career Counselor also provide individuals with useful information pertaining to their personality attributes and the careers that are well matched to them. As an individual receiving training in career counseling, I was able to take each of these assessments and subsequently assess how utilizing these tools has both informed my understanding of my personal vocational history as well as issues related to career counseling. The TypeFocus assessment was the first tool that I completed in order to gain a greater understanding of my personal vocational history. According to TypeFocus.com (2014), this assessment provides individuals with the ability to gain a greater understanding of their personality. Similar to the Holland codes produced at the end of the Self-Directed Search, the TypeFocus assessment provides individuals with a personalized four letter code that is

3 Running head: VOCATIONAL HISTORY AND SELF-ASSESSMENT 3 determined based on their responses to various personality-related questions. Based on the codes they are provided with, individuals are presented with a short summary of careers that may be satisfying for them. Prior to taking the TypeFocus assessment, I had never completed a test that would match my personality characteristics with careers that tap into them. However, I had taken StrengthsQuest, an assessment that presents individuals with their top five personality strengths based on their responses to scenario-type questions. As I perceived my StrengthsQuest results to be quite accurate after taking this assessment, I was optimistic that the TypeFocus test would be able to provide me with a description of my personality that I felt was precise, as well as career suggestions that I had personally considered pursuing in the past or would consider for the future. I thus approached the TypeFocus assessment open-minded and was excited to receive the results. Based on my previous experience with StrengthsQuest, I was expecting to have difficulty answering some questions in which I may have felt that either all or none of the options presented described my personality. While taking the TypeFocus assessment, I found that my expected difficulty became a reality. The assessment asked me to choose between words or phrases that I felt described me better, as well as those that were most appealing to me, and I found that in many cases, I perceived either none or all of the options as being truly descriptive of me. In other cases, I felt that in certain scenarios I may identify with one option, while in other scenarios I may identify with a different one. In order to combat initial feelings of frustration and worries that I may not take the assessment correctly, I attempted to choose the option that I felt my first instinct directed me to.

4 Running head: VOCATIONAL HISTORY AND SELF-ASSESSMENT 4 After taking the TypeFocus assessment, I felt that I had done my best to most accurately portray my personality through the tool s questions. I knew that the answers that I would be provided with would be accurate given my answers to the test s questions. I thus knew that I would not attempt to take the assessment again in order to see if I received different results or to try and change my results to those that I preferred. My TypeFocus assessment results indicated that my personality type is that of an ISFJ, meaning that I am a sensitive, warm individual who is dependable, practical, organized, and willing to help others without pressuring them to feel as if they need to seek help (TypeFocus.com, 2014). Based on my personality type, the TypeFocus assessment indicated that careers in education, health, library science, and office management would be potentially satisfying for me. As I felt that the personality type provided to me was extremely accurate given the characteristics that I recognize in myself, I was impressed by the TypeFocus assessment. Even better was the fact that of the careers indicated as potentially satisfying for me given my personality, I have considered all of them at one point or another in my life and feel that I would be happy pursuing any of them, and this further impressed me. Upon seeing my results, I noted that I was relieved to see education listed amongst my potential satisfying careers. As this is the field that I have chosen to pursue, this information reassured me that I made the right career choice. Subsequent to taking the TypeFocus assessment, I moved on to the Keirsey Temperament Sorter, a similar test that also provides individuals with a four letter code that describes their personality based on answered questions. As I had just finished the TypeFocus assessment, I was excited to take the Keirsey Temperament Sorter assessment and see if the results that I received were similar or identical to those that I had already received. At the same time, I was worried

5 Running head: VOCATIONAL HISTORY AND SELF-ASSESSMENT 5 that if I received results that contrasted with those that I obtained through TypeFocus, I would end up feeling confused about my own personality and unsure as to whether or not the results provided through either test could be trusted. While taking the Keirsey Temperament Sorter, I found that I did not have as much difficultly answering the questions presented to me, and I attribute that to the fact that I felt warmed up to taking such assessments and understood that while specific answers to questions may not completely describe the type of person I perceive myself to be, I had to answer them based on my first instinct and not question myself. As a result, I was less worried about providing correct answers while taking this assessment than I was while taking the TypeFocus assessment. I thus felt that this assessment was more relaxing to take, not because of its content, but because of my approach to it. Upon finishing the Keirsey Temperament Sorter, I felt similar to how I did after completing the TypeFocus test. I felt that I had answered the questions to the best of my ability and would accept the results that I received, even if they proved to be quite different from those that I had received through TypeFocus. If the results did prove to be different, I was excited to see which assessment provided me with those that I felt were more accurate given my perceptions of myself. However, I acknowledged that it would be quite difficult for the Keirsey Temperament Sorter to provide results that I would believe to be more accurate than those provided through the TypeFocus test. The final results provided to me through the Keirsey Temperament Sorter indicated that I am an ESFJ personality type, meaning that I am expressive, observant, friendly, and scheduled (Keirsey.com, 2014). The results further indicated that the four letter code provided to me means that I am a Guardian Provider, and thus an individual that is social, sensitive, concerned with

6 Running head: VOCATIONAL HISTORY AND SELF-ASSESSMENT 6 others, and focused on details (Keirsey.com, 2014). Again, I was impressed that what seemed to be a simple test could so accurately describe my personality, and I was pleased with the results that I received in that I perceived them as being quite similar to those I obtained through TypeFocus. The Keirsey Temperament Sorter indicated that careers often sought by Guardian Providers include those in health care, education, social services, religion, and some business settings (Keirsey.com, 2014). While I have considered careers in five of the areas presented to me and feel I would be satisfied pursuing each of them, the fact that a career in religion was included amongst them was surprising to me, as I personally have no interest in pursuing such a career and have never considered doing so. However, I understood that the careers presented to me through the Keirsey Temperament Sorter results were mere suggestions based on the personality type I was assigned. The fact that a career I am not interested in pursuing was attached to my results did not weaken my belief that the assessment was able to accurately determine my personality type and the careers that are good matches for me as a result. Of course, I was further elated that a career in education is connected to my personality type. The Color Career Counselor Assessment was the last test that I took in order to determine my personality type and suggested careers based off of it. Unlike the previous assessments discussed, the Color Career Counselor test does not provide individuals with a four letter code that explains their personality. Instead, this assessment categorizes individuals by occupational category, provides keywords that are associated with each category, and indicates the careers and work environments that are well suited to individuals within the respective categories. The assessment also differs from the TypeFocus and Keirsey Temperament Sorter tests in that rather than asking individuals a series of questions in which they must choose between provided options, they are instead provided with blocks of color and are asked to choose which color they

7 Running head: VOCATIONAL HISTORY AND SELF-ASSESSMENT 7 enjoy looking at the most and which one they enjoy looking at the least. The assessment eventually asks for individuals to rank a series of colors they are presented with in order from the one that they enjoy looking at the most to the one they enjoy looking at the least. Prior to taking the Color Career Counselor test, I was not sure what to expect from this particular assessment, both in terms of how the test would be formatted as well as what the results would indicate about me. Based on the assessment s title, I determined that color must play some role in it, though I could not reason as to how that would be possible. As a result, I was quite skeptical about this particular test and approached it cynically. While taking the Color Career Counselor assessment, I remained quite skeptical as to how such a test could determine anything about human personality in an accurate way. While I proceeded to take the assessment as honestly as possible by carefully considering which colors I preferred to look at the most and least, I admittedly did not have respect for the assessment. Consequently, I was not excited to see what my results would prove to be. After completing the Color Career Counselor test, I determined that there was no possible way that I would receive results that resembled those that I obtained through TypeFocus or the Keirsey Temperament Sorter. As I perceived the results that I had already received from both of these assessments as being truly reflective of my personality, I concluded that the Color Career Counselor results would be inaccurate as a result. Upon seeing the final results of the Color Career Counselor assessment, I felt confused, as I was described as a creator. As a creator, the assessment results indicated that I enjoy working independently on new projects and am well suited to work environments that allow for personal self-expression (DeweyColorSystem.com, 2013). Additionally, my results included numerous career options that are considered to be appropriate for creators, including, but not

8 Running head: VOCATIONAL HISTORY AND SELF-ASSESSMENT 8 limited to those in architecture, music, photography, English, and web design (DeweyColorSystem.com, 2013). Not only did I feel that my designation as a creator was inaccurate given its description, but I also did not find the careers listed as good matches for me to be ones that I would be satisfied with. As a result, I was not impressed by the Color Career Counselor s assessment of my best occupational category and corresponding careers. However, in indicating my second best occupational category, the test did state that I am an organizer and thus enjoy an orderly work environment where I am responsible for overseeing detailed work (DeweyColorSystem.com, 2013). While I did feel that this category and work environment description was better suited to me than my designation as a creator, overall I was not impressed with the Color Career Counselor assessment or the results it provided me with. However, I recognize that it is possible that my personal bias could negatively affect my views on the reliability of the test or the accuracy of its results. By taking the TypeFocus, Keirsey Temperament Sorter, and Color Career Counselor assessments, I certainly gained valuable insight and engaged in a personal self-reflection that has informed my training specific to career counseling issues. In going through the process of taking each assessment and reflecting on how I felt before, during, and after doing so, I gained a greater understanding as to how career counseling clients may approach such assessments and the feelings, concerns, and reactions they may experience as a result. Moreover, taking several career assessments and viewing the results associated with each of them allowed me to realize that while some assessments may provide individuals with what they believe to be accurate descriptions of the personality and potential career matches, others may produce very different results that are worth considering as well. As part of the career development process involves personal exploration (Andersen & Vandehey, 2012), individuals must be open to playing an

9 Running head: VOCATIONAL HISTORY AND SELF-ASSESSMENT 9 active role during the period in which they are questioning what the future holds for them in terms of employment, rather than simply relying on assessments to determine what careers they should consider. Thus, while taking the assessments allowed me to gain an appreciation for the information that they are able to provide for individuals who need assistance in navigating their career journeys, I more fully understand what Andersen and Vandehey (2012) mean when they say that such tests are tools to be utilized in order to supplement career counseling, rather than serving as the main service for clients. While career assessments may be useful and accurate in providing information to individuals as to what careers may be best suited to them based on their personal attributes, they cannot replace a dynamic relationship between a career counselor and a client in which the counselor actively listens to the client and provides support, insight, and guidance as to how he or she should move forward in their career development.

10 Running head: VOCATIONAL HISTORY AND SELF-ASSESSMENT 10 References Andersen, P. & Vandehey, M. (2012). Career counseling and development in a global economy (2 nd ed.). Belmont, CA: Brooks/Cole. DeweyColorSystem.com. (2013). Dewey color system: Scientifically valid non-language tests. Retrieved from Keirsey.com (2014). Keirsey.com. Retrieved from TypeFocus.com (2014). Typefocus: Success through self-awareness. Retrieved from

11 Running head: VOCATIONAL HISTORY AND SELF-ASSESSMENT 11 Appendix A TypeFocus Assessment Results

12 Running head: VOCATIONAL HISTORY AND SELF-ASSESSMENT 12 Appendix B Keirsey Temperament Sorter Results

13 Running head: VOCATIONAL HISTORY AND SELF-ASSESSMENT 13 Appendix C Color Career Counselor Results