Career Change Quiz
When I was 13 I did a career change quiz. They were widely used in the 80s for kids choosing their GCSE options. I think these quizzes were probably limited in their scope. I came out as a ‘good teacher’. This information was probably none too surprising as both my parents were teachers. I was being raised in a very teacher-ly manner. I was bound to exhibit teacher-ly attributes.
Whilst this career change quiz didn’t tell me much, some people have been rightly shocked or offended by what these quizzes have prescribed: One peace-loving Quaker was advised to join the Amy due to her enjoyment of teamwork. One (now school careers adviser herself), was advised to become an embalmer due to her aptitude for ‘working with people’. She was left questioning where the interaction would really take place with the dead?
I guess some of these career change quizzes have their place. They can be useful guidance about our preferences. They must certainly never be used in a prescriptive sense. Certainly, as a 13 year old it felt difficult to question The Authority of such a quiz.
As a career coach I do use some metrics to establish a baseline. MBTI, Belbins team roles. Especially Berne’s Process model. What I always need to remember is to hold the results with a light touch. These tell me how each client prefers to act or respond. They only tell me how an individual might choose to behave in certain situations. They are never a good substitute for being really curious about the individual sitting before me!
And my coaching guidance on this one? Well that is to: Do for yourself as I would do for you, if I were coaching you. Always. Remember. To. Ask. Yourself. Only you know your career answers. We all move round all the quadrants of the Process Model given differing circumstances. We can all fulfil all the Team Roles if really needed, Any introvert can behave like an extrovert if the desire is really there. Honouring our preferences in these metrics can help to find a role that is a good fit. Asking yourself the difficult questions regarding “what you did and did not like about past roles?”. Ascertaining which experiences you want to take forward. Choosing which new elements to add to your profession mix, this is the way to choose a really nourishing and sustainable career move.
A career change quiz might have its place, but, always remember to honour you unique humanity. Taking career quiz in isolation, to inform your career, might miss out the very riches and valuable bits of information. Quick fixes rarely work.
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