Career Test

As a coach I would rarely use career test. I don’t use these tests because I think they can blind me to the individual sitting before me. I don’t use career tests because I believe them to be over simplistic and prone to making assumptions. I don’t use career tests because often the career challenge lies not in predicting what might be a good fit as far as a role goes for a person, but in working with the blocks and stuckness that can prevent people from actually getting there.

I don’t remember my psychometric testing in careers advice at school being particularly illuminating. I do remember walking away from that session aged 14 thinking…, ‘nope! Still don’t know what I should be doing or what GCSE ‘options’ to choose in support of that.”

I have also uncovered some truly bizarre career recommendations:A career test had one client who “had good people skills” advised first and foremost to become an embalmer…. to this day she wonders how that would have fulfilled her need for meaningful human interactions. The second, a Mormon, was recommended to be a sergeant in the armed services. Not the ideal fit for someone who’s family origins lie deep peace and spirituality…Whilst these might be extreme examples, I think career tests can omit crucial information that would define and refine a career choice.

I am certainly not against using metrics such as Myers-Briggs as a starting point or Belbin’s team roles in order that we can play to people’s strengths and attend to their vulnerabilities. I love using Berne’s Process Model from TA in order to identify people’s drivers so that as coach and clients we can design our best working relationship. But I will not use career tests to ‘diagnose’ career options.

I believe that refining a career pathway comes form exploring past territories and experiences and choosing what to leave behind, what to take forward and what new things appeal. This is the truly ‘holistic career test’. This is where each unique individual can say what did and didn’t work for them. This is where we can examine fears or ‘stuck-ness’, hopes, dreams and the truly unique passions each client holds. Here we can see just how we can put that jigsaw together and how that can work out in the world.

A career test is only ever for rough guidance only. Peoples personality preferences can be used to effectively guide the coaching process. Purposeful professional development however is designed in the transactions and generosities between real people.

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