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The importance of psychometric assessments in self development

What make a good psychometric assessment?

Leaving school: The importance of career guidance.

As the 2020 school year draws to a close, many young adults are at a crossroads in their lives, asking the question – What now? Some learners might receive advice, and in some cases pressure from other family members or friends regarding possible career directions and choices. Whereas others may have no one to guide them at all. Unfortunately, most of our South African youth, are expected to make particularly important, literately life changing decisions, with little to no support at an already tender age and time in their lives. In a sense, we expect them to fly blind or simply go where the stream takes them.

The importance of Career guidance

When a young adult stands at the “what to do next” crossroad, only they can decide which way turn. This, however, is a bit like trying to get to the ultimate destination, when they haven’t a clue what that looks like or where it is, and they most certainly don’t have a map to get there. In this scenario it becomes critically important that young people are given an opportunity to explore what possible destinations could look like. Through a process of career guidance, young people are taken on a journey of self-discovery and end up better equipped to make informed choices and gain clarity in terms of what type of careers they should be aiming towards, whist jointly drafting a map to get to their desired place.

The key elements of a good career guidance process.

For any youth faced with this life impacting decision, it becomes paramount that they engage in career guidance. However, when doing so, it is essential that the individual participates in a robust process with a qualified professional (preferably a psychologist) who will guide the individual based on appropriate and sound information. Such a career guidance process ideally should include: • A suite of Psychometric and other assessments which assess…. o Cognitive ability o Personality o Interests o Values o Hobbies and Interests • A structured discussion with the professional Results of such psychometric and other assessments will allow the career guidance professional and the individual to explore possible options as well as developing the clearest, most effective road map to get to the desired goal. Ultimately the decision rests with the individual to make the final decision on which goals they are going to embrace and the steps they are going to take to get there. They will, however, be far better equipped with heightened levels of self-awareness, in terms of who they are, what motivates them, what keeps them interested, what their values are, how their brain functions and what the types of career options are that align with who they are.

What to look out for when engaging with a career guidance professional/ company.

Many schools, companies and private individuals offer career guidance to scholars in and leaving school. It is critically important that students engage in a career guidance process, yet it is essential to ensure that before deciding to partner with any career guidance professional, they do some homework. Key pointers to look out for include: • Is the career guidance professional experienced and qualified to give you career guidance? o Not only psychologists can operate as career guidance counselors, however, any career guidance practitioner must have appropriate qualifications and must be registered with the Health Professional Council of South Africa if they are going to administer and utilize registered psychometric tools as part of your career guidance sessions. • Is the career guidance counsellor utilizing psychometric and other assessment tools? They should be, as these are pivotal in the career guidance process. Psychometric assessments highlight elements of the person which are not always obvious, and self-awareness is key to effective career guidance. • Psychometric tools must be valid, reliable, current, appropriately normed, and relevant. o Valid – Does the assessment truly measures what it intends to measure? o Reliable – does it measure the same aspect of a person constantly over time? o Current – is the assessment still relevant in today’s context and if the assessment makes use of norm or reference groups, are these groups relevant to South Africa, and when last has the data been updated? o Relevant – do they give you the correct advice for this initiative • Is the individual getting specific, unique career guidance, or is the information general and remarkably similar for most individuals receiving career guidance from a particular source? • Are the reports and information being given in a clear and easily understandable manner and explained by the career guidance professional, rather than simply receiving a computer-generated report only? While this check list may seem overwhelming, to get the best output it is critically important that the quality of the input is correct. Before partnering with a career professional it is strongly recommended that you do some homework. Ask them the questions and ensure that the answers fully tick the above boxes. Decisions made at the career advise stage is not simply about choosing if, what and where to study or what job to apply for, the effects of these decisions impacts the rest of the individual’s life with the impact reaching as far as their future mindset and opportunities, social and family circles, finances, physical and mental health.

Career Guidance through Future Ingenium.

At Future Ingenium we offer you on-line career guidance, ensuring that every individual going through this career guidance process never has to leave the safety and comfort of their home. Once all admin is done via our online platform, which includes selecting an appropriate solution, purchasing the package best suited to your situation, selecting the career guidance professional you feel most comfortable with, booking time in their diary and receiving online links to complete the assessments, you will spend face to face time (via Microsoft Teams) with your career guidance professional. Our career guidance professionals have been selected according to stringent criteria and come with extremely good references (see below). Our team of in-house psychologists have vigorously researched and selected appropriate psychometric assessments which fulfil the criteria listed above. At Future Ingenium, we endeavor to ensure that every client of ours engaging in career guidance, leaves their engagement with us, having both an end destination in mind and a road map in hand.

Hear more from a Future Ingenium Client – “Chantal Stravens”

“As a parent who has invested a lot of energy in supporting my teenage daughter in her educational journey, it was difficult to hear the words: “I simply don’t know what career I want to choose”. The difficulty was not a result of Isabelle’s lack of focus academically, but more a sense of helplessness as a mother who knew this journey had to be hers alone without undue influence on my part. The only choice that was within my control was to introduce Isabelle to someone who could help her understand herself better and in return, highlight a path that would lead to natural fit based on her strengths. Linza Eksteen at Future Ingenium was exactly that person. When all the facets of Isabelle’s ‘character’ was collaboratively evaluated in the personalised mentoring sessions, an eventual plan emerged. Isabelle is now armed with a more solid understanding of her key strengths which has alleviated the stress associated with choosing her tertiary subjects. Your program is designed with the end customer in mind and for that, a heartfelt Thank You goes out to the Future Ingenium team.”