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Archive for the ‘ASSESSMENTS’ Category
Wednesday, June 30th, 2010
I’ve just completed a Highlands Ability Battery feedback discussion with a client and thought you may like to read an account of how the session goes
Before the call
A client would take the highlands assessment in their own time. It takes about 3 hours but can be done over a series of sessions. it doesn’t have to be done all at once.
My client gets immediate access to their report so they can read it through before we talk.
The call – Introduction
We start by talking through my clients history to date – degree, jobs, what they liked and disliked, any thoughts they may have for future career choices.
The call – Discussing the report
I go through the report in-depth, explaining the structure, and helping them to understand what the results mean to them. I answer any questions they may have. We talk through the personal style section, discussing both generalist/specialist split and also extrovert/introvert. We then talk about the driving abilities – problem solving, ideas and spatial relations. Then the specialised abilities including the 5 memory abilities (design, verbal, tonal, rhythm and number), observation and more.
We only cover the 4 key dimensions, Work Environment/Personal Style; Learning; Problem Solving/Decision Making; and Communication briefly as this section of the report is so detailed.
We spend more time on the Work Types as I want clients to understand why, for example ‘making contact with others’ and ‘facilitation interaction’ comes up so high and ‘creating processes and procedures’ and ‘managing processes’ fall so low.
You can read a sample report here
This is where I think most highland affiliates would stop. But I love to provide more information for my clients so we go through 3 extra items:
Highlands Explored
This is nearly 40 pages and is reference material, explaining more about the assessment – details I include in my introduction about the assessment, details on all the work samples – covering for example specialist, mid range and generalist; also being low, medium and high on classification. The information can help when applying for jobs.
Critical career implications
A one page summary of the key points from the report
List of jobs
I go through the results from the assessments and provide details on best match, and why. I then provide web links on how to explore these jobs
Downloadable recording of our discussion
I record our conversation. It’s not professional quality, but ‘good enough’ and upload it so my client can download it.
Plus
I also offer a month of follow up so if a client identifies a job and wants to know how well they will match up I can let them know.
Posted in ASSESSMENTS, Highlands Ability Battery
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Tuesday, April 20th, 2010
Not sure, how to embed this short movie so you need to click on the link LEADERSHIP ON FILM 003
Years ago I realised one day that I’d become very successful in my senior role through being a long way from the natural me, too much of my personality was hidden away to suit the needs of the role. Once I realised this I left, and now I can be totally me working in my own business.
Working with my clients I use the Myers Briggs Type Indicator to help them to understand their personal style and this helps them to understand how they prefer to behave at work. Of course we all need to adapt to others on occasion but that’s a lot different to having to be someone else for the majority of the time.
Being 2 different people can really drain us of our energy, it’s much easier to just be you. Why not have a think for now to what extent can you be you at work, and to what extent are you taking on another role.
Of course sometimes it can help to take on a different persona for some of the time, but trying to be someone different for too long can lead to stress.
Posted in Career Discovery, MBTI
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Sunday, April 4th, 2010
I regularly use the MBTI with my career coaching clients and was trained to use it over 25 years ago. It’s an interesting assessment to help people learn more about themselves.
It was featured on a Radio 4 show a few days ago ‘How Myers-Briggs Conquered the Office’ and the programme was presented by Mariella Frostrup. You can access the programme via this link for the next couple of days.
I’ve been reading comments from MBTI practitioners and many people are surprised of the critical comments. This doesn’t surprise me, it’s always a better story online to pick up on the negative comments, but it does help to spread the word.
A couple of things I picked up on – there were loads more, but it’s Easter Sunday so I wasn’t making lots of notes as I prepared for a large lunch.
Negative comments included that you can fake your answers and so it is not an accurate assessment and it is a blunt instrument and the results end up with people being ‘either/or’, so you could be either an extravert or an introvert as there are many differences between people that are e.g. Introvert.
I mainly use the MBTI Step 2 with my clients that goes into much more detail so I can have several clients who come out as Introvert but there individual profiles are very different. When we move into Step 2 there are 5 facets
Initiating – Receiving
Expressive – Contained
Gregarious – Intimate
Active – Reflective
Enthusiastic – Quiet
So there are many combinations. People who are Introvert are more likely to be Receiving (meaning more reserved), Contained (which is being more private) , Intimate (preferring one to one than larger groups), Reflective (preferring to communicate more in writing and with time for reflection) and Quiet (preferring to be out of the limelight).
But we don’t all measure up fully like this, for example, I am an introvert overall, but one who is not the contained and private person but the person who is easier to get to know and more likely to reveal personal information.
The MBTI is also used for personal development, not for recruitment, and in a one to one feedback discussion you would be helped to understand the ‘real you’ rather than the person you have learnt to be to fit in at work.
Brought to you by Denise Taylor, Chartered Psychologist, Associate Fellow of the British Psychological Society and Award winning career coach.
Posted in MBTI
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Sunday, March 14th, 2010
I offer clients a complimentary eProgramme – 10 steps to a job you love which you can get from signing up on my website. See the sign up box on the top right of every page.
I created this as a means of helping people to get thinking about who they are and what they want in a career. Some people will use this as a means of getting to know me and the work I do, with steps in the programme including
1. Why you want to change careers?
2. A clear vision of your future work environment
3. What you love to do
4. Your personal style and how to describe it, which links to details on the MBTI
5. Your skills
6. Your interests, which links to details on the Strong Interest Inventory
Your values and how they drive your career choices
7. Your abilities, which links to details on the Highlands Ability Battery
A recent subscriber wrote:
Hello Denise,
A couple of months ago I turned to you for advise, and because my current work situation was so chaotic I felt that wasn’t the ideal time to engage fully in a personal coaching program, but signed up your free e course and read some of the articles in your newsletter and blog.
And that was all I needed, I have now landed my dream job!
I can’t tell you how good I feel about this!
I have what others consider to be a "good job", but there were so many things that are not in line with my personal values and what I feel good about.
First I started by checking out your advise about "what to do if you hate your job and just can’t leave". That helped to reduce some stress in my current situation. And then I started doing all the exercises in your e- course…
And by completing all the exercises (well at least going through them) and getting to "know me" I did so well at my 1st interview!
My objective with that interview was just that I wanted to be well prepared, feel good when I left and make sure I felt good about my performance, that I had managed to do my best!
And I did!
Thank you so much
I remember just reading your emails and the material you sent me initially started to fill me with positive thoughts…and now 2 months or something later I have found a great job! A job that involves many of the key elements I want in my ideal job!
Thank you so much for inspiring me to get round to making this change
Jess
Why not sign up for the 10 steps to a job you love eProgramme and see where it gets you?
Posted in ASSESSMENTS, Career Discovery
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Sunday, February 14th, 2010
Psychometric tests – how to improve
Over the longer term, your performance may improve by doing the following:
· Reading newspapers, reports and business journals (may improve your verbal skills for verbal tests)
· Solving crosswords (may help verbal problem solving)
· Reading financial reports in newspapers, studying tables of data, doing number calculations and puzzles without a calculator (may help numerical skills)
· Checking details in the paper (could improve checking skills)
· Looking at objects in various ways and angles (could develop spatial skills)
· Looking at flow charts and diagrams (should improve diagramming skills)
· Playing chess or Tantrix (will help develop diagrammatic reasoning skills)
· If you are applying for a job that has its own technical terminology, be familiar with the different terms
Posted in ASSESSMENTS
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Thursday, January 7th, 2010
Finding out your natural abilities is a fundamental step towards a satisfying and successful career.
‘Taking the Highlands Ability Battery was a useful, practical way to get some external guidance when you are bogged down in the complexities of identifying career decisions. Definitely helped to re-energise my thinking.’ Dominic Ball
‘A fascinating and valuable insight into one’s strengths and abilities, weaknesses and opportunities for improvement. This will serve me well in my career and in my private life. Absolutely worth the money (even though it is a substantial investment).’ Paula Mason
‘I thought the Highlands Ability Battery was amazing. It tested just about everything there was to test and it is impossible to be happy in your career until you understand yourself.’ Jacqui Knutsford
Real career success is rarely down to money and status and much more to do with finding a job which ties in with your natural talents and abilities.
Understanding our natural abilities helps us understand why we find certain situations difficult and where we will gain most career satisfaction. The Highlands Ability Battery is an objective assessment of your natural ability and consists of 19 work samples. It’s extensive, taking around 3 hours (but you don’t need to complete it in one session) and the results will help you to really understand yourself.
Your results are shown as percentiles on a graph, comparing your scores to other people who have taken the HAB. A high score isn’t better than a low, it depends on whether a job requires it, or not. It’s frustrating to have an ability and not need it in a job or need an ability you don’t have.
The report is divided into driving abilities, specialised abilities and personal style.
Posted in ASSESSMENTS, Career Discovery, Highlands Ability Battery
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Monday, October 26th, 2009
As a career coach I get people wanting to move beyond looking on my web site, to find out if I am the right career coach for them. Sometimes they are interested but their partner is more sceptical. Just recently I’ve had an enquiry, and thought my reply would interest others:
If your wife is sceptical then you may be best to work on your own, using books and low cost online resources. I’ve had clients spend 2 years trying to do things on their own, and when they finally choose to work with me they wish they had done it sooner. But it’s all personal choice, I’m now paying for 2 sessions a week with a personal trainer, I could just go to the gym but I wasn’t pushing myself. In two weeks I’ve upped my programme by 50% – 3 sequences, not two and weights and speed have increased. I’d still be doing the same as the first session if I worked alone.
I am not a sales person, I don’t see my role as to persuade someone, hence providing comprehensive detail on my site.
I never expect people to go beyond their budget, so it might be better to decide your budget and we can create something for you or you choose to ‘pay as you go’
With the Gold Programme a big percentage of the money is taken up by the 3 assessments, reports, discussion and there is plenty of detail about these on the site. So together with your wife, you could both have a look at the reports and see what you think. Because people can read these in advance and I have to pay a fee for the assessments I never give refunds for assessments, and have never been asked for them. By the time you have gone through these assessments you are more than half way through the programme. Some people choose to just take the 3 assessments which is obviously cheaper but I think the follow up support makes the difference between people being successful in making the transition, or not.
Coaching sessions you could choose to pay by the hour. In which case if you ever felt a session was not of value I would offer an additional session.
Would you like to book for a complimentary discussion?
Posted in ASSESSMENTS, Career Advice
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Thursday, October 22nd, 2009
The Highlands Ability Battery helps people to understand more about natural abilities – which are an effective way of making career choices.
Just today I’ve spoken with one of my clients. Clare was interested in the Highlands assessment and had read about it on my web site. She had also been on Amazon’s web site and read my review of Don’t Waste Your Talent.
When somebody takes the highlands assessment they get comprehensive instructions and can then take the assessment in their own home. This means that you don’t have to do the test all in one go. It’s so comprehensive and at over 3 hours no one would expect you to do it in one go! So split it into 2 or 3 sessions.
The great thing about the assessment is that for each of the 19 work samples you get a practice go first of all, so you understand what it is that you need to do. Then, if it is a bit challenging for you, you can always take a break and come back to it later.
As soon as you finish the assessment you get the results immediately on the screen –and it’s a 30 page report with a lot of detail. You don’t need to print it as a colour copy will be posted to you, if we are going to do a phone feedback session or it will be ready for you if you are coming to meet Denise.
You might think you get all you need from reading the report, but Denise will help develop your understanding, answer any questions you may have and make links.
You will also get a 39 page eBook – Highlands explored with reference material, a one page summary to make it easy for you to use the results on CV and at interview and finally (almost always) a list of career paths which match your abilities.
I wrote this to be a helpful explanation of the assessment. Have you any more questions? Do please get in touch. You can also read more on my web site: http://www.amazingpeople.co.uk/highlandsabilitybattery.htm
Posted in Highlands Ability Battery
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Tuesday, October 6th, 2009
Why I suggest the Highlands Ability Battery?
Since 1922, hundreds of thousands of people have used aptitude testing to learn more about themselves and to derive more satisfaction from their lives. The Highlands Ability Battery is based on the work undertaken by the Johnson O Connor Research Foundation. The paper and pencil tests were developed into the battery which is now available to take over the Internet.which is now available to take over the Internet.
The Highlands Ability Battery is based on over 80 years of research, beginning with Johnson O’Connor. It is psychometrically valid and reliable. The information and suggestions that it makes are highly accurate. The minimum reliability standard for the 19 tests that make up the Highland Ability Battery is r = .80 and the reliability range is to .93, with 1.0 being perfect. It has been described as the equivalent of getting a CAT Scan for a painful injury instead of a traditional X-ray. As an Associate Fellow of the British Psychological Society, I would not use any test that could not measure what it sets out to measure.
Thousands of people have taken the Highlands Ability Battery and I’ve personally guided over 200 clients using the Highlands Ability Battery. People seek out objective data so they know more about themselves and can use this to identify careers to which they would be well suited. Some people are hesitant to take ability tests because they are afraid their scores will indicate that they lack intelligence. However, aptitudes do not correlate with IQ tests, and aptitude tests are not based on knowledge or experience. You can’t pass or fail the Highlands Ability Battery!
The Highlands Ability Battery does not measure or determine IQ. Most experts agree that IQ tests are not inherently helpful when trying to decide on a career path. Two people can have identical IQ scores but very different aptitudes.
The main reason to take The Highlands Ability Battery is to find out where you have natural ability. Research from the Johnson O’Connor Research Foundation says that people tend to be more satisfied and successful in occupations that challenge their aptitudes and do not demand aptitudes that they lack.
You might think the worst option is to work in a job where you don’t have the natural abilities, but research has found that people experience greater problems when they have strong abilities that they are not able to use in their job. These can distract you from your ability to do the job and you would need to find an outlet for them through an out of work activity.
Every occupation, for example, engineering, medicine, law or management uses certain aptitudes. The work you are most likely to enjoy and be successful in is work that uses your aptitudes. For example, if you are an engineer but possess aptitudes not used in engineering, your work might seem unrewarding. If you lack the engineer’s aptitudes, your work may be difficult or unpleasant.
“The individual, who knows his own aptitudes, and their relative strengths, chooses more intelligently among the world’s host of opportunities.” Johnson O’Connor, 1940 p134
To learn more
Posted in Highlands Ability Battery
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Wednesday, September 30th, 2009
How useful were the coaching/ feedback sessions? Where 1 is not very useful and 5 is very useful
1 2 3 4 5
What did you like, what was helpful about our session(s)?
Clarification of the meaning of the report and where the ‘results’ are useful etc.
What were the key learning points for you?
What I can naturally do best – thought this was amazing.
Would you work with me again? Would you recommend this service to your friends/colleagues? What would you say to them?
Yes I would work with you again and may well do to keep me focused.
Already recommended you to a friend.
Told them what I have found out has really helped me – boosted my confidence but I must stay focused.
Have you any further comments which may be relevant to me?
You are good at what you – very helpful – felt inspired when I left our last meeting.
Could I use this as a testimonial on my literature?
Yes
From: Trisha
Want to know more about the Highlands Ability Battery? I’ve comprehensive information on my web site:
Posted in Client Feedback, Highlands Ability Battery
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