Client Feedback on Assessments

Feedback from Clients who have taken the Highlands Ability Battery, Myers Briggs Type Indicator and other assessments.

Praise for the Highlands Ability Battery

Completing personality assessments is one thing but to understand your natural talents and the differences between the specialist/generalist was truly enlightening. On a personal growth level, I actually think I now view life in a different way regarding people, their talents/weaknesses and how we all experience the world in different ways. Click here to read the feedback letter

Thank you very much for our meeting on Friday and your feedback and advice.  I feel that my abilities have been defined and acknowledged properly for the first time, which is down to you, and it gives me something structured to use to make a statement to myself about me, which is great.   I feel you explained it in a very balanced and accepting way, although I’m wrestling with the idea of being introverted because I’ve always been encouraged by my parents to fight against that aspect of myself, even to conquer it, so I am going to have to I have a bit of work to do on/with myself in this area to stop me from feeling it is a negative trait and deal with it better.  It was very helpful to hear your own personal experience of it, as I don’t think I’ve ever discussed it constructively with anyone.  Heather, Marketing Manager.

I undertook the Highlands Ability Battery with Denise over a year ago now. I was searching for natural ability testing, with the intention of changing careers, and up popped Denise at Amazing People.

I’ve been in the same career since the age of 16. Whilst I am good at my job, I always felt like something was just… missing. I was frustrated, and my needs were somehow not being met by my circumstances. I just couldn’t pin point which needs were being neglected though. I didn’t know what I was passionate about, what I was naturally good at. I was just totally lost – stuck in the system! So the HAB was a perfect starting point for my journey.

The HAB was a bit of a revelation to me. It explained so much – my results enabled me to make a lot of connections between all of the struggles and frustrations I’d had in life, and it explained a lot of my successes too.

There were areas that I had strong abilities in that had just never presented themselves to me for multiple reasons – because they weren’t part of my self-perception, because my upbringing didn’t include the opportunity to explore them, because I had notice a difference in myself versus my peers and thought some were actually weaknesses. The HAB really built my confidence to try new things and trust in myself.

Denise’s advice following the assessment was very valuable, she gave me ideas on how to incorporate what I’d found out into my existing career and how to get more out of life. I have been able to plan my career with much better focus, I’m now taking up hobbies to satisfy the abilities that I don’t use at work.

I’ve been slowly applying what I’ve learnt from the HAB and Denise, and reflecting on the outcomes. It has been so interesting! I’ve learnt how to work with my weaker areas by using my strengths to balance them off. In the last year, I have been able to study efficiently and pass an exam I’d previously failed multiple times. I’ve tried new hobbies out and, even at the first attempt, get good results straight away. I’ve had success in my work by simply trusting in myself more.

I continue to contact Denise every now and then along my journey! We have since carried out the Strong Interest Inventory and she’s been to my workplace to help my colleagues too. She is so approachable and knowledgeable, she has given me a very fresh perspective. I now feel like I’m well on my way to discovering myself and my career happiness.

Natalie

Thanks for your help and discussion following on from doing the Highlands and Myers Briggs tests the other week.  I’m pleased to say that I have recently been successful in getting been successful in getting another physiotherapy job, and am sure that some of the stuff we did helped my confidence and presentation of myself at interview.  It also helped my decision making regarding the job itself, and my options, and I am happier that I am going into a job that suits me, and that I will find challenging and stimulating.  However, I have decided only to do half the working week in physio, and to pursue some other options in the rest of the week.  I am hoping to enrol on a garden design course, something I was toying with before, but which I have more confidence with pursuing following the work done with you.  It may or may not turn into a career, but even if it turns out to be something I do for myself, and just engages my brain in a different way it’ll be a good thing.  Lucy, Birmingham

“I am so glad we found Denise Taylor online! We were looking for someone to help our teenage son to find his way forward. We were aware of the Highlands Ability Battery because our daughter used them previously. We were very impressed with Denise’s personal and professional manner of working with our son. I only wish we had known about Denise before, I am sure our daughter would have received much more from the process had she used Denise.” ~ Dave

‘I found the Highlands generated very precise insights into the way I perceive information & the reasons I approach tasks the way I do’ Tom, Editor

“For years I was unhappy in my profession but was never brave enough to speak to someone like Denise. When I finally did, it was such an eye-opener and enabled me to realise that staying in my job would have only meant continuing to be unhappy with what I was doing.   I found the Highlands Assessment particularly useful since it gave me the answers to my two main questions: (1) Am I suitable for the job I am currently in? and (2) Am I suitable for the new job I am proposing to take up?

With Denise’s help, I have now decided to quit my old job and start my 3-year training to become a golf coach… and, whilst this will result in a temporary financial set-back, I am confident that this will lead to me being happier with life in the long-run.” Alan N

‘I would like to say how helpful I found our meeting, especially the fact that it reassured me that the reason that I find some aspects of my work so difficult and stressful isn’t because I’m less intelligent or just not trying hard enough but that my strengths lie in other areas – so that’s given me more confidence and acceptance of how things are.  I’m also happy to ask others how they manage their workload or even how they cope with specific teenage challenges – just to find out whether their coping strategies might be helpful to me.’  Kate, Physiotherapist

I am writing to you to thank you for sparing your time just to help me. I want you to know that I am forever grateful for all your help.  I found it really helpful because you opened my eyes and showed me something I never knew about myself.  He is now set to start a level 3 course in music engineering.

Doing the Highlands with you is definitely one of the best choices I have ever made. I think everyone should do it, young and old, just for the sake of self-understanding and acceptance. Same goes for Myers-Briggs. Andrew, Cheltenham

What might you say to others about this programme? “It’s very helpful, especially to those who are stuck for ideas as it helps you to widen your horizons and think of options you may not have previously considered”. Lisa Williams

“I just thought that you would be delighted to hear that I have managed to secure an excellent new position with XXXXX Ltd. The role is Key Account Manager for the Midlands and the training, salary, commission, benefits and promotion prospects all seem to be excellent. It will certainly be a challenge which is exactly what I was hoping for. Thank you for your help and support and I am sure that completing the Highland Battery helped to give me the confidence to aim for such a senior position. It’s amazing how much others see in you that you don’t see for yourself!” Jo, Worcester

I found it a useful and interesting experience. Anna

What might you say to others about this programme? “I would recommend it. I honestly do not believe that testing alone is the “solution”, nevertheless, I believe that to take the battery helped me to re-enforce some perceptions I had about me and I think it gave me a better ideas on what I should improve and where I should focus more. It explained me also some aspects I was completely unaware of. I think I have a better consciousness now of where the frustration is coming from instead of having only the awareness of not being completely satisfied in my job. And it’s not yet to its END!” Ian G. Derbyshire.

“I now know what I am naturally good at! Having a scientific base to the results has made it very easy for me to accept the results and have confidence in them. It is a great feeling to finally have a reason for falling short of my expectations. This will allow me to create more sustainable goals I the future to my abilities. Every body should complete the HAB and MBTI tests. Thoroughly recommended and I will actively promote your services”. Alex B, London.

Sometimes I get incredibly moved by feedback I receive from clients. I recently worked with a young man who had yet to find the right career path for himself and whose self esteem was dropping as he didn’t think he could do anything. Taking the Highlands Assessment has proved very powerful for him.  He says: “I am writing to you to thank you for sparing your time just to help me. I want you to know that I am forever grateful for all your help.  I found it really helpful because you opened my eyes and showed me something I never knew about myself.” He is now set to start a level 3 course in music engineering.

“Doing the Highlands with you is definitely one of the best choices I have ever made. I think everyone should do it, young and old, just for the sake of self-understanding and acceptance. Same goes for Myers-Briggs. I DID apply for architecture courses and I’ve accepted an unconditional offer, starting at the end of next month! In the end, it came down to taking the spatial visualisation issue very seriously, not only because of Highlands, but because I know how frustrated I have felt (very!) when interacting only with information, text, paper and VDU’s. Conversely, I know how unexpectedly satisfying it is to work practically, even with no intellectual component (e.g. making coffees). Studying architecture is a choice based both on work I did with you and on experience; it’ll be interesting to see how things turn out! Thank you again for your help and I hope I’ll have the chance to work with you in the future”.  Andrew, Cheltenham

“I just thought that you would be delighted to hear that I have managed to secure an excellent new position with XXXXX Ltd. The role is Key Account Manager for the Midlands and the training, salary, commission, benefits and promotion prospects all seem to be excellent. It will certainly be a challenge which is exactly what I was hoping for. Thank you for your help and support and I am sure that completing the Highland Battery helped to give me the confidence to aim for such a senior position. It’s amazing how much others see in you that you don’t see for yourself!”  Jo, Worcester

What might you say to others about this programme? “I would recommend it. I honestly do not believe that testing alone is the “solution”, nevertheless, I believe that to take the battery helped me to re-enforce some perceptions I had about me and I think it gave me a better ideas on what I should improve and where I should focus more. It explained me also some aspects I was completely unaware of. I think I have a better consciousness now of where the frustration is coming from instead of having only the awareness of not being completely satisfied in my job. And it’s not yet to its END!” Ian G. Derbyshire.

“I now know what I am naturally good at! Having a scientific base to the results has made it very easy for me to accept the results and have confidence in them. It is a great feeling to finally have a reason for falling short of my expectations. This will allow me to create more sustainable goals I the future to my abilities. Every body should complete the HAB and MBTI tests. Thoroughly recommended and I will actively promote your services”.  Alex B, London.

“The sessions helped and how the tests work I don’t know but they do. I wouldn’t have believed that the questions showed up this or that about a person. I felt that some of the things I identified I kind of knew without knowing I know, if that makes sense – e.g. being” good with people” is something a lot of people have said – it haunts me!! But I guess I put it to one side and now have to face that the people industry is where I ought to be. I went to a preview day for the sailing course yesterday and another idea was raised by one of their career people – Yacht chef. I am now considering this versus skipper or mixing both together”.
Alison C. Worcestershire.

“I enjoyed the process of bringing the results of the three inventories together and then assessing the various possibilities. The session has given me new impetus and now I have to put a bit more effort in. the key point is that there are many choices to be made and I need to make them.”  Anthony E, Cumbria.

“The session was very constructive, relaxed, informal, good overview of results, yet able to drill down with more explanation if necessary. I realise now why looking at a blank sheet of paper, trying to come up with ideas is so difficult for me, an why I’m much more adept at sorting out the wheat from the chaff for other peoples myriad of ideas, so if I team up with an ideas person we’ll make good progress. Also I see the proof that I do indeed get more positive strokes from having made something tangible, outside of work and the need that I have to inject music into my everyday life.”  Ray B. Berkshire.

“The high spot was learning about my abilities, this helped me to understand the choices I have made in studying and jobs, why I was drawn to philosophy, (problem solving) but also why I left philosophy to do more hands on activity such as cooking. I have realised that I am not a purely intellectual person, nor a purely practical person; I’ve tried being first the former, then the later, but neither worked. Now I have to try to combine mental activity with some hands on activity. I found your approach very helpful and also entertaining.”  Andrew W, Gloucestershire.

“Very useful exercise in getting the person started in looking for a change in career.”  Andrew L Wiltshire.

“I thoroughly enjoyed the process and look forward to cracking on with the rest of the work to find my ideal job/career.”  Toby, Berkshire

“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. This brought out aspects of myself that I had ignored, were latent or were well known to me, making me laugh when I recognised myself. Well worth it and the whole programme of careers analysis really gets you thinking.”  Jacqui, Knutsford

“I had done psychometric tests before at job interviews, but never encountered anything as wide ranging as this. The ability to upload the results and instantly download the report added to the spontaneity. I found the programme, structured, flexible, logical, and non judgemental and enlightening”.  Julian W, Gloucestershire.

“The exercise itself made me really evaluate my abilities and think through what I would like to do.”  Tina J, London.

“I just thought that you would be delighted to hear that I have managed to secure an excellent new position with XXXXX Ltd. … It will certainly be a challenge which is exactly what I was hoping for. Thank you for your help and support and I am sure that completing the Highland Battery helped to give me the confidence to aim for such a senior position. It’s amazing how much others see in you that you don’t see for yourself!”  Jo, Worcester

“Excellent method to pinpoint areas of personal growth and broaden the skills to understand and best deal with characters different from your own”. “The HAB was the high point for me because it was a true and fair test of what comes naturally to me. I have been able to identify what my strengths could be if I nurtured them. To me, you were very good. I would recommend it to anyone who was not sure what they were good at, an also who needed help in showing what direction to take”.  Nils A, Middlesex

“I liked your approach a lot, very informative, but also tailored it to me, by asking questions at the right points to focus my thinking on how I would apply what I was learning. Lots of learning, but most importantly that abilities are just part of the picture and that what I’ve learned doesn’t mean I have to start from scratch. I can adapt what I do now to make it more effective and enjoyable for me. However, there was so much I could do, there is a lot for me to take in now and use. I can see why you offer the follow up coaching as well, there is just so much. Unlike other assessments which are largely about self assessment I “believe” this one. I really feel that I can make a difference based on what I have learned. I value the results highly, and am very pleased that I took it; however, a large part of this was your excellent approach in the feedback”.  Marie W, Northants.

“Being able to complete the test at home, and then find out my strengths in my abilities has confirmed why I am not suited to my current role and which of my abilities I need to use for job satisfaction ”  Tony L. Manager, Warwickshire.

“The high spot of the assessment was the gradual realisation that I wasn’t making mistakes in my choices and that all I needed to do was to take more account of my abilities and trust my own judgement”.  Roger E, Hampshire.

What might you say to others about this programme? “Be truly honest with yourself. Otherwise all the feedback and encouragement in the world will not help. I wish I had gone through this process earlier”.  Anthony E, Cumbria.

“Very constructive, released, informal, good overview of results, yet able to drill down with more explanation if necessary.”  Mark H, Leicestershire.

“This assessment concentrated on my core skills. It was a very useful exercise in getting the person started in looking for a change in career.”  Leo, London.

“Overall I have to say how surprised I was that the test is as accurate as it is. The person you should now the most about would appear to be the person you know the least about. I guess it is a case of not being able to see the wood for the trees. I think once you are stuck in a career groove, it’s very easy to flounder and not see a way out. It’s then easy to slip into a negative mind set and following our meeting I came away feeling more positive. Outside professional advice has certainly cleared a path for me as to how to play to my strengths and given me a clarity I didn’t have before”.  Jane, Runcorn, Cheshire

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). I am going to suggest my son (age 16) takes the test as soon as his GCSEs are over to help him in career development. Thank you!  Paula Mason, Nottingham

“The Critical Career Implications page was extremely useful at the job search stage as it neatly précis’s the main points of the HAB and subsequent discussions. Just thought you’d like to know some further input on your analysis sheet. I went into an agency today and when they asked what kind of job I was looking for, I was able to produce your sheet. The consultant found it most useful, and is going to check out your website”.  Andrew

“I liked the clear and structured explanations. The precise answers to the open questions I collected between receiving the report and our feedback session.”  Peter A. Devon.

Hi, thanks Denise. Sorry I haven’t replied to you yet to say I found it a useful and interesting experience on Friday.  Anna

Praise for the MBTI assessment

I had a strong feeling of what areas I fell into but having done the MBTI step2 process I have gained a lot of clarity about where I am and it also made me think about where I want to be. The additional information that you provided is very powerful especially when you start thinking about how to put together a team of people and how you must communicate differently to them all. This would be vital when doing a presentation of any type and trying to estimate what different personalities you have and give the necessary information. This could be to a bank manager, a job interview, or trying to entice investors. Being able to understand others will take practice but will have huge dividends when thinking about the application of this.  Clint Gray

“The reports were great, I have taken the MBTI several times over the past 20+ years and never has the feedback been as helpful as this. Denise, you have given me a better understanding of how my temperament affects both my business and personal life. I believe your personal touch and the explanation of the “MBTI Step 2″ has made the difference because of better identifying my strengths and my weaknesses. I really enjoyed when you showed me how I can use the personality traits that are not dominant (traits) to better communicate and make decisions. Very interesting stuff and I find myself already using it in practical application. Sound like an INTJ don’t I?”  Bill Robertson, New Mexico, USA

“Thank you for helping me to understand and find out who I am. Before I had never thought of who am I? How am I? And I never knew that it was so important. But now I do. I did do the Keirsey test a few weeks ago but it didn’t help me. The MBTI Step 2 report was much deeper and much detailed and that helped a lot. I think that your feedback call Denise, helped me to identify my strengths and weakness even better. I actually don’t want to call it a feedback call. I want to say it was a consultation call. You helped me to realize who I am, how I can use my strength in my life. I was confused before because I don’t like my day job and I didn’t understand why but now I have been making some changes and I am making progress. The consultation and the reports have made me understand which career paths suit me. This was my biggest problem before. I don’t want to make it sound like a bragging but after the reports and the call I have been a happier person, because I am using my strengths and trying to make my weakness better”.  Mehmet Onatli, Sweden

“I thought the personalized report of the MBTI Assessment was excellent. I got a lot of very insightful tips on maximizing my relationships (business and personal) and productivity which is sure to improve my businesses. In fact, it was so complete that I thought the personal one-on-one session with Denise would mostly be a waste of time. Little did I know what I did not know. The personal session with Denise filled in a lot of gaps and answered questions I did not even know I needed to ask. Suddenly, things that I had read had a whole new level of meaning and understanding. I highly recommend that you add the personal one-on-one session to the assessment. Denise really helps you complete the picture”.  Paul Stork, USA

Coaching to build confidence over psychometric tests

“Prior to seeking your help I was struggling with psychometric tests, but your logical approach and techniques enhanced my confidence which was lacking before I sought your help. You have an excellent approach which made me feel relaxed and at the same time provided me with excellent advice. You have a wonderful telephone manner and communicate extremely concisely which has helped me with the interpretation aspects of the tests. I really felt you empathised with my problems but you managed to teach me new techniques which I know will change my future approach. I now believe I have the confidence and expertise to tackle these tests for which I thank you so much. You are a star! Alan (University Student, Business Management)