Aptitude Testing: is it for you

 Ever wondered what you are really good at?

I have.

One way to discover your strengths and turn them into a satisfying career is through aptitude testing.

Aptitudes are inborn skills or natural abilities to do or learn to do certain things. Every occupation uses specific aptitudes; it is the combination of one’s aptitudes that translate into success and ease in one’s work.

For individuals who are clueless about career direction or feel frustrated or unchallenged by their work, I often suggest they contact Johnson O’Connor Research Foundation for aptitude testing. Doing so can unveil a variety of hidden options and shorten the time necessary to launch a successful job search.

Johnson O’Connor Research Foundation (jocrf.org) is a nonprofit scientific research and educational organization. They have been researching and testing aptitudes since 1922. I am not affiliated with the foundation, although as a young adult went through testing in their San Francisco office and have been a fan since. While you will want to check their website for pricing information, I believe it is money well spent.

In addition to those who feel like they never really landed in the right career, I recommend testing to anyone who is considering a return to school but without a specific career in mind.

Investing in college, especially graduate school, without an end goal can be a very expensive endeavor with no guarantee of fit.

Aptitude testing can help you make a smarter choice about how you spend your time, money and life.

Last year I referred a young man who graduated college four years previously with a double major in Videography and Japanese. He had been working at Sam’s Club since graduating. At 28, married with a young son, he felt frustrated and trapped in a dead-end job. Testing revealed aptitudes that supported a career in medicine, engineering and information technology. Were his circumstances different, his first choice might have been medicine; however on advice from the test administrator, he is pursuing a career in information technology.

In addition to providing a variety of career directions that suited his natural abilities, aptitude testing boosted his confidence. Today he is apprenticing with a small IT firm that allows him to gain experience without giving up the benefits of his fulltime job.

One of my other clients flunked out of dental school because although he aced the written exams, he couldn’t pass the labs. He came to me during a low point in his life. His father had been a doctor and Paul felt he was letting him down by not following in his footsteps. I encouraged Paul to have his aptitudes tested to see what careers would be a good fit. Testing revealed that he lacked the necessary tweezers and finger dexterity skills required by dentists and brain surgeons. On the plus side, his aptitude combination supported a career managing people and projects; options he otherwise would never have considered.

What did aptitude testing reveal about me? Among other aptitudes, I score high in foresight (seeing possibilities) and ideaphoria (flow of ideas), which are perfect for my work as a career coach.

Are you stuck or frustrated with a career  issue? Invest in a Career Action Planning session, in one focused session, we can get to the heart of any career issue and make a plan to solve it. https://careercoachmonterey.com/services/

© 2016 Mary Jeanne Vincent. All rights reserved.