Career Counselor-Based Personality Assessment Scenario

PSY615: Week Four Career Counselor-Based Scenario

Career Counseling Assessment

Prepared for John Lee

April 28, 2014

Reason for Referral

John was referred to the Career Counseling Center to assist him with choosing a major area of study and potential career paths based on his knowledge, skills, abilities, and preferences. John is a first-year university student currently enrolled in general education courses.

Assessments Used

A career preferences profile will be constructed for John based on his stated interests, educational background and focus, and abilities. Potential career paths will be recommended based on the complete profile. The following individual assessments were used in the overall assessment.

• NEO-R Personality Assessment • Career Goals Questionnaire • School and work history • Interview

Below is the breakdown of aspects of John’s personal style based on the Big Five Assessment taken as part of the career profile. The select questions indicate his personal style on each of five global trait dimensions: Openness, Conscientiousness, Extraversion, Agreeableness, and Neuroticism/Emotional Stability. There is no “right” or “wrong” or “good” or “bad” side to these dimensions; rather, they help identify John’s stylistic disposition and potential strengths. Below each global trait is an example of personal style and three related questions with some examples of traits on each of the poles.

PSY615: Week Four Career Counselor-Based Scenario

Openness

Openness is the level of a person’s receptiveness to novel ideas, change, innovation, and new learning. On the continuum, this can be seen as preference for change on one end of the spectrum and preference for stability on the other.

Preference for Change

You value new learning, change, and innovation and find motivation in novelty, variety, and possibilities for improvement. New tasks and new learning are stimulating and attractive to you.

Answer each of the questions listed below

by marking the selection that best describes your present agreement or disagreement

with each statement.

Preference for Stability

You value familiarity, predictability, and precedent, and find comfort in stability, routine, and tradition. New tasks and new learning may be uninteresting or demanding for you.

1. The idea of lifelong learning appeals to me.

Strongly Agree

Agree Neutral Disagree Strongly Disagree

2. I find it fun to learn and develop new hobbies

Strongly Agree

Agree Neutral Disagree Strongly Disagree

Strongly Disagree

Disagree Neutral Agree Strongly Agree

3. I have difficulty understanding abstract ideas.

Strengths

• You enjoy new learning and are open to new experiences. • You are creative and prefer to be in an environment that fosters ideas and innovation.

Weaknesses

• You can become bored easily in situations that are too rigid and routine. • Your preferences do not lend themselves toward repetition and traditional ways of doing things.

PSY615: Week Four Career Counselor-Based Scenario

Conscientiousness

Conscientiousness is the factor related to one’s reliability, dependability, trustworthiness, and the inclination to follow norms and rules.

Structured

Orderly, organized, and predictable, you strive to work according to plan and obey the rules, and you expect others to do the same. Comfortable with established procedures and policies, you appreciate reliability and conscientiousness in those around you.

Answer each of the questions listed below

by marking the selection that best describes your present agreement or disagreement

with each statement.

Flexible

Spontaneous, flexible, and adaptable, you strive to get results, by unconventional means if necessary, and feel restricted by rules and regulations. Comfortable with ambiguity, you appreciate originality and nonconformity in those around you.

1. I am very dependable and reliable in everything I do

Strongly Agree

Agree Neutral Disagree Strongly Disagree

2. I like to keep everything I own in its proper place.

Strongly Agree

Agree Neutral Disagree Strongly Disagree

Strongly Disagree

Disagree Neutral Agree Strongly Agree

3. It is hard for me to keep my bedroom neat and clean.

Strengths

• You are very dependable and prefer to know exactly what is expected of you. • You are punctual and careful in how you go about your work. • You are flexible to a degree, but prefer to have input in how changes are made in your work environment.

Weaknesses

• You do not always agree with and follow rules and regulations, particularly if you do not think them fair. • You are comfortable with only some changes and do not like organizational chaos.

PSY615: Week Four Career Counselor-Based Scenario

Extroversion

Extroversion is a tendency to be outgoing, social, expressive, and talkative.

Introverted Inward-oriented and reserved, you prefer one-to- one or small group meetings to larger groups. You like to concentrate on one task at a time in a quiet setting with few distractions. Interacting with others takes energy; you re-energize by spending time alone.

Answer each of the questions listed below

by marking the selection that best describes your present agreement or disagreement

with each statement.

Extroverted Outgoing, gregarious, and talkative, you enjoy meetings and gatherings of all kinds and conversations with many people. You like to work interactively on multiple tasks and don’t mind interruptions. Being alone takes energy; you re- energize by spending time with people.

Strongly Disagree

Disagree Neutral Agree Strongly Agree

1. I am very outgoing and talkative.

Strongly Disagree

Disagree Neutral Agree Strongly Agree

2. I have a lot of energy when I am around other people.

3. I am a fairly quiet person in most group settings.

Strongly Agree

Agree Neutral Disagree Strongly Disagree

Strengths

• You are outgoing and easily liked by others. • You work well in teams and are comfortable with being on several projects at once.

Weaknesses

• You may not always complete every project you start. • You tend to perform less well when you are given independent tasks.

PSY615: Week Four Career Counselor-Based Scenario

Agreeableness

Agreeableness is a propensity for working well with a team and functioning cooperatively on group tasks.

Empathetic

When appraising problems and drawing conclusions, you focus on the feelings and concerns of the people involved. Empathetic and considerate, you prefer to take account of emotions and personal sensitivities in your decisions.

Answer each of the questions listed below

by marking the selection that best describes your present agreement or disagreement

with each statement.

Tough-Minded

When appraising problems and drawing conclusions, you focus on the facts involved and an objective analysis of results and costs. Dispassionate and logical, you prefer to make decisions based on data and demonstrable impact on the bottom line. Career Counselor-Based Personality Assessment Scenario

1. I try to get along with other people, even if I don’t like them.

Strongly Agree

Agree Neutral Disagree Strongly Disagree

2. I try to be nice and polite in every situation.

Strongly Agree

Agree Neutral Disagree Strongly Disagree

Strongly Disagree

Disagree Neutral Agree Strongly Agree

3. I don’t let personal feelings get in the way when I have to make decisions involving money.

Strengths

• When making decisions, you tend to pay close attention to what others think and feel. • You react to conflict by taking into account the opinions and perspectives of everyone involved. Career Counselor-Based Personality Assessment Scenario

Weaknesses

• It may be difficult for you to make difficult decisions such as terminating an employee. • You do not always take into account facts and objectives when making decisions.

PSY615: Week Four Career Counselor-Based Scenario

Neuroticism (Emotional Stability)

Emotional Stability has to do with a person’s overall level of adjustment and the tendency to remain emotionally stable when faced with stress and pressures.

Emotionally Resilient

Resilient to work pressure, you can handle high levels of job stress without becoming upset. Calm when faced with stressors and conflict, you don’t internalize tensions, and you recover quickly from disappointments and setbacks.

Answer each of the questions listed below

by marking the selection that best describes your present agreement or disagreement

with each statement.

Emotionally Reactive

Reactive to work pressure, you are drained by stress and conflict in your work environment. You respond strongly to stressors, readily internalize tensions, develop symptoms of strain, and recover slowly from setbacks.

1. I smile a lot when I am around other people.

Strongly Agree

Agree Neutral Disagree Strongly Disagree

2. I feel good about myself most of the time.

Strongly Agree

Agree Neutral Disagree Strongly Disagree

Strongly Disagree

Disagree Neutral Agree Strongly Agree

3. My mood goes up and down more than most people.

Strengths

• You are able to handle a high degree of stress and maintain a positive outlook. • You do not hold grudges long and are able to work well in times of conflict.

Weaknesses

• You may internalize work pressures when they become too intense in a short period of time. • You may not be receptive to others’ emotional reactions to pressure in the workplace.

PSY615: Week Four Career Counselor-Based Scenario

Summary and Recommendations

You are very outgoing and open to new experiences. You are emotionally stable and seem to enjoy interacting with others most of the time. You seem to prefer a large degree of interaction with others and your ideal working situation is one in which you work with a team and/or directly with clients. You tend to prefer to work in an organization that values flexibility, creativity, and independence, while providing stability and support. You probably would not like to work in an environment with a high degree of turnover and organizational change. With your priorities for group interaction and customer satisfaction, it may not be ideal for you to work in organizations where you have little contact with customers and coworkers. Below are some suggestions for career paths that might best fit your preferences, as well as some that might not be ideal for you.

Best-fit Work Situations

• Customer service • Sales • Management • Health care professions working directly with clients

Worst-fit Work Situations

• Accounting • Truck driver • Computer programmer • Engineer