Exploring the Career Test
Career Quiz
This is your guide to working with a psychologist to improve workplace wellbeing and performance. In this article, I discuss the range of topics I cover with professionals.
Whether you are a business owner, hiring manager or in human resources, it pays to understand how psychological skills can support employees.
Determining career interests and jobs to pursue are important and sometimes perplexing decisions. Understandably, many people require help in making these choices. Confusion can occur, even after years of experience. I work with clients to clarify their career path.
But some tests and quizzes claim to produce a list of jobs to which you are best suited. You often see these advertised as ‘free career test’ and ‘personality test’. The vast majority of these quizzes are not scientifically valid or even provide information on the development of the quiz.
So don’t place too much emphasis on these methods to shape your decision-making. There are alternative approaches to career assessment. For example, you can look to identify core values then investigate opportunities that allow you to demonstrate these in a career context.
Answer ‘Why should we hire you’?
Answering this question (along with others) ‘correctly’ is a focus on attention for a job candidate.
Another reason for consulting a psychologist with workplace expertise is to prepare for job interviews. This is an important event in anyone’s career and can trigger anxiety, stress and self-doubt. Coaching engagement at this point can help.
One common issue is interview anxiety. You may have memorised the job description, but this distress is a normal response to a challenging encounter.
Most people benefit from ‘normalising’ the anxiety, developing effective relaxation strategies (e.g., diaphragmatic breathing), and understanding the role of thinking patterns around an interview.
Interview preparation and performance have psychological elements that, when addressed competently, can improve outcomes. I often work with clients to address barriers to strong performance (e.g., fear of negative evaluation, defending skills and experiences).
Career coach
Some people want to spend time reviewing their current career trajectory and deciding whether they are on track. Others feel dissatisfied with their job and want to increase their sense of enjoyment. Taking stock with an appropriately experienced psychology professional can help resolve such issues.
An external perspective can be beneficial under these circumstances. This consultation can help clarify your career personality, preferred job tasks and workplace goals.
Business coaching
By contrast, some people have specific issues to address. One of the most common difficulties I encounter is people who suspect colleagues hold negative opinions about them.
This form of anxiety can seriously undermine your performance and wellbeing in the workplace. Behavioural effects are also common, whereby people start to react in ways that compound the original problem and create new ones (e.g., reduce interaction with colleagues). Anxiety can be incorrectly labelled as negative personality traits. Education and anxiety management can help resolve this problem.
Leadership skills
New challenges can emerge as people take on more responsibilities and leadership duties. For instance, the imposter syndrome might creep into your working life as you hold increasingly senior roles. Alternatively, you may be reluctant to delegate to team members through fear of a negative outcome (e.g., job not done to a sufficient standard).
Executive coaching
At the most senior levels within large and complex organisations, people often need support to manage the considerable expectations and responsibilities of these roles. Again, these challenges can be approached through various psychological strategies.
Performance appraisal
Regardless of our level within an organisation, most of us undergo an annual appraisal. Some people struggle with the appraisal process. For example, thinking of an appraisal meeting can trigger thoughts of threat (e.g., ‘They are going to find fault in my performance).
Alternatively, some employees require support to address concerns raised in an appraisal. Gaining an understanding of the psychological components to these issues can contribute to their successful management. An employee’s performance is based on many factors.
Understanding these influences can help performance managers better understand employee needs.
Job coach
Guidance, support and encouragement can be invaluable forms of assistance at certain points during your career. Workplaces are often challenging environments where monitoring and evaluation are built into the organisational culture. This spotlight can draw out a range of psychological difficulties.
For instance, there is often pressure to maintain effective workplace relationships and consistently make a good impression with influential superiors. Working with an appropriately qualified coach can enhance your ability to cope with this stressful process.
Career advisor
As you can see, a workplace psychologist can provide support in key areas of your working life. Ensure whoever you work with is appropriately skilled and a good fit to support you.
We are Coaching & Clinical Psychologists with extensive experience helping people conquer a range of wellbeing and performance issues at home and in the workplace. Read more about our work, watch practical skills videos or browse other articles. Get in touch anytime.
