by Anne Markey
…that’s the job of career centre staff in Canadian colleges and universities. There’s a myriad of programs and services available to students and new graduates. This overview of the on-campus recruitment process may be of interest to anyone working with Canadian post-secondary students.
by Marilyn Van Norman
Increasingly, the results of an organizational capacity evaluation are seen as integral to running a successful career/employment centre and feed directly into strategic planning. The assessment measures the organization’s ability to meet its goals and achieve its mission. The results of effective assessments can be used to help position the career/employment centre.
by John Zaugra
Located in west-Michigan, Grand Valley State University services more than 24,000 diverse undergraduate and graduate students. GVSU prides itself as a liberal education university and values liberal learning through critical thinking, inquiry, ethical decision making, problem solving, and reflection. Its mission is to educate students to shape their lives, their professions, and their society through teaching, service, and research.
Part 1 of a two-part series by Carolyn Acker
Derek Bok, the former president of Harvard University once said, “If you think education is expensive, try ignorance.” And he is right.
by Saman Warnasuriya
Assessments help young people make meaningful decisions about education, training and employment.
by Jennifer Mackey
Have you ever heard a client remark that a counsellor once told them they should be X? Such a remark is invariably the result of poor interpretive practices.
Clients look to us for concrete answers about what they should do. It is our responsibility to help them explore options, not tell them what they should do. Remembering the following best practices in assessment interpretation will help us fulfill that responsibility
The context of both the client and the assessment tool are important to consider throughout the interpretive process.
In terms of the client’s context, considering their goals, barriers, and action plans is critical. Interpretations for a client with a goal of returning to school, for example, would focus on the match between measures and career options. Interpretations would be further modified by the client’s preferences around duration or location of training and any presenting barriers such as childcare or transportation.
In terms of the assessment tool’s context, considering its objective is necessary. For instance, an assessment tool with an objective of measuring abilities is not to be confused with one measuring aptitudes since the former are demonstrated and the latter are inherent. Be sure to clearly inform the client on exactly what is being measured
Modifying variables play a role in interpretive accuracy and need to be accounted for. How carefully were administrative procedures followed? To what extent were environmental factors such as lighting, heating and noise controlled? Does the client experience test anxiety, language or disability issues? Since text anxiety is a common issue, having a conversation with the client around their assessment experience ahead of interpretation is critical. If modifying variables were not tightly controlled, a retest may be warranted. Even if the assessment conditions were fair, retests can supply valuable comparative data.
There are two main strategies to employ when interpreting standardized assessments.
The first is normative interpretation and involves comparing the client’s results to others’ results. This strategy is particularly useful when interpreting achievement-focused assessments, such as the CAAT. The second is ipsative interpretation and involves comparing the client’s results to their other results. This strategy works well when dealing with interest- and personality-based tools.
Either or both strategies may be used in a given interpretation depending on the discretion of the interpreter and the types and number of assessments completed.
Strong counselling skills are needed when interpreting assessment results, including active listening, concreteness, questioning and summarizing.
Of special importance is the skill of positive asset identification. It is suggested that interpretation begin and end with a discussion of the client’s strengths and that areas for improvement be sandwiched in between. Rather than emphasize where the client can improve, reframe and highlight how the client’s assets can contribute to their goal-achievement. In some cases, shielding the client from assessment data is necessary in order to keep the session centred on exploring positives.
Ideally, the client will have shared their story ahead of assessment. Assessment results serve to complement the client’s narrative.
Whether a narrative approach has been taken or not, a comprehensive interpretation would involve an exploration of the client’s thoughts and feelings about their assessment results. How does the client think they relate to their goals? Were there any surprises?
If there are discrepancies between the assessment results and the client’s narrative, these need to be discussed. For example, if a client indicates their immediate goal to be completion of a college-level program and assessment results point to a Grade 8 achievement level, it would be helpful to give the client feedback on realistic pathways to accomplish their goal.
Perhaps most importantly, always remember that assessments are tools. Avoid attaching labels to clients, as this can lead to clients feeling trapped. Patiently guide clients in making connections between their assessment results and career options. Collaborate with them in weaving what’s meaningful from their assessment results into the tapestry of their narrative.
Jennifer Mackey is an empowering career counsellor, training and development specialist, and human resources generalist and can be contacted at jennifermackey@live.ca.
by Judith Thomas
There are many testing tools and employment counselling tools that can be used with your clientele. I have selected a few of my preferences that harvest excellent results with clients.
by Lisa Trudel
If you are a Career Counsellor working with unemployed or employed clients, it is possible that you are assisting people who are looking for work as Administrative Professionals or who want to improve skills in order to shift into the administrative field.
by Daphné Blouin Carbonneau
Although there is high demand in the Canadian workforce for the skills and knowledge that immigrants have to offer, they continue to face significant challenges in accessing employment. With immigration accounting for a higher-than-ever percentage of labour force growth, career counsellors and career development professionals need to have access to resources to help this clientele find employment in their field of expertise.
by Anu Pala
Career assessments are challenging to utilize for visually impaired and blind individuals, but they don’t have to be. I have accessed various career assessments both as a participant as well as a facilitator and am aware of the challenges, but also know that they can be accessible.