Sun Tzu famously wrote “Mastering others is strength. Mastering yourself is true power.” A professional psychometric assessment is a very useful tool in this regard. These reports usually provide invaluable measurements of your knowledge, abilities, attitudes, and personality traits. Instinctively I knew most of the feedback was true. There have typically been some useful nuggets of information that I had not considered as well. The reports have helped clarify some of my experiences and perceptions in professional life.
In professional life at a minimum you must know:
- your core interests, and what they mean for your career success and happiness
- the kind of organizational culture you’ll most likely enjoy and succeed in
- the rewards that tend to motivate you most
- your strengths and weaknesses (as you see them and as others see them)
- characteristics that may limit your success
I’ll share with you some feedback from a recent assessment I completed late last year before I started school from http://www.careerleader.com . This was also the best assessment I taken in terms of learning more about myself. The report helped me to identify my main interests, abilities, and motivations
Scale
- 10-12 range denote rewards that are very important to you;
- 7-9 are important (though less so);
- 4-6 may, or may not, be important to you.
- 0-3 range denote rewards that are not very meaningful to you.
| MOTIVATOR | SCORE & RANGE | MORE DETAILS
|
|
| AffiliationYes | 2 Low | The position offers a setting with enjoyable colleagues with whom I feel a sense of belonging. | |
| AltruismYes | 9 High | The position offers the satisfaction of regularly helping others with their individual or business concerns. | |
| AutonomyYes | 6 Mid-range | The position offers considerable autonomy and independence. | |
| Financial GainYes | 10 Very High | The position provides excellent opportunity for exceptional financial reward. | |
| Intellectual ChallengeYes | 5 Mid-range | The position offers consistent intellectual challenge. | |
| LifestyleYes | 7 High | The position allows ample time to pursue other important aspects of my lifestyle (family, leisure activities, etc.). | |
| Managing PeopleYes | 6 Mid-range | The position offers the opportunity to manage and direct other people. | |
| PositioningYes | 12 Very High | The position offers experience and access to people and opportunities that will position me well for my next career move. | |
| Power and InfluenceYes | 8 High | The position offers the opportunity to exercise power and influence (to be an influential decision maker). | |
| PrestigeNo | 1 Low | The position is with an organization that is prestigious in its field. | |
| RecognitionYes | 7 High | The position is in an environment where individual accomplishments are recognized with praise from peers and superiors. | |
| SecurityNo | 0 Low | The position offers a great deal of security in terms of predictable salary, benefits, and future employment. | |
| VarietyYes | 5 Mid-range | The position offers a great deal of variety in the nature of the work performed. |
Why is this knowledge crucial to your success?
Your interests are the single most important factor in your happiness and success. You need to know the careers that are most likely to bring you success and satisfaction. Then you need to what actions to take to work toward your career goals.
I’ll speak more to this topic in terms of self-management and employee engagement in future posts.
Donal
