“Can’t you just give me that test that will tell me what I should do?” Sarah said as she lamented her career confusion. Much like many twentysomethings, Sarah was lost in her career musings and wondering whether she should stay in Connecticut – where she loved – or move to Boston to look for work. Her friends had recommended seeing me for career counseling and said something along the lines of “Daryl will give you a career test and then tell you what to do”.
The career profiling tests and questions that I give career counseling clients help me understand the client prior to their entering my Old Saybrook or Madison offices. But it is only in meeting with them that the tests come to life as I sort through the nuances of each of our client’s situation and values.
My job is to interpret the tests with the hope that I can figure out how to best advise my clients on what to do next. The tests are staring point but not the end.