Being downsized, terminated or canned is no longer a stigma. Sadly, it happens to many thousands of people each week. In fact, you can look at it as a new opportunity for personal and career growth. In today’s good economic times, where hiring is rife at all levels and in most industries, you should be okay if you take the right steps.
As a career, executive and personal branding coach, I often advise clients to take personality or career assessments. Mostly conducted online these days, these tests help you to better understand who you are, and provide well-researched and documented guidance on your future career direction.
There are many career assessments out there, some good, some bad, so be careful where you march. When choosing to invest in your career advancement, look for an executive career coach who can explain the benefits and pitfalls of undertaking these tests.
While very true and accurate, I warn you that your test results will uncover things you may not want to hear, and can cause you to think about yourself and your career from a different angle. Having a supportive expert to guide you through this process is invaluable.
Meyers-Briggs is the mother of all personality tests, developed between 1942 and 1962 and still going strong today, but there are many spinoffs, each measuring certain things. Although not accredited to conduct assessments, I have a team of coaches who administer a variety of tests. They meet directly with each client to help determine which test is right for them.
Once the results are in, I coach clients help them interpret the detailed and comprehensive readings. Career assessments provide a deep learning experience, often very revealing and thought-provoking. This invariably opens up new opportunities to advance the coaching conversation.
Personality tests can bring huge benefit when selecting leaders, and many executive recruiters are paid by their clients to administer and interpret these assessments prior to a hiring decision being made.
Wherever you are in your career journey, you can have fun and learn quite a bit about yourself by taking some of the free assessments that are available online today. While the free versions will not be as accurate or detailed as a test administered by a professional, they will still highlight both your strengths and your weaknesses. Use this information to update your career plan and advance your career.
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