Time to test yourself

Looking for a job or want a career change but don't know where to start. Cambridge University student Jonathan Wood took a psychometric test and was pleasantly surprised by some of the jobs suggested ... but wonders what exactly a dance therapist is.

Being still at university, careers, jobs and nine-to-five always seem rather a long way off.

I can admire friends who have known they want to be a doctor, lawyer, teacher and so on from an early age but have never been able to be so definite myself.

Something vaguely creative has always held some appeal. Journalism does seem quite attractive at the moment, as does writing in general or perhaps something charity-based.

It’s almost easier to describe what doesn’t appeal to me. I’ve done plenty of work experience and holiday jobs which were definitely enough to get at least a brief taster of a given profession.

Four months as a dogsbody in a lawyers’ firm, lugging boxes around and being ladled with quite obscene amounts of photocopying were enough to find out that law is definitely not for me.

My knowledge of career guidance was limited to a five-minute interview at school which really was of no help, university was recommended, as was becoming a lawyer, journalism was discouraged and that was about it.

So, with rather vague ideas and a distinct lack of definite career direction, the career step test was a very good idea.

I must admit I wasn’t quite sure what to expect from a psychometric test, the very name sounds rather mysterious and I wasn’t sure what exactly was involved.

Expecting to have to give over half a day to completing it, I was pleasantly surprised to discover that I’d finished it in twenty minutes.

Rather than force you to devote hours to the test it positively encourages speed, wanting you to go with your gut instinct and first reaction to a question rather than sit there for ages trying to work out a response.

Indeed, the questions themselves were not the taxing ones with essay answers I assumed they would be.

Instead they consist of a series of brief and very general job descriptions, such as painting, working with your hands or writing, which you must rank according to your preference, the stronger your preferences the more pronounced the recommendations will be at the end.

Other questions focus on your experience and ability in other areas, always using the same ranking system with you grading your preferences.

The conclusions the test gives you at the end are certainly detailed. The report that you are sent looks closely at your preferences and competencies, describing the kind of work environment that you should aim for as well as what to avoid.

Indeed I had assumed that it would simply come out at the end with a couple of professions that might suit me and that would be that.

However, instead of a couple of jobs, the test lists many, grouping them by category. My report came up with almost eighty potential careers and jobs that I could pursue.

The results are surprisingly accurate; the potential jobs it identified for me were dominated by the Advertising, Media and Entertainment category, with journalist, writer, scriptwriter, correspondent news editor and plenty more all of which I could contemplate quite happily.

In the Government category a cryptanalyst (although I’m not sure what that is), intelligence specialist and intelligence research analyst all sounded fairly exotic and encouraged visions of life for me working for the secret service.

Others are slightly odder, when it lists dancer, musician, singer and orchestra conductor among the options open to me, it’s clear the test didn’t ask if I could dance and it’s obviously never heard me try to sing. Being a composer really isn’t an option and just what a dance therapist is I don’t really want to know.

At university I can make a mean fried egg sandwich but in spite of my culinary talents, which sadly extend no further than the aforementioned sandwich, I don’t really think being a pastry chef is for me.

I can doodle during a lecture with artistic flair but I doubt I’ll ever make it as a stained glass artist and while the test might flatter you by saying you could be a fashion model, I don’t think I’ll be following up a career as a floral designer or a colour consultant.

But this is the very nature of the test, it lists many options, most of which you won’t be interested in but it will identify the general sort of jobs you should be looking for and from the list it provides you should be able to pick at the very least a dozen to follow up.

Yet the test doesn’t just end there, it gives you advice on how to go looking for the jobs it has recommended as well as some tips on getting them.

The career test focuses you on what type of job and what type of working environment will be right for you, it may throw up some odd ones but Career Step lets you look at the widest possible range of options.

It definitely gives you the chance to give direction to your career, focusing on what areas you should be working in and making sure you’re making full use of your skills.