Career Coaching for Alex Castanheiro

Click on the following link for your: Vocational Style & Personality Assessment (VoSPA) Click on the following link for your: Values Profile Assessment (VaPro) Click on the following link for your: Mutli-Dimensional Emotional Intelligence Quotient (MEIQ) Click on the following link for the: List of Questions for Interview Process Click on the following link for the: O*Net Online Career Research Tool

Career Coaching Session #1: Saturday January 19, 2013

- Alex's E-mail address is alex.castanheiro@gmail.com - Alex is currently 19 years old. - He attended secondary school at St. Mary's Catholic School in Pickering and graduated with a 84% average in high school, got a 94% history, and he got the history award. - He is currently attending University of Toronto in his first year. He is taking two history courses, urban geography, philosophy of religion, and a political science course. He deliberately took this diversity of courses to keep his options open before he has to declare his major in his second year. - He enjoys working with younger people, and he likes teaching in general, and he has also considered law as a career path. He wouldn't mind getting a Masters in history before going into law for example, which would enable to lecture. - I discussed the results of the VoSPA assessment with Alex, specifically his scores in the various categories of Interests, Intelligence Types, Values, and Work Styles. His scores can be reviewed in the report itself. - Here are the careers that the VoSPA assessment recommended for Alex and how he rated them in terms of his passion level (1 is no passion and 10 is the highest passion):

Education Administrators, Elementary and Secondary School (7.5/10)
Public Relations Managers (7/10)
Judges, Magistrate Judges, and Magistrates (3/10)
Chief Executives (4/10)
Training and Development Managers (7/10)
Lawyers (8/10)
Communications Teachers, Post-secondary (8/10)
Law Teachers, Post-secondary (9/10)
Social and Community Service Managers (7/10)
Emergency Management Specialists (5/10)

- Alex seems to lean more toward a career in the fields of teaching and/or law. - We also discussed Alex's spirituality and he said that he was close to the chaplain at St. Mary's and also volunteered to help younger students at a student retreat at Manreesa House in Pickering. - We also discussed Alex's physical health and exercise habits, and he said that he played hockey for 14 years up to the AAA level. Acknowledgements from Session #1: - I acknowledged Alex for completing the VoSPA assessment. - I also acknowledged him for coming to these Career Coaching sessions to get a better understanding of what career path he would like to pursue. Takeaways from Session #1: - Alex liked the process of doing the assessment and discussing it in more detail in our session. - He feels a little clearer about the process of career discovery. Action Plan from Session #1: - Alex will review the VoSPA report in more detail and research on the Internet using the O*Net Online Career Research Tool the recommended careers above which he scored 7 or more out of 10, and document his research in this password-protected blog. This is Alex's current shortlist:

Law Teachers, Post-secondary (9/10)
Lawyers (8/10)
Communications Teachers, Post-secondary (8/10)
Education Administrators, Elementary and Secondary School (7.5/10)
Public Relations Managers (7/10)
Training and Development Managers (7/10)
Social and Community Service Managers (7/10)

- He also agreed to see if any of the careers in the Related section of the O*Net Online website catch his interest, and to put those in the blog as well. - Alex also agreed to complete the Values Profile assessment. - The next session was scheduled for Saturday January 26, 2013 at 3:00 PM EST.

Career Coaching Session #2: Saturday January 26, 2013

- We reviewed Alex's research into the various careers on his shortlist from session 1. - We also reviewed Alex's Values Profile assessment report together and the results below are a summary of Alex's top values - those that are most important to him and on which he bases his life decisions and goals. His Core Value is his top value overall. His Work Value is his top value in his professional life, and takes into account aspects like career path, work tasks, and job environment. His Personal Value is his top value in his personal life and reflects issues related to relationships, hobbies, and world view. Top Core Value: Social Values Those who place importance on social values enjoy being helpful, kind and agreeable. They think it's important to try to find the good in everyone, and have faith that if they dig deep enough, they'll find it. They give of themselves, whether on a small scale (e.g. by spending time with a friend in need), or on a global scale (e.g. by volunteering for a human rights organization). In helping others overcome obstacles, people with social values hope to assist them in becoming the best they can be. They are giving and compassionate individuals. Social people likely become passionately angry at signs of social injustice. They enjoy and benefit from being with others, both in their work and personal sphere, and as a result, seek out jobs and activities where this is possible. In times of crisis and change, people with social values are both a source of comfort for their family and friends, and able to be comforted by them as well. Top Personal Value: Theoretical Values For people whose top personal value is theoretical, their interests, hobbies, home life and general attitude revolve around feeding their intellect and knowledge base. These are people who can be highly curious, and are constantly on the path of seeking truth. Others may view them as bookish, highly rational, and analytical. Theoretical people hate settling for ambiguous explanations about anything. As children, and probably even as adults, they'll always want to know why. As friends and confidantes, theoretical people will offer straightforward, unbiased, and logical advice. This is due to their ability to look at the world objectively, without letting emotions cloud their judgment. This can also mean, however, that they can come off as indifferent and even insensitive on occasion, at least to those who are more emotion-based. Work Value: Social Values People for whom social values are important in work settings are happiest and utilize their talents best when their job does some good for mankind, they have contact with people, and/or they do not feel that they are taking advantage of others. People with social values either work or see themselves working in a "helping" profession (e.g. medicine, nursing, teaching, or counseling). Even if they don't, they probably bring a sense of humanity to their position that makes them considerate to fellow employees, employers and clients. They are often very personable colleagues - people may come to them for help and advice, and they are often well-liked. If social people work in a position where they do not have contact with others, either coworkers or the public, they may feel lonely and frustrated, especially if their job doesn't satisfy any other values they may hold. - The following is a summarized version of Alex's results, categorized according to his Dominant Values (those that are most important to him), Influencing Values (those of moderate importance to him), and Minor Values (those of least importance to him). Dominant Values

Social Values

Influencing Values

Theoretical Values
Traditional Values
Realistic Values
Political Values

Minor Values

Aesthetic Values

- The suggested occupations for those with social values:

Caregiver/Nurse
Physical Therapist
Animal Trainer
Teacher (confirms VoSPA recommendations for Alex)
Counselor/Social Worker/Psychologist
Personnel Trainer
Civil Rights Lawyer (confirms VoSPA recommendations for Alex)
Receptionist
Customer Service Representative
Retail Salesperson

- The following careers from the VoSPA assessment still interest Alex:

Communications Teachers, Post-secondary (10/10)
Education Administrators, Elementary and Secondary School (9/10)
Lawyers (8/10)
Public Relations Managers (7/10)

- We discussed how Alex would rate himself in terms of his emotional IQ (EIQ) and he said that he does not show his emotions in an overly expressive way. I stressed the importance of developing a healthy EIQ as Psychologists have recently discovered that it is as important and maybe even more important than having a high IQ score. I asked him if he would be willing to do the MEIQ assessment and he said yes. Acknowledgements from Session #2: - I acknowledged Alex for successfully completing the research into the various careers on his shortlist from the first session, and for entering his research into this password protected blog. - I also acknowledged Alex for completing the Value Profile assessment. Takeaways from Session #2: - Alex liked the fact that the Values Profile Assessment confirmed some of the professions from the VoSPA report. - He is also starting to feel better about his shortlist of possible careers becoming even more narrowed down. Action Plan from Session #2: - Alex agreed to complete the Multidimensional Emotional IQ assessment before our next session. - He also agreed to start interviewing professionals in the four careers on his current shortlist, using the Microsoft Word template that I will provide him with in an E-mail, and which can also be found at the top of this blog. - The next session schedule was scheduled for Saturday February 2, 2013 at 4:00 PM EST.

Career Coaching Session #3: Saturday February 2, 2013

- Alex and I discussed his MEIQ assessment report in detail and he scored 108/155, which puts him the the 70th percentile. This is quite good for his age (19), and overall, he is adequately skilled at understanding and dealing with emotions. He does need to further develop his skills further, and awareness is key to helping him find the motivation to improve in this area, and knowing which areas he most needs to work on developing. - Here are the graphs showing Alex's scores in detail:

- The following is a summarized version of Alex's results, categorized as Strengths, Potential Strengths, and Limitation: Strengths

He is emotionally self-aware
His approach to problem solving is conducive to resolution
He has a positive mindset
He is socially insightful
He is driven toward further self-development
He is able/willing to adapt his social skills to the circumstances around him
He has a healthy level of self-esteem
He shows social responsibility for the wellbeing of others

Potential Strengths

He has a satisfactory emotional IQ level
He is doing reasonably well in the area of Emotional Identification, Perception, and Expression
He was sometimes able to recognize the emotions depicted on the test
He is doing reasonably well in the area of Emotional Facilitation of Thought
He does not ruminate excessively, which is good, but he also may not give things sufficient thought
He is doing reasonably well in the area of Emotional Understanding
He is somewhat empathetic
He chose some reasonably good forms of resolution for conflict situations on the test
He is doing reasonably well in the area of Emotional Management
His impulse control is satisfactory
He shows some self-control
His coping skills are satisfactory
He is reasonably self-motivated
He is sometimes able to let go/rise above minor issues

Limitations

He doesn't seem to be entirely aware of his strengths and weaknesses
He is not very comfortable with emotions in general
He doesn't make it a point to act in accordance with his values
He struggled with the emotional integration aspect of the test
His resilience/hardiness needs further development
The manner in which he would resolve conflict situations on the test were not always the most beneficial
He is not very assertive
He does not seem to be very content
He seems to struggle to act independently
He is not in the habit of setting goals
His flexibility is limited

- I suggested for Alex to review the MEIQ report in detail and to follow the advice given in the last section of the report. I also assured him that it is a life-long journey to constantly improve one's EIQ score, but the benefits are enormous to one's work life, family life, and social life. - I also recommended that Alex start his interview process with professionals who work in the various careers on his current shortlist, using the interview template that I will provide him with in an E-mail, and which he can also find at the top of this blog. He is highly encouraged to document his interview results with each professional on a separate interview sheet. Acknowledgements from Session #3: - I acknowledged Alex for completing the MEIQ assessment, and for scoring well on it. Takeaways from Session #3: - Alex thought that the MEIQ assessment and the results reflected accurately his emotional health, and he would like to review the report in more detail. - He is feeling better about the process of his career path discovery, using all of the tools that we have discussed in the three sessions so far. Action Plan from Session #3: - Review the MEIQ report in more detail, paying special attention to his areas if limitation, and the advice given at the end of the report. - Interview professionals on his shortlist of careers and document the results of all his interviews on separate documents using the interview template provided. His current shortlist of careers is:

Communications Teachers, Post-secondary (10/10)
Education Administrators, Elementary and Secondary School (9/10)
Lawyers (8/10)
Public Relations Managers (7/10)

- The next session was scheduled for Saturday February 16, 2013 at 4:00 PM EST.

Career Coaching Session #4: Saturday March 2, 2013

- Alex and I discussed the results of his interviews with the various career professionals over the past few weeks, and here is a summary of his findings: 1. Professor of History and Philosophy at UWI in Barbados: Karl Watson

Interesting because of material of study
But cut- throat because of the volume of research and the competition until you get tenure
Liked best the interactions with young minds, students
Liked marking papers least
Interesting job but a lot of work and study
He would do it all over again
Second rated career

2. Lawyer Ben, from the West Indies.

Studied in Canada and had lots of memorization
After articling, got a job easily with the same firm
Day to Day activities vary, research and court work
Liked the hours of work the least, and does not mesh well with family life
He would do it all over again
Alex didn't liked the hours but this job seemed to have the most influence in people
Third rated career

3. Principal of High School

Got a Ph. D. in Education and taught for two to three years.
Then she did a lot accreditation courses in principalship
Easy to get a job because of her timing.
Easier for a man to get a job in elementary school as opposed to high school
A lot of administration
She likes the interaction with the students
She does not like the fact the she has less power than before, because of strong unions for teachers
Appeals to Alex because he likes interacting with young people
This is the top rated career for Alex

- Alex no longer interested in Public Relations Manager - I mentioned to Alex the book "The Alchemist" by Paolo Choelo where he discusses the discovery of the shepherd boy's discovery of his "personal legend" and how we often search for the deeper meaning of our life, only to discover as the shepherd boy discovered in the novel, that it is usually deep within us and somewhat obvious from a very young age! Based on this wisdom, I asked Alex if he has always had a talent and passion for the teaching profession in general, and he said yes. His father Graham started taking him at a fairly young age to help with coaching camps, and he has always enjoyed working with younger children and people. His father Graham also has a teaching personality in his tennis and golf coaching career, which could have easily been passed down to Alex. - Alex said that if he did indeed choose the teaching profession, he would lean more toward being a teacher and eventually a principal in an elementary school as opposed to a high school. This is because there is a shortage of male teachers in elementary schools. Acknowledgements from Session #4: - I acknowledged Alex for his perseverance in participating in all four Career Coaching sessions, and for completing all of his action plans diligently. - I also acknowledged him for being able to narrow down his career path choice to the following choices, in order of his preference:

Teacher/Principal
Professor
Lawyer

Takeaways from Session #4: - Alex felt that he had arrived a good conclusion for his career path choices, and he feels a lot more confidence and clarity around his decisions. Action Plan from Session #4: - Alex agreed to investigate the admission requirements to Victoria College at University of Toronto which offers the concurrent program in teaching.

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