Career Coaching for Hannah Ramsammy

Click on the following link for your: Vocational Style & Personality Assessment (VoSPA) Click on the following link for your: Mutli-Dimensional Emotional Intelligence Quotient (MEIQ) Click on the following link for your: Values Profile Assessment (VaPro)

Career Coaching Session #1: Tuesday September 25, 2012

- Hannah’s E-mail address is hannahbunches@hotmail.com - Hannah is 18 years old, attends secondary school at Maple Leaf and is in her final year Grade 12. - Hannah and her family immigrated to England when she was 9 years old and she returned to Trinidad at age 15, where she enrolled in Maple Leaf School in Grade 9. - Hannah found it difficult to leave her friends behind in England and found it hard to make friends at first when she returned to Trinidad. She eventually made friends and now has a small core of good friends. - She is in the process of applying to Universities but is unsure of what career path she wants to take. - When she was younger she considered a career as a teacher but the pay for teachers in Trinidad is not that good. - Hannah used to help other students in Spanish and Math earlier in secondary school. - Her teacher at Maple Leaf encouraged her to be a TA for Grade 3 which she is currently doing. - Hannah said that she enjoys working with kids. - I asked Hannah if she has empathy for other people especially the suffering, and she said yes. - Other career fields that Hannah has been asked to consider by her family and friends are: engineer, lawyer, actuary, medicine. - I discussed the results of the VoSPA assessment with Hannah, specifically her scores in the various categories of Interests, Intelligence Types, Values, and Work Styles. her scores can be reviewed in the report itself. - Here are the careers that the VoSPA assessment recommended for Hannah and how she rated them in terms of her passion level (1 is no passion and 10 is the highest passion):

Informatics Nurse Specialists (3/10)
Medical Assistant/Technician or Nuclear Medicine Physicians (4/10)
Industrial-Organizational Psychologists (6/10)
Psychologists (5/10)
Education Administrators, Post-secondary or Elementary/Secondary (5/10)
Social Work Teachers, Post-secondary (4/10)
Emergency Management Specialists (4/10)
Business Teacher, Post-secondary (1/10)
Nurse Practitioners (5/10)
First-Line Supervisors/Managers of Police and Detectives (7/10)
Teacher Primary/Secondary (5/10)

- We also discussed Hannah's spirituality, and she said that she has a deeper spirituality than most of her friends. She is Catholic and attends Mass regularly with her family. Both her mother and father are quite religious. - We also discussed Hannah's physical health and exercise habits, and she said that she used to be involved in track & field and soccer. She last played soccer in 2011 but the Maple Leaf team is not that good, and Hannah has not explored playing soccer with an outside league because she lacks confidence. Acknowledgements from Session #1: - I acknowledged Hannah for coming to this series of Career Coaching sessions and for taking the time to try to discover her career path. - I also acknowledged her for her spirituality and love of God. Takeaways from Session #1: - Hannah liked the process of doing the assessment he feels a little clearer about the process of career discovery. Action Plan from Session #1: - Hannah will review the VoSPA report in more detail and research on the Internet using the website O*NET Online (www.onetonline.org) for the recommended careers above which she scored 5 or more out of 10. - The next session was scheduled for either Friday September 28 or Monday October 1 at 4:00 PM.

Career Coaching Session #2: Monday October 1, 2012

- Hannah did not enjoy Biology when she took it in Grade 11 but she said that it could have been due to the teacher as he was not a very passionate individual in general. - Hannah said that she is good in Math and enjoys it. - Hannah enjoyed a course she took in Psychology in Grade 11 and she was did well in the course. She particularly enjoyed solving the various scenarios related to the different people-related problems and issues in the course. - She also said that her friends tend to confide in her more than anyone else. They come to her for advice and she usually gives them honest, direct and realistic advice, which they appreciate. - We also discussed a few other careers that other people suggested that Hannah should at least consider:

Actuary - Even though Hannah is good in Math, it would take very many years to become an Actuary (6 to 10), and Hannah said that this would be too long of a haul for her.
Teacher - Even though Hannah considered being a Teacher when she was younger, she not believes that she does not have a sufficiently high level of passion for this dedicated profession, and the tendency for lower salaries for teachers does not appeal to her. Also the heavy work load of a Teacher from September to June does not fit well with her desire to have her own family.
Engineer - We discussed a career in Engineering for Hannah and after outlining the extremely heavy University workload for this program (7 courses per semester as opposed to 5), Hannah said that this would not be good for her.
Lawyer - Hannah said that the thought of being a Corporate Lawyer does not seem too foreign to her but she is still concerned abut the workload once she starts practicing as a Lawyer. She has two aunts who are lawyers and they work very hard. One is not even married because she is dedicated to her career. Hannah would still like to keep Corporate Lawyer on the short list of careers for the next session.

- The following careers from the VoSPA assessment and otherwise still interest Hannah:

Medical Assistant/Technician or Nuclear Medicine Physician (6/10)
Industrial-Organizational Psychologist (6/10)
Counseling Psychologist (5/10)
Nurse Practitioner or Physician Assistant (5/10)
Corporate Lawyer (5/10)

- Hannah was concerned about whether she would eventually find her ideal career path before December 2012 as this is the deadline for applying to Universities. I assured her to be patient in the process of Career Coaching as it tends to go slowly for the first two sessions, but then starts to come together in sessions 3 and 4. Acknowledgements from Session #2: - I acknowledged Hannah for persevering with the Career Coaching process. - I acknowledged her for doing a good job of researching the various careers on the VoSPA report and for entering her notes in the password-protected blog. Takeaways from Session #2: - Hannah feels a little better that she has narrowed down the list of possible careers somewhat. Action Plan from Session #2: - Hannah will continue researching the five careers on the shortlist using the website O*NET Online (www.onetonline.org). - The next session schedule was scheduled for Monday October 8 at 4:00 PM.

Career Coaching Session #3: Monday October 8, 2012

- Hannah and I discussed the results of the Values Profile assessment. The results below are a summary of Hannah's top values - those that are most important to her and on which she bases her life decisions and goals. Her Core Value is her top value overall. Her Work Value is her top value in her professional life, and takes into account aspects like career path, work tasks, and job environment. Her Personal Value is her top value in her 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: Traditional Values For people whose top personal value is traditional, their interests, hobbies, home life and general attitude revolve around time-honored customs and beliefs. Traditional individuals find comfort and familiarity and routine, and are likely to be careful planners. They tend to be highly-organized, and find a sense of peace in creating order both in their home and lives in general. These are people who will uphold long-standing family traditions and who will pass on their principles and beliefs to their children. As such, they prefer to surround themselves with likeminded friends and a like-minded community. This can also mean, however, that they may not always openly and willingly accept change and people who are very different from them. Anything that is too avant-garde or that goes against their belief system will not sit well with traditional types. Top Work Value: Political Values People for whom political values are important in work settings are happiest and utilize their talents best in an environment where there is a possibility of upward mobility, and recognition of success. They will not hesitate to go after what they want, whether it's power, prestige, or status. If their job position offers little chance for advancement, they are in a position of low status, or they don't have the opportunity to achieve something grand (and get kudos in the process), they are like to feel unfulfilled. People with political values have the ability to both inspire and intimidate people they work with. Their determination, competitiveness and assertiveness push them forward, and allow them to plow through any obstacles that get in their way. If their political values are well-balanced with social ones however, they can also prove to be highly charismatic, masters of persuasion and inspiration, and extraordinary leaders. - The VaPro report suggested occupations for those with social values as follows:

Caregiver/Nurse
Physical Therapist
Animal Trainer
Teacher
Counselor/Social Worker/Psychologist
Personnel Trainer
Civil Rights Lawyer
Receptionist
Customer Service Representative
Retail Salesperson

- Notice how the careers above such as Caregiver/Nurse, Physical Therapist, Counselor/Social Worker/Psychologist, Civil Rights Lawyer match the careers that Hannah and I have been discussing from the VoSPA assessment. - We also discussed briefly the results of Hannah's MEIQ assessment and I commended her for her good score of 104/155, which is good for someone her age. The following is a summarized version of Hannah's results, categorized as Strengths, Potential Strengths, and Limitation. Strengths ·She typically acts in accordance with her values ·She is doing well in the area of Emotional Understanding ·She is empathetic ·She is socially insightful ·She is able to let go/rise above minor issues ·She is able/willing to adapt her social skills to the circumstances around her ·The manner in which she would resolve conflict situations on the test was healthy Potential Strengths ·She has a satisfactory emotional IQ level ·She is doing reasonably well in the area of Emotional Identification, Perception, and Expression ·She is doing reasonably well in the area of Emotional Facilitation of Thought ·She does not ruminate excessively, which is good, but she also may not give things sufficient thought ·Her approach to problem solving is sometimes conducive to resolution ·She performed relatively well on the emotional integration aspect of the test ·She chose some reasonably good forms of resolution for conflict situations on the test ·She is doing reasonably well in the area of Emotional Management ·Her impulse control is satisfactory ·She shows some self-control ·She is moderately driven towards further self-development ·Her level of self-esteem is satisfactory Limitations ·Her emotional self-awareness is limited ·She doesn't seem to be entirely aware of her strengths and weaknesses ·She is not very comfortable with emotions in general ·She struggled with recognizing emotions depicted on the test ·Her mindset could stand to be more positive ·Her resilience/hardiness needs further development ·She needs to work on using more healthy coping techniques ·She is not very self-motivated ·She is not very assertive ·She does not seem to be very content ·She seems to struggle to act independently ·She is not in the habit of setting goals ·She seems to be somewhat indifferent towards the wellbeing of others ·Her flexibility is limited Acknowledgements from Session #3: - I again acknowledged Hannah for coming to this third career coaching session and for persevering through the process of discovering her ideal career path. - I also acknowledged her for completing both the VaPro and MEIQ assessments between sessions 2 and 3, which was very commendable. Takeaways from Session #3: - Hannah is leaning toward a career in the field of Psychology and she shared this with a good friend of hers, who also confirmed what Hannah was feeling about Psychology in general. - I also shared with Hannah that I thought she would be well suited for a career in the field of Psychology based on what she had told me in the previous sessions. Action Plan from Session #3: - Hannah is going to interview professionals who work in the following careers, and she is going to record the results of these interviews in this password protected blog:

Medical Assistant/Technician or Nuclear Medicine Physician
Industrial-Organizational Psychologist
Counseling Psychologist
Nurse Practitioner or Physician Assistant
Corporate Lawyer

- I provided Hannah with a Microsoft Word template for the interview process, and I also provided her with the following list of professionals who work in the above careers:

Industrial Organizational Psychologist
1. Maureen Bowen (680-2915)
Clinical Psychologist
1. Allison Hamel-Smith (628-7866)
2. Wavernay Richards (623-6314)
3. Kim Rostant (628-7866)
Nuclear Medicine Technician
1. Caroline Hadeed (1-305-343-0286)
Nurse Practitioner/Physician Assistant
1. Contact info to follow
Lawyer
1. Hannah's two aunts

- The next session was scheduled for Tuesday October 16 at 4:00 PM.

Career Coaching Session #4: Tuesday October 16, 2012

- Hannah and her mother Donna spent the first 1/2 hour of the session discussing Hannah's career possibilities from the first three sessions, and Donna was concerned that Hannah had not sufficiently explored careers related to Math, which Hannah is good at. Donna expressed some concern that Hannah might not be giving herself enough credit for her potential in the field of Science, specifically Medicine and Math-related careers such as Actuary or Accountant. - I asked Hannah who she had interviewed from the list of professionals that I had provided her with, and she said Maureen Bowen (Industrial Organizational Psychologist) and Caroline Hadeed (Nuclear Medicine and Physician Assistant). - Hannah could tell that Maureen Bowen was really passionate about her career as an Industrial Organizational Psychologist, and she hoped that she could have at least a lot of that passion in her own career. - Hannah said that Caroline Hadeed provided her with good information on both careers of Nuclear Medicine and Physician Assistant. Caroline said that Nuclear Medicine has very limited jobs in Trinidad, and the market in Florida is saturated with many graduates in Nuclear Medicine. So Hannah ruled this out as a career, and also because it would involve a lot of Biology, which she does not like. Caroline also provided some information to Hannah about the career of Physician Assistant, even though she does not practice as one. - After Donna left, I asked Hannah if she would be willing to do a visualization exercise with careers related to the subject areas of Psychology, Medicine, and Math and she said yes. Visualization Exercise for Careers Related to Medicine - Hannah first did the visualization exercise for the career of Pediatrician and she rated it an overall 4/10. Here were the pros and cons that Hannah visualized:

Pros: (i) She would be working with children which she generally likes; (ii) She likes the idea of helping others get well; (iii) She like the idea of being busy and needed by others.
Cons: (i) She felt that her patience level would eventually wear out after a year of working with children all the time; (ii) She didn't like the fact that the hours could be long and she could be called at any hour of the night when a child was critically ill; (iii) She doesn't like the fact that studying would involve a lot of Biology which she really dislikes with a passion!

- Hannah next did the visualization exercise for the career of Physician Assistant and she rated it an overall 5/10. Here were the pros and cons that Hannah visualized:

Pros: (i) She would be working with a mix of ages of people and not just kids; (ii) She likes the idea of helping others get well; (iii) She like the idea of being busy and needed by others; (iv) She like the fact that this career involves a variety of rooms and environments, and the fact that she would not be sitting at the same desk all the time; (v) She also liked that fact that this career could be a stepping stone to becoming a full-fledged Physician if she so chooses; (vi) She finally liked that fact that the length of time (5 to 6 years) to become a Physician Assistant was shorter than for becoming an actual Physician (7 to 8 years).
Cons: (i) She felt that her patience level could eventually wear out after a year of working with sick people all the time; (ii) She doesn't like the fact that studying would involve a lot of Biology which she really dislikes with a passion. This is big negative for Hannah!

Visualization Exercise for Careers Related to Psychology - Hannah first did the visualization exercise for the career of Industrial Organizational Psychologist and she rated it an overall 6/10. Here were the pros and cons that Hannah visualized:

Pros: (i) She would be working with people which she generally likes; (ii) She likes the idea of helping others with their problems, whether it is career related or personal; (iii) She like the idea of being busy and needed by others; (iv) She likes the fact that she would be using her deductive reasoning extensively with this career; (v) She likes the fact that the career is in the field of Psychology which she did well in in Grade 11.
Cons: (i) She felt that people (and even her mother) might perceive Psychology as a catch-all field if you're not sure what other careers you might be suited to. I assured Hannah that this should not factor into her thinking.

- Hannah stressed that she really dislikes Biology and when she took it in Grade 10, even though the teacher was not very passionate, she still got a low mark (50) on her mid-term exam, which is unheard of for her. She managed to pull her final mark up to a 70 but it was quite a struggle. Hannah finds that Biology is not a very exact science and has a lot of terminology to memorize. - She said that when she took general Science in Grade 10, she liked the Chemistry component of it with regard to the formulas and labs, but not so much with regard to the concepts. She didn't really do Physics so she does not know if she would like it. - She has always done well in Math because her father always taught his four children Math from a young age. - I asked Hannah how she would describe herself in terms of her brain functioning, left-brain being logical and right-brain being creative and emotional. She said that she would rate herself 80/20 left-brain/right-brain, so she leans more towards careers where she can use her deductive and logical reasoning skills. - Hannah felt that she still didn't know what her exact career path was, although the closest one from the four sessions was Industrial Organizational Psychologist. I told Hannah that the goal of these four career coaching sessions was to achieve the intersection of 7/10 or more in terms of her passion level with 7/10 or more in terms of her desired income level. Anything more than that 70% - 70% intersection point would be a bonus. In fact, I assured Hannah that approximately 85% of people in the workforce have not achieved that 70% - 70% intersection. - I assured Hannah that she should not be looking for an exact career match to her personality strengths, and that only a tiny percentage of people achieve that 100% - 100% intersection point. If she was fairly confident that she had found a career that had the 70% - 70% intersection, she should then apply herself to excel in the study and performance of that career, and to do it for the glory of God and for the good of her fellow man! Acknowledgements from Session #4: - I acknowledged Hannah for completing all four career coaching sessions and persevering with the research and discussions. - I also acknowledged her for completing all three Psychometric assessments. Takeaways from Session #4: - Hannah said that she is still unsure after four sessions abut exactly which career to choose, and she wished that she could be more like some of her friends who seem to know exactly which career is right for them. - Hannah feels at least like she knows for sure which careers and fields of study she definitely does not like. Action Plan from Session #4: - I asked Hannah if she would be willing to come for at least one more career coaching session and she said that she would talk to her Mom Donna about the cost. - I asked Hannah if she would be willing to spend some quiet time in prayer to God asking Him for His guidance on the careers from the shortlist above. She said that she has been praying for a few years now abut her career choice, but she would be willing to give it another try. - I asked Hannah to stay in touch with me and not to hesitate if she needed to contact me via E-mail, phone or in person.

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