Career Coaching for Abraham Gilbert

Click on the following link for your: Vocational Style & Career Assessment (VoSCA) Click on the following link for your: Values Profile Assessment (VaPro-R4) 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: Thursday 25 September 2014

- Abraham's E-mail address is abrahamgilbert@gmail.com - Abraham is 24 years old, and and is currently working at Color Sphere International in Trinidad. His mother and father are deceased, and he said that he really has no family. - He attended secondary school at Chagaunas Junior Secondary School, followed by Couva Government Secondary School, where he excelled and won many awards. He graduated there in CXC, and went onto to obtain an Associates degree in Tourism from TTHT in Chaguaramus. He only did Tourism because he felt that he was not good at anything else. - Abraham then went to the US (Miami and Washington) for four and a half years, and obtained a Bachelors degree in Tourism and Management from Johnson Wales University. - He then returned to Trinidad, and has been here for about five months. He has been soul-searching for over the past year trying to figure out what career path to choose, because he really wants to make a difference in other people's lives, given his difficult childhood and the pains he himself experienced. - He does not like living in Trinidad because he does not feel that he fits into the society here. He would really like to immigrate to the US, and his desire for this is 100%. But he admits that the process may be difficult because he would have to obtain expertise in a career that is in high demand in the US, and then have a company there be willing to hire him and sponsor him to become a resident. He puts the chances of that happening at about 70%. - I asked Abraham what careers he has considered in the past, and how he rates them in terms of his passion level from 1 to 10:

Tourism (2/10)
Pageant Coach (10/10)
Fashion Designer (7/10)
Wedding/Event Planner (9/10)
Fashion Stylist (9/10)
Public Motivational Speaker (7/10)
TV Personality (8/10)
Flight Attendant (9/10)
Creative Director for Ads and Beauty (10/10)
Personal Gym Trainer (9/10)

- Abraham stressed that he wants a career that will give him the satisfaction of making other people happy, because he is at heart a people-person. - I discussed the results of the VoSCA assessment with Abraham, 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 VoSCA assessment recommended for Abraham and how he rated them in terms of his passion level (1 is no passion and 10 is the highest passion): #1 Tour Guides and Escorts (1/10) #2 Residential Advisors (3/10) #3 Advertising Sales Agents (6/10) #4 Meeting, Convention, and Event Planners (9/10) #5 Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Except Technical and Scientific Products(1/10) #6 Insurance Sales Agents (1/10) #7 Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Technical and Scientific Products(1/10) #8 Real Estate Brokers (9/10) #9 Compensation, Benefits, and Job Analysis Specialists (5/10) #10 Storage and Distribution Managers (1/10) #11 Office Clerks, General (1/10) #12 Agricultural Inspectors (0/10) #13 Purchasing Agents, Except Wholesale, Retail, and Farm Products (0/10) #14 Market Research Analysts and Marketing Specialists (4/10) #15 Advertising and Promotions Manager (8/10) #16 Talent Directors (9/10) - I also asked him if he would be willing to complete the Values Profile assessment as this would also help him in discerning the best career path to match his values, and he said yes. Acknowledgements from Session #1: - I acknowledged Abraham for completing the VoSCA 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: - Abraham liked the process of doing the assessment he feels a little clearer about the process of career discovery. Action Plan from Session #1: - Abraham agreed to review the VoSCA report in more detail. - He also agreed to research on the Internet using the O*Net Online Career Research Tool (www.onetonline.org) the recommended careers above which he scored 7 or more out of 10, and document his research in this password-protected blog under the section at the end called “Leave a Reply”. The careers on his shortlist in order of his passion level are: #1 Creative Director for Ads and Beauty (10/10) #2 Pageant Coach (10/10) #3 Talent Directors (9/10) #4 Wedding, Meeting, Convention, and Event Planners (9/10) #5 Fashion Stylist (9/10) #6 Real Estate Brokers (9/10) #7 Flight Attendant (9/10) #8 Personal Gym Trainer (9/10) #9 Advertising and Promotions Manager (8/10) #10 TV Personality (8/10) #11 Fashion Designer (7/10) #12 Public Motivational Speaker (7/10) - He also agreed to see if any of the careers in the Related section under each of his recommended careers in the report catch his interest, and to put those in the blog as well. In particular, he should at least copy and paste the following sections from the O*Net site into the blog: Tasks, Knowledge, Related Careers, and Wages & Employment Trends. - Abraham also agreed to complete the Values Profile assessment. - The next session was scheduled for Wednesday 1 October 2014 at 10:30 AM.

Career Coaching Session #2: Wednesday 1 October 2014

- Abraham and I discussed the Values Profile assessment, and the results below are a summary of Abraham'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: Aesthetic Values Those who are motivated by aesthetic values wish to surround themselves with beauty, form, and balance. They have a creative, unusual way of thinking, and want the environment that they surround themselves with to be reflective of that. Without creative outlets, they feel extremely stifled. If aesthetic people work or live in an unattractive, dreary environment, it could have a very negative effect on them. Those with aesthetic values have an adventurous nature, and wish to see a lot of different things in their lifetime. As a result, they are drawn to art, literature, music, and other forms of creative expression. Top Personal Value: Aesthetic Values For those whose top personal value lies in the aesthetic, their interests, hobbies, home life and general attitude revolve around expressing themselves creatively, whether it be in the form of writing, dancing, art, or music. At least some of their free time is spent pursuing these interests. These are people who are very open to new experiences. Both in their behavior and in the constantly swirling thoughts in their mind, there is a desire to create, see, and experience something new. Aesthetic people can also be quite avant-garde, and are less likely than other types to want to conform to trends and follow the crowd. As such, others may often label them as rebellious, or even weird. Top Work Value: Aesthetic Values People for whom aesthetic values are important in work settings love being given tasks and projects that allow them to flex their creative muscle. In fact, to be tied down to any form of structure, be it in the form of rules or work approach, would make them feel stifled. Aesthetic people also need to be given time to "incubate" ideas. They have to be given the opportunity to work at their own pace and follow their own approach, knowing that masterpieces aren't created in a day. Given that they are constantly drawn to and appreciate beauty and harmony, it would be a bit of a faux pas for the appearance of their work environment to not follow this trend. Much like social people love having contact with the public, aesthetic people want to be surrounded by splendor. Bland cubicles/offices may drain their energy (or in the least bore them) if they can't personalize how their workspace looks. - The following is a summarized version of Abraham'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

Aesthetic Values (90/100)
Social Values (83/100)
Political Values (81/100)
Realistic Values (72/100)
Traditional Values (72/100)

Influencing Values

Theoretical Values (61/100)

Minor Values

None of the values fall into this category

- The suggested occupations for those with aesthetic values are: #1 Interior Designer (8/10) #2 Architect #3 Photographer (7/10) #4 Journalist/Reporter (9/10) #5 Painter/Sculptor #6 Composer/Musician/Singer #7 Hairstylist/Fashion Designer (7/10) #8 Art Director/Film Editor/Producer #9 Actor (9/10) #10 Radio/Television Announcer (10/10) - The following careers from the VoSCA and VaPro assessment still interest Abraham: #1 Talent Directors/Pageant Coach (10/10) #2 Radio and Television Announcers (10/10) #3 Fitness Trainers and Aerobics Instructors/Health Wellness Coach (10/10) #4 Journalist/Reporter (9/10) #5 Meeting, Convention, and Event Planners (9/10) #6 Actor (9/10) #7 Interior Designer (8/10) #8 Fashion Designers/Fashion Stylist (8/10) #9 Physical Therapists (8/10) #10 Art Directors (7/10) #11 Photographer (7/10) Acknowledgements from Session #2: - I acknowledged Abraham for completing the Values Profile assessment. - I also acknowledged him for doing research on the various careers and for documenting his results. Takeaways from Session #2: - Abraham feels that his list of careers is getting more refined. Action Plan from Session #2: - Abraham agreed to review the Values Profile assessment in more detail. - He also agreed to continue researching the careers on his shortlist so that he can narrow down the list to about six careers in preparation for the interview process with professionals who work in those various careers. His current career shortlist is: #1 Talent Directors/Pageant Coach (10/10) #2 Radio and Television Announcers (10/10) #3 Fitness Trainers and Aerobics Instructors/Health Wellness Coach (10/10) #4 Journalist/Reporter (9/10) #5 Meeting, Convention, and Event Planners (9/10) #6 Actor (9/10) #7 Interior Designer (8/10) #8 Fashion Designers/Fashion Stylist (8/10) #9 Physical Therapists (8/10) #10 Art Directors (7/10) #11 Photographer (7/10) - The next session schedule was scheduled for Wednesday 15 October 2014 at 11:00 AM.

Career Coaching Session #3: Wednesday 15 October 2014

- After reviewing the career list, Abraham condensed his career shortlist to the following top four based on research, growth, financial stability and vocational style i.e. artistic, social and enterprise: #1 Wellness and Fitness Coach (10/10) "This has truly open my eyes. I enjoy fitness and living a healthy lifestyle. This career is in high demand and is excepting high growth over the next few years. With a career as a WFC my chances of sponsorship and likelihood of working and living in the states is quite high. I'm not certain of the value profile and but it's a great fit for me. I can make a difference in peoples life one person at a time." #2 Radio/Television Host (9/10) "This career is expecting little or no growth over the next few years. The value profile is AES which is a great match for me. However I know I can emerge successful in this career. I can see myself conducting a live interviews etc. I also would like to interview designers and models etc across the world if I decided to choose this field. It won't be a terrible idea creating my very own television show "Road to the Runway". Whereby designers are models that talk about their experiences while educating and shedding light on fashion and it's impact in the world through charity, style and education etc. " #3 Meeting, Convention and Event Planner (10/10) "This is another awesome field with profile value ECS. It is expecting increased growth over the next few years. However, I prefer weddings and social events such as cocktail parties. It would be awesome planning events for groups in these areas while creating a lasting impression in the lives of my clients. I do however like the stress behind it due to a few events gigs I worked at whereby I was responsible for the outcome. Anther great fit." #4 Talent Director (8/10) X "Although this career is last on my list. I believe I have a good eye for great talent in the art-form. Although it is a very competitive field that requires a lot of experience, it will surely be worth it. The value profile is AES. Growth in this career is somewhat slow .This is another potential but may result in difficulty when it comes to sponsorship." - Abraham agreed to interview professionals in careers #1, #2, and #3 above to determine which would be his final choice. Acknowledgements from Session #3: - I acknowledged Abraham for the research and blogging that he did from last session. - I also acknowledged him for being able to narrow down his list of possible careers to just three! Takeaways from Session #3: - After thirteen (13) months of self torture, Abraham feels that he is finally being able to deal with his career frustration. He is eager to land at the career that would allow him to live to the truest expression of himself while making a difference in the world! Action Plan from Session #3: - Abraham agreed to FedEx his letter to Oprah Winfrey at the following mailing address: Oprah Winfrey Harpo Studios, Inc. 1058 West Washington Blvd. Chicago, IL 60607 - Abraham agreed to investigate taking lessons for his SAT exams, and when he could schedule the exams for. - He also agreed to complete the diversity visa application on the US embassy website. - He also agreed to investigate and blog his findings for colleges and universities for his ideal careers. In particular, the website for the International Coach Federation is: http://www.coachfederation.org. - Abraham also agreed to interview professionals in his career shortlist using the Word document template provided to him, and which can also be found at the top of this blog, and to record his answers for each career on a separate form. The names and contact information for these professionals will be provided to him within the next few days. His career shortlist is now: #1 Wellness and Fitness Coach (10/10) #2 Radio/Television Host (9/10) #3 Meeting, Convention and Event Planner (10/10) - The next session was tentatively scheduled for Wednesday 29 October 2014 at 11:00 AM.

Career Coaching Session #4:

- - - Acknowledgements from Session #4: - Takeaways from Session #4: - - - Action Plan from Session #4: - - -

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