Career Coaching for Megan Nunes

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: O*Net Online career database research tool

Career Coaching Session #1: Tuesday November 6, 2012

- Megan's E-mail address is megannunes_14@hotmail.com - Megan is 21 years old - She attended secondary school at Bishops in Trinidad and graduated from Form 6 in June 2011. She took the following courses: (i) Art which she really enjoyed; (ii) History; (iii) Communications & Caribbean Studies, which she also liked and excelled in. - Megan did her Internal Assessment for the Communications & Caribbean Studies course on Down Syndrome children in Trinidad, and she got 99/100, which was excellent. The IA was even sent to the CXC Education Board in Barbados! This shows that Megan has excellent communications skills, especially in the field of writing. - She then enrolled in Pivot Point Academy in Trinidad in January 2102, and received her diploma in September 2012. She doesn't really want to work as an Aesthetician since she finds it to be a very demanding yet low-paying profession in Trinidad. - When her brother Brandon got seriously ill a few months ago, Megan looked after him full-time, and she really feels better now that he is on the road to a full recovery. Megan his high empathy and altruistic values in general. - Megan also had leadership qualities which showed at Pivot Point when she would frequently step up and take charge in projects where others did not want to. - She has a Down Syndrome cousin Austin, who is also mildly autistic. Megan spend a lot of time with him, and enjoys working with children under the age of 7 years. - Megan is also good at art, especially abstract and geometrical art. - She would prefer a Monday to Friday job with regular hours, with the odd event to get involved in. - I discussed the results of the VoSPA assessment with Megan, 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 Megan and how she rated them in terms of her passion level (1 is no passion and 10 is the highest passion):

Public Relations Managers (7/10)
Broadcast News Analysts (6/10)
Training and Development Specialists (7/10)
Education Administrators, Post-secondary (5/10)
Training and Development Managers (7/10)
First-Line Supervisors/Managers of Police and Detectives (4/10)
Education Administrators, Elementary and Secondary School (6/10)
Education Teachers, Post-secondary (3/10)
Employment Interviewers (8/10)
Personnel Recruiters (4/10)

- We discussed how Megan would rate himself in terms of her emotional IQ (EIQ) and she said that she would rate well since she is comfortable with her emotions. Acknowledgements from Session #1: - I acknowledged Megan for not resigning herself to work as an Aesthetician even though she graduated with a diploma in the field, since she showed enough self-knowledge to know that she would not be happy working in this field. Takeaways from Session #1: - Megan liked the process of doing the assessment she feels a little clearer about the process of career discovery. Action Plan from Session #1: - Megan will review the VoSPA report in more detail and research on the Internet the recommended careers above which she scored 6 or more out of 10, namely:

Public Relations Managers (7/10)
Broadcast News Analysts (6/10)
Training and Development Specialists (7/10)
Training and Development Managers (7/10)
Education Administrators, Elementary and Secondary School (6/10)
Employment Interviewers (8/10)
Special Education Teachers, Preschool

- Megan also agreed to consider doing the Values Profile assessment at a future session. - The next session was scheduled for Thursday November 8, 2012 at 1:00 PM.

Career Coaching Session #2: Thursday November 8, 2012

- We reviewed Megan's notes from the O*Net Online site into the careers from the shortlist of the VoSPA assessment, and Megan's passion-level changed for a few of the careers. In particular, here are the changes that occurred:

Broadcast News Analyst changed from 6/10 to 5/10 and is no longer on Megan's shortlist of careers.
Training and Development Specialists/Managers changed from 7/10 to 8/10

- The following careers from the VoSPA assessment still interest Megan, and are listed in order of her passion level:

Special Education Teachers, Preschool or Kindergarten (8/10)
Training and Development Specialists/Managers (8/10)
Public Relations Managers (7/10)
Employment Interviewers (7/10)
Education Administrators, Elementary and Secondary School (6/10)

- I asked Megan if she would be willing to complete the Values Profile assessment to give us another angle on career choices, and she agreed to. - I Also asked Megan if she would be willing to complete the Multi-Dimensional Emotional IQ assessment, and she agreed to. - I then asked Megan to try to find names of professionals who work in the above five careers, and she agreed to do this before our next session. I also offered to provide her with names of professionals in these careers if she could not find any. This would be for the purpose of interviewing them to further narrow down her career choices. Acknowledgements from Session #2: - I acknowledged Megan for doing a great job on researching the careers on the shortlist using the O*Net Online tool, and for entering the information in the password-protected blog. Takeaways from Session #2: - Megan feels better about the list of careers being further narrowed down from our first session. Action Plan from Session #2: - Megan agreed to complete the two additional assessments (VaPro and MEIQ) before our next session. - She also agreed to gets names and contact numbers for professionals in the five careers on her current shortlist, and to inform me if she was not able to find certain ones, so that I can help her in finding them. - The next session schedule was scheduled for Monday November 12, 2012 at 10:30 AM.

Career Coaching Session #3: Monday November 12, 2012

- We reviewed Megan's Values Profile assessment report. The results below are a summary of Megan'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: Social Values For people whose top personal value is social, their interests, hobbies, home life and general attitude will revolve around people. In their free time they seek to be surrounded by those they care about, as relationships in general are very important to them. On a wider scale, they may start social causes or respect and support those people who fight for them. Those with social values have a knack for networking and connecting with others - they simply cannot imagine their lives without the camaraderie of others. While almost anyone would dislike conflict, people with strong social values are particularly affected by it. It bothers them to see others in pain or to see a relationship break apart, and so they will strive to help, heal, and resolve disagreements. Top 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 Values Profile report suggested the following occupations for those with social values. Notice that the two items below with the * relate to careers that Megan is interested in from the VoSPA report:

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

- The Values Profile report also suggested what managers can do for employees with social values:

During orientation, introduce them to staff members, and if possible, allow them to work with closely with someone for the first week.
Be available - allow these employees opportunities to ask questions or obtain advice when needed.
Place them in positions or on projects where they get interact directly with clients and colleagues.
Allow them to take charge of organizing social activities at work (e.g. Christmas parties, team-building exercises, etc.).
Offer them opportunities to work on group projects or attend workshops/business conventions.
When tackling a project or task, allow them to work with a partner or have someone to bounce ideas off of.
Place them in charge of teaching/training new employees if it's within their expertise. *

- Megan agreed to review the VaPro report in more detail and to try to follow some of the advice in the last two pages of the report. - We also reviewed Megan's MEIQ report and here is a summary of her results:

- The following is a summarized version of Megan's MEIQ results, categorized as Strengths, Potential Strengths, and Limitation. Strengths

She ruminates, but not excessively
She typically acts in accordance with her values
She is empathetic
She is socially insightful
She is driven toward further self-development
She is able to let go/rise above minor issues
She shows social responsibility for the wellbeing of others

Potential Strengths

She has a satisfactory emotional IQ level
She is doing reasonably well in the area of Emotional Identification,
Perception, and Expression
She was sometimes able to recognize the emotions depicted on the test
She is doing reasonably well in the area of Emotional Facilitation of Thought
Her approach to problem solving is sometimes conducive to resolution
She is doing reasonably well in the area of Emotional Understanding
She performed relatively well on the emotional integration aspect of the test
She is doing reasonably well in the area of Emotional Management
Her impulse control is satisfactory
She is reasonably self-motivated
She is sometimes able/willing to adapt her social skills to the circumstances around her
The manner in which she would resolve conflict situations on the test were reasonably effective/healthy
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
Her mindset could stand to be more positive
She did not always choose the most ideal form of resolution for conflict situations on the test
Her self-control needs improvement
Her resilience/hardiness needs further development
She needs to work on using more healthy coping techniques
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
Her flexibility is limited

- Megan agreed to review the MEIQ report in more detail and to try to follow some of the advice in the last two pages of the report. I assured her that this was a life long process! - Megan commented that from the research that she had done on the five careers on the shortlist of the VoSPA report, she would like to eliminate Education Administrator from the list as she is not sufficiently passionate about it. That leaves her with the following revised shortlist of careers:

Special Education Teachers, Preschool or Kindergarten (8/10)
Training and Development Specialists/Managers (8/10)
Public Relations Managers (7/10)
Employment Interviewers (7/10)

- Megan then agreed to interview professionals in these four careers so that she could get a better idea of which of them she would like to keep for final consideration. She has the following contacts for each of the careers, and I provided her with the one for the Employment Interviewer:

Special Education Teachers, Preschool or Kindergarten (Life Centre)
Training and Development Specialists/Managers (Jane Quesnel, Scotiabank)
Public Relations Managers (Elizabeth Innis)
Employment Interviewers (Nalini Singh and/or Abigail de Freitas of KPMG)

Acknowledgements from Session #3: - I acknowledged Megan for the research that she had done on the various careers. - I also acknowledged her for completing both the VaPro and MEIQ assessments. Takeaways from Session #3: - Megan is feeling even better that the shortlist of careers has not been reduced to four careers, and she feels that she is getting closer to her ideal career. Action Plan from Session #3: - Megan agreed to review the VaPro and MEIQ reports in more detail. - Megan plans to interview the above professionals in the four careers and to document each interview in a separate Word document based on the template that I sent her. - The next session was scheduled for Thursday November 29, 2012 at 11:00 AM.

Career Coaching Session #4: Thursday November 29, 2012

- Here are the documents from the interviews that Megan conducted with the various professionals on the shortlist of careers:

List of Questions for Interview Process with Employment Interviewer Nalini Singh of KPMG
List of Questions for Interview Process with Training and Development Manager Specialist Jane Quesnel of Scotiabank
List of Questions for Interview Process with Public Relations Manager of Atlantic Energy
List of Questions for Interview Process with Special Education Teacher of Life Centre

- Megan felt that she could not pursue a career as a Special Education Teacher because the emotional attachment and pain caused by working with special needs kids all the time would be too difficult for her. This is a vocation call that someone usually has from a young age, and Megan does not remember having such a call ever. - Megan also felt that she does not want to pursue a career as a Public Relations Manager because the hours are unpredictable and can be very long at times, including weekend work. Megan wants to have a good family life and she believes that a career as a Public Relations Manager would not mesh well with her idea of a good family life. - Megan's new shortlist of careers listed in order of her passion level is:

Training and Development Specialists/Managers (9/10)
Employment Interviewers (7.5/10)

- Megan is currently studying in order to prepare for taking her SAT exam in January 2013. - She would like to apply to US universities before the deadline of February 2013. - She would ideally like to go to the same University as her younger brother Brandon so that they can look out for each other. - Megan would like to spend a day with Jane Quesnel of Scotiabank to get a better feel for the day to day activities of the job as a Training and Development Manager/Specialist, which I strongly encouraged Megan to do. - Megan asked Jane how her job meshes with her family commitments and she said that it meshed well. Here and her husband do not currently have any children but they plan on having kids soon. She does not feel that her job would impact her ability to have a family, and if it did, Jane would consider becoming a free-lance Training and Development Manager/Specialist and working on her own time. - Jane shared with Megan that there is a high demand for this type of career as she currently has to travel throughout the Caribbean to perform this job. - Nalini Singh of KPMG also told Megan that she can call her for any further information on the job as Employment Interviewer. Nalini shared with Megan that she has a daughter that she would like to spend more time with and that sometimes her job gets very busy and prevents her from doing so. Acknowledgements from Session #4: - I acknowledged Megan for the good work she did in interviewing the four people related to the four careers on her shortlist and for entering them in the blog. - I also acknowledged her for preparing for her SAT exams and for looking into the application process for US Universities for September 2013 entry. Takeaways from Session #4: - Megan is much happier and excited that her shortlist of careers is down to two possibilities, and she can see her final choice coming by our next session. Action Plan from Session #4: - Megan plans on spending a day with Jane Quesnel of Scotiabank to get a better feel for the day to day activities of the job as a Training and Development Manager/Specialist - She may also call Nalini Sing of KPMG to get more information on the job of Employment Interviewer. - Megan also agreed to type up her interview notes from the two interviews with the Public Relations manager and the Special Education Teacher. - Our next session will be scheduled by Megan when she completes her action plan tasks.

Career Coaching Session #5: Thursday January 3, 2013

- Megan shared with me that she missed the deadline for taking her SAT exam in January 2013. She is now aiming to sit her SAT's in May 2013. - This caused her to miss the deadline for applying to US universities which was February 2013. This means that she would have to aim for a January 2014 entry, which she was not too pleased about. - I asked Megan if she would be open to applying to Canadian universities for September 2013 entry, and she said yes, because they do not require SAT scores, and she also has a lot of family who live in Canada (Toronto, British Columbia). - Megan is still looking to spend a day with Jane Quesnel of Scotiabank to get a better feel for the day to day activities of the job as a Training and Development Manager/Specialist, which I strongly encouraged Megan to do. - I also asked Megan if she consider volunteering at Scotiabank under Jane Quesnel and she said yes. I mentioned that this would give her practical experience under a Training and Development Manager, and would provide a good boost to her resume when she applies to universities. - Megan mentioned that if she is unable to volunteer with Scotiabank for whatever reason, she would still like to get a job to make some money until she starts her university program in the US or Canada. Acknowledgements from Session #5: - I acknowledged Megan for coming in for a 5th career coaching session to get herself unstuck from her current situation of having missed the SAT deadline in January. - I also acknowledged her for continuing her preparation for her SAT exams. Takeaways from Session #5: - Megan feels better now that she has a plan to move forward after missing the deadline for her SAT's in January. Action Plan from Session #5: - Megan plans on spending a day with Jane Quesnel of Scotiabank to get a better feel for the day to day activities of the job as a Training and Development Manager/Specialist. - She agreed to offer her time in a volunteer capacity to the Scotiabank under Jane Quesnel to gain more exposure to this type of career. - Megan agreed that if she is unable to volunteer with Scotiabank for whatever reason, she would still like to get a job to make some money until she starts her university program in the US or Canada. - She also agreed to apply online to Canadian universities for September 2013 entry. - Megan also agreed to continue her studies for writing her SAT's in May 2013, and then applying to US universities for January 2014 entry.

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