Running head: CAREER ASSESSMENT REPORT 1

Career Assessment Report

Matthew Robinson

Wright State University

Running head: CAREER ASSESSMENT REPORT 2

SESSION #1

BACKGROUND INFORMATION

The client is a 20-year old Caucasian male born and raised in Cincinatti, Ohio. The client

is currently a junior enrolled at Wright State University pursuing a degree in Electrical

Engineering with a focus in control systems. The client is currently employed on campus as the

Residential Community Association President. The client will serve in this role for the Fall 2017-

Spring 2018 Academic year. The client also completed an internship over the summer at Proctor

& Gamble, working in product development.

The client's father was previously employed as a software engineer at IBM and the

client's mother works at a church as an office administrator. The client also has four sisters, two

of which are currently pursuing higher education.

OBSERVATIONS OF CLIENT

The client was dressed very casually and had a very large beard. The client was friendly,

though seemed very hesitant at first. Throughout our conversation, the client would look around

the room or look down at his feet, only making eye contact briefly. The client also used a fake

voice when answering certain questions or explaining certain life experiences. Certain parts of

the conversation also saw the client speak very fast, as if he was in a hurry to do something else.

While the client answered all of the questions effectively, it was noticeable how uncomfortable

he was.
Running head: CAREER ASSESSMENT REPORT 3

SUMMARY OF SESSION #1

The session began with the counselor asking how the client was doing and what they did

that day. The client indicated that he was having a good day, but was stressed out about a tough

final coming up in a class that he has had issues in this semester. When asked about those

previous problems, the client indicated that he was not the only one struggling and that many of

his classmates have been upset with the course. The counselor suggested that the client talk to his

professor about his concerns, but the client said that he had already tried that with no luck. The

client said that he will just get through it and that the professor will probably curve everyone's

grade at the end of the semester.

The counselor then asked the client about his major and why he chose Wright State. The

client explained that he got into engineering in high school through Project Lead the Way, an

engineering program offered by his high school. For his senior project, the client designed a

cooling pack for his mother to alleviate back pain. This experience led the client to want to create

things that would benefit others. The client also said that he was involved with Battle Bots in

high school. In choosing Wright State, the client says he chose the university because of the

scholarships he was offered that would help offset the cost for his family as his father had been

laid off recently.

The counselor then opened up the conversation of work experience. The client's first job

was at a Mexican restaurant his senior year of high school. The client started as a waiter, but

eventually transitioned into being a bus boy and host. While it was nice making money, the client

said that he hated it. The next work experience came in the form of working with the Boy Scouts

in New Mexico two summers ago. The client loved this experience and said that it really got him

out of his comfort zone.

Running head: CAREER ASSESSMENT REPORT 4

The most recent work experience was the client's internship at Proctor & Gamble. The

client said that he enjoyed the internship and that he wants to work in research and development.

The client also holds a job on campus, though this is more of a leadership position than a

traditional job. Client also worked at bottling plant part time, though this was more as a helping

hand for friends and not an official job.

The counselor then moved the conversation to what the client wanted to do after

graduation. The client indicated that he still needed another internship and that it would be cool

to maybe be hired after graduation by the internship employer. He said that he would like to

intern for P&G again, but he was not sure if he wanted to work there full time. The client said

that in general he was not sure about working for a large firm or a small firm, but he was willing

to move if the right job became available. The client expressed a lot of uncertainty about the

future.

He will graduate in the Fall of 2019, which he is ok with, but he is very frustrated with

his program. The professors in particular were mentioned as a point of contention with his

experience at Wright State. He says that, more than anything, that he wants a job with secure

long-term benefits and stability. He hopes to find that quickly after graduation, but he recognizes

that he has a little bit of time to figure things out. When asked where he saw himself in 10 years,

he said that he wanted to be in a good job with good benefits and that’s all that really matters

right now.

OVERALL IMPRESSIONS

The client is a hard worker and wants to have stability in his career. He is obviously

struggling currently with class and it is having a negative effect on him personally. The client is
Running head: CAREER ASSESSMENT REPORT 5

still figuring out what he values and what he wants to do with his life right now. He needs to be

able to benefit others with his work and he needs to exhibit a certain level of control over what

he is producing.

SESSION #2

On November 14, 2017, the counselor administered the TypeFocus and Strong's Work

Values. The assessments were given on campus in the counselor's office which was close to the

client's on campus apartment.

ORIENTATION TO ASSESSMENTS

To begin, the counselor welcomed the client and asked how he was doing. He said that he

was doing alright, not much has changed since the first session. School remains a challenge for

the client, but he said that he is managing well, though he has four exams coming up. He also

shared that his laptop broke and that he was looking for a replacement quickly.

The counselor then explained the assessments being done and that they would take up the

entire session. It was explained that they would take around an hour to complete, but that there

was no time limit and that they were not tests. The client understood the nature of the

assessments and did not have any additional questions.

INSTRUMENTS ADMINISTERED

Two career assessment tools were administered during this session. The first was

TypeFocus. TypeFocus is an online career assessment tool that will asks questions of the client

in various area. The two areas that the client competed were the personality assessment and the
Running head: CAREER ASSESSMENT REPORT 6

interests assessment. When completing these assessments, TypeFocus will provide the client

with their personality code, similar to the MBTI, as well as their Holland Interest Code which is

based on John Holland’s Personality Characteristics of realistic, investigative, artistic, social,

enterprising, and conventional.

The second career assessment given was Strong’s Work Values Inventory. This

assessment has the client rank a series of statements from one to five, one being unimportant and

five being very important, based on what they value in a job. Once all statements have been

ranked, the client then scores their answers by adding the score of the statements that fit into a

specific work value. Some of the values included are way of life, aesthetics, altruism, prestige,

security, and several more. Once that is completed, the client will count the total score of each

value and rank their top three work values as well as their bottom three.

OBSERVATIONS DURING ASSESSMENT

The client was very intent during the assessments, though at times he again seemed to be

flustered during the session, as if he was just wanted to get it over with so that he could move on

with his day. The client also seemed to get frustrated during each assessment as he would laugh

or shake his head. He even said that he hated the least agree and most agree scale, but he was

very intent on completing the assessments. It took the client around an hour to complete the

assessments and there were minimal distractions as the assessments were given in the

counselor’s office.

Once done with the assessments, the client was interested to see what they would say

about him as he had never completed anything like the TypeFocus or the Work Values

Inventory. The counselor explained that they would be reviewing the client’s results in the next
Running head: CAREER ASSESSMENT REPORT 7

session, but was glad the client was excited to review. The counselor thanked the client for his

time and attention, which the client seemed to appreciate.

SESSION #3

The client and counselor met on November 21, 2017 to discuss the client’s assessment

results as well discuss some options for the client to take moving forward. The session took place

in the counselor’s on campus office.

PREPARATION STEPS

To prepare for Session #3, the counselor reviewed the client’s assessment results in

depth. The counselor made note of the client’s top three work values, as well as the client’s

Holland Code. The counselor then researched careers that matched well with the code as well as

the work values that the client indicated were most important. The counselor also reviewed notes

taken during the previous sessions to take into account the types of jobs held in the past and the

experiences associated with them.

The counselor prepared documents that would explain both the client’s personality type

as well as the three letter Holland Code that was indicated by the TypeFocus assessment. The

counselor then prepared some suggested next steps that would benefit the client.

The counselor also kept in mind the client’s desire to have a stable job with good

benefits. The counselor wanted to make sure that the client had a plan in place to start reaching

that goal and to maybe start thinking about what that really means to the client. Instead of just

good benefits, what else about that career would be the most beneficial to the client?
Running head: CAREER ASSESSMENT REPORT 8

SUMMARY OF ASSESSMENT RESULTS

The client’s assessment results were very interesting to say the least. The client

previously stated that he had never done any type of career assessment, so he had no idea what

would really be presented in the results. The TypeFocus results determined that the client was an

ISTP, which makes up about 4 to 7% of the U.S. population. ISTP’s are very logical and pay

attention to details, which fits the client well. ISTP’s are also very hands on and like to fix

things, which the client has also shown. Engineering is a career that many ISTP’s get into, so the

client’s college major fits him as far as type is concerned.

However, the client’s introversion and perceiving scores were low enough that that he

could switch to extraversion and judging very easily. This is not uncommon for many people,

and ultimately the client decides if this matches well with him or not. With this in mind the

counselor also prepared information for the ESTJ type that the client could review if he chose to.

The clients Holland Code was REI. This is a moderately consistent code as the first two

letters are separated by one point on Holland’s Hexagon. The client also has a well differentiated

profile. These interests match the client well as he is a very realistic person and has expressed

going into research and development.

The client’s top three work values were creativity, supervisory relations, and way of life.

This matches with his enjoyment of his internship at P&G as well as his dissatisfaction with the

job at the Mexican restaurant. The client’s bottom three work values were aesthetics,

management, and independence.

Running head: CAREER ASSESSMENT REPORT 9

CLIENT REACTIONS

The client was very receptive to the results. He expressed that it was really cool to see

these things and a lot of the results made sense. His personality type also matched well, and a lot

of the strengths and weaknesses of ISTP’s were ones that he had faced in the past. He noticed

that his introversion and perceiving scores and the counselor explained that though his type

indicated ISTP, personality can vary given a situation. The counselor then shared the information

on ESTJ with the client and he thought a lot it matched his experiences as well. The counselor

gave the client information on both personality types so the client could review both in more

detail if he chose to.

The client was receptive to his Holland Code as well. At first he did not really understand

what it all meant, but the counselor explained that it just represents his work interests and that

careers with similar codes would possibly be the most satisfactory. He thought it was interesting

and started to think about if some of his past jobs fit with his code. The counselor then shared a

couple of careers that matched his REI code as well as just his RE code. The counselor also

directed the client to O*NET and navigated the site with him. The client thought the site was

useful and thinks he used it at one point in senior year of high school but did not give it any

thought back then.

In terms of the work values, the client expressed that they all made sense for him. He

enjoys creativity and finding unique solutions to problems and obviously wants to have a great

way of life with a career that allows him to live the life he wants. He had never really thought

about supervisory relationships being so important, but upon looking back to previous jobs and

his on campus position now, he realizes that having a good boss goes a long way. He said that he
Running head: CAREER ASSESSMENT REPORT 10

has never spoken to any professional about his career aspirations and really appreciated that he

could talk about it for the first time really.

RECOMMENDATIONS/ACTION PLAN

The counselor made two recommendations to the client that based on all of the sessions

and information gathered through assessments. These recommendations were made also with

Schlossberg’s Transition theory in mind. This is because the client, while not in immediate

transition, is preparing to face major changes in his life. The client is starting to really explore

himself and what he value, which he has said he has never done before. He is also expected to

graduate in two years, which will be a major transition for him as he is seeking to get a job

immediately.

First, it was recommended for the client to go to the College of Engineering’s career

center to meet with a career advisor. As the client has never spoken about his career aspirations

with a professional before, it is important for him to continually seek career guidance to really

begin finding the right career for him. He has expressed frustration in engineering, specifically if

electrical engineering was the right choice for him, and his classes overall, as well as the need for

another internship. Meeting with an engineering career advisor will help him explore his options

and possibly be matched with an internship that will match with his work values and his Holland

Code.

The next recommendation given was for the client to do independent research in careers

he has interest in. The counselor recommended using O*NET for this as he could search using

his interest codes. In addition to meeting with the career advisor, it is important for the client to

take ownership of his career. This will allow him to start visualizing himself in various positions
Running head: CAREER ASSESSMENT REPORT 11

and finding the career that he will enjoy. Now equipped with his personality type, work interests,

and work values, the client can be begin to understand himself more and apply these lessons to

his career search.

COUNSELOR REFLECTION

This was a very unique experience for me. A lot of the current SAHE program is very

discussion heavy, so it was nice to be able to actually practice the things we read and discuss.

Overall I feel that the experience was beneficial to my client, which was really validating to me

personally. He expressed thanks for letting him speak about what he wanted to do and the

thought processes behind his current decisions. I recognize though that there are areas for me to

improve upon going forward.

The biggest one that jumps out to me is my own comfortability with the sessions. At

times I felt that anything I said would be wrong and would not be helpful at all. This was

especially true when it came to making recommendations for my client. I wasn’t really sure if

what I was suggesting was going to help him in the long term and I felt like I could have done

more than just refer him to a career counselor or make him do independent research. I need to

start trusting my ability and my education more, while not getting overconfident about things.

I would like to have more practice like this in the future because career advising is

something I am very interested in. I found myself to be really excited about talking to someone

about their future, what they valued, and what interests them. For the first time in the program I

really felt that I was doing what I wanted to do, and that was really empowering.