Friday 2 August 2013

Disadvantages of Character Evaluation Tests

With the increasing competition and number of job seekers throughout the world, a majority of companies are now taking personality evaluation exams as a part of their interview process.  These evaluations are an aid in determining the interviewee’s characteristic traits in regard to those traits that the employer company requires in their employees for their specific job.

The examination is basically done to judge the emotional stability and extroversion of the interviewee and also their ability and determination to have fresh experiences. Although the judgments can certainly get the talent companies want, yet when used carelessly can have various disadvantages as well.

Here are some of the Cons of careless evaluations

Increased Costs
In order to conduct the examination, the companies generally have to employ professionals on a consultancy basis, to outline the exam and also to evaluate the results. Moreover the role play evaluations such as for sales, takes considerable time to be conducted and administered. The time and cost implied in conducting often over weighs the overall evaluation advantages.

Providing False Data
In such tests, the interviewee can easily answer questions in a way that it depicts a positive image of their characteristics, which in other words means that he can anticipate what actually the employer want. Such false data can hardly be go noticed making the tests totally irrelevant.

Extraneous & Interfering Questions
At times these exams contain questions that appear entirely irrelevant and invasive unless the employer has not specified why they want to acquire such information from the candidates.

Contradictory and Bias Solutions
The manner in which some questions are word can lead to a bias selection. For instance if a Personality Assessment Test is based on evaluating assertiveness and confidence of an individual, then the companies may find that females are scoring poorly in this function. Since the questions were suited to more of male candidates, the companies are likely to ignore the capable female candidates as well.

Tuesday 25 June 2013

Life Coaching - Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow

Life coaching as it started
The field of life coaching came into existence a few years back when professional coaches were hired to provide executive coaching and leadership coaching to the staff of an organization. These coaches specialized in a particular area of coaching however were capable of providing training in almost all areas specific to the needs of their clients. Earlier, training was provided in their institutes but soon they came up with other alternatives such as providing training at the company’s site or in-house training.

Life coaching as it grew
Unlike the earlier times when only a few life coaches were believed to be capable of providing the kind of training that could really make a difference, today there are numerous institutes that provide life coaching certification programs to businesses and individuals. However, there is a huge difference between the quality of coaching provided by one institute and the other. The reason for this is the lack of regulation in the life coaching industry. So for the individuals who are searching for a life coach, he should very specific and aware while making his choice.
 
Life coaching in future
As the stress in our everyday life is mounting due to our changed lifestyle and other unfavorable conditions like the unstable economic conditions, workplace issues and relationship problems, everyone is looking for a life coach. As a result, the number of people into this profession has greatly increased and they are utilizing the internet for establishing and promoting their business. This pattern is expected to keep growing with time with the introduction of various other life coaching courses like health and wellness programs. Fortunately, various regulations have also being put on what a life coach can and cannot coach the person, for instance, he cannot make a prescription for curing or treating an issue.

To conclude, a life coach can change your life if you have chosen the right coach for you. 

Thursday 13 June 2013

Comprehending the Function of Career Counseling Services



With the introduction of diverse niches as career options in the present, the students and job seekers often find it hard as of which course to take and which function to specialize in order to have a prosperous future.
Career counselors thus make the decision easier and guide people in making better preferences in regards to employment. If you are seeking a job or perhaps thinking of switching profession to make the most of your abilities, a counselor is the right guide you need to look up to.
              
What is Career counseling?
Career counseling services typically allow the individual of varying backgrounds and ages to figure out their strengths, skills and potentials for employment and thus select one appropriate to their objectives and personalities. These services are more or less a combination of career analysis and training, reference compilation, professional interviewing training, resume or cover-letter writing etc.

Career counseling is often referred as career advising, career coaching and employment counseling. The services can be an aid for people of all education levels and is extremely beneficial for the recent graduates of high school and colleges. Counseling is however an umbrella term that covers specialized counseling services as well, such as for teenagers, single parents, and minorities etc.

Choosing a Counselor
While choosing your career counselor, ascertain that he/she has good references and also has the ability to better assess your skills to be able to help steer you towards the right path. Best counselors who reach certain level of success are often recognized as constituents of the National career development corporations.

You may also wish to consider checking the background of the counselor through GCDF (Global Career Development Facilitator). GCDF is an organization that facilitates training and certification to the prospective counselors. The career counseling in Minneapolis however is also provided by some of the professional institutions. These institutions also facilitate executive and leadership coaching.

Thursday 9 May 2013

The Importance of Leadership Coaching for Executive Leaders

The quality of leadership is not limited to the ability of having influence over a group of people. Rather, it is a combination of various qualities that makes a person a successful and preferred leader. Being at a higher rank in an organization does not make someone a leader.  People will only follow a person if they believe in his vision. In the absence of this belief, it will become very difficult for him to lead the team.    

Effective communication is a very significant quality of a leader. Having a vision is not the only thing to have; the leader should also be able to communicate his ideas to his team in an effective manner. As the leader decides a line of action to be followed to achieve a goal after making the required evaluations, it is his responsibility to convey his thought to the team members in a way such that they understand the intent of the action. They should be able to apprehend why only this particular solution is chosen from all the available options.

In this era of ruthless competition in the market, companies search for individuals that possess all the qualities of a leader. This is why the organizations engage their workforce in executive leadership coaching programs. Executive leaders working for organizations may be good leaders but they need effective coaching to grow professionally as well as individually. Coaching sessions help them in figuring out the areas in which they excel and those in which they lack. Such a positive development will help them make contributions to their organization.

By attending such coaching sessions, the company executive leaders will get a direction to develop and apply ideas that will help the organization achieve its goals. The organizations are also responsible for providing the required coaching to their staff in a recurrent manner.