Every Johnson O’Connor client is eligible to participate in our follow-up program. You can take advantage of a free follow-up session within a year of the initial testing or for a fee thereafter. Anne Steiner, director of our Seattle office, relates the stories of two clients who each made use of a follow-up consultation in order to redirect or refine their job searches. (They also happen to be married to each other.)
Tom
Testing: “Just a part of my make-up”
When Tom Pessemier was originally tested, he had been working for five years in sales. At his company, which provides uniforms for hotels, he felt that the sales atmosphere was very aggressive. “When I’ve got somebody pushing a sales angle down my throat, I tend to fight it. My attitude is naturally very positive, but I found myself with this horrible attitude. It got pretty crummy, and it started affecting my home life.”
Tom learned at his summary that he scored subjective on the personality test, which suggests specialized, independent work instead of persuasive, aggressive salesmanship. “I’ve always known that I hated cold call type sales, but I thought it was a weakness that I had, instead of it just being a part of my make-up.”
Tom learned that his aptitude pattern suggested that he consider running his own business, preferably in a specialized financial niche. He knew he wanted to make an immediate change. One of the occupations he had discussed in his summary was being a loan officer. “I called a friend in the mortgage business, and three weeks later I was at my new desk.”
Follow-up: “I needed a nudge”
After six months in his new job as a loan officer, Tom still felt frustrated. Unexpectedly, part of his job consisted of making cold calls, trying to persuade people to sign up for loans. He remembered his test administrator had said he could come in for a free follow-up within a year. The follow-up discussion reinforced his feeling that sales work wasn’t right for him, and helped him make the decision to find a new job. “I was only on the job for six months, and I’m a dedicated guy….I needed a bit more of a nudge to make the decision to leave.” He says the follow-up gave him confidence and allowed him to clarify in his own mind what to look for in his next position. “Honestly, I think coming in for that follow-up is a lot of the reason I had four job offers when I left [my job].”
Result: “A perfect fit”
With his aptitude test results in mind, Tom chose a position where he essentially runs his own business as a loan officer, under the umbrella of a mortgage company. “I’m not an employee, I’m a contractor. I get the help that I need, but I’ve also got the control that I need. It’s a perfect fit….I’m extremely happy where I am right now. I feel happy to go to work every day.”
Christy
Testing: “Because my parents wanted me to”
Christy Pessemier went through the aptitude testing program at age eighteen. At the time she was tested, she was attending community college and had worked off and on at a grocery store. “I took the tests because my parents wanted me to do it, and then I tossed [the results] to the side for a few years.”
She learned that she scored high in the aptitude ideaphoria, which suggests careers in writing, communicative arts, and teaching. She did not, at that time, pursue a career in one of these fields. “[My test administrator] said staying where I was would cause a lot of frustration for me, that I needed to work somewhere where I could use my ideas. I still remember that very vividly.”
Nevertheless, she worked for several more years at the grocery store before marrying and becoming a stay-at-home mom. After five years, she knew she was ready to move on in her career. “I needed to see what I could do out in the world, and make a difference with more than just my family.”
Follow-up: “What can I lose?”
Christy decided to revisit her results from the testing done nearly ten years earlier. She was considering two distinct possibilities when she came in for her follow-up: “I was trying to figure out whether I should work for a grocery store again or do a day care out of my home.” Each, of course, would allow her to take advantage of her earlier experiences. Instead, the test results suggested a number of completely different directions, including creative writing and journalism.
Christy knew that she liked to write, and in fact had taken a professional writing class just prior to her follow-up. However, pursuing a career in this area seemed more risky than her other choices. But after the follow-up discussion, “I realized I wasn’t going to get anywhere trying to make myself be like someone else. Why not take a chance? What can I lose?
“I had seen a newspaper ad that they needed a reporter for a small newspaper near where we live, but I was nervous about applying. After the follow-up I thought, ‘I’m just going to do it.’ Two weeks later I went in for the interview and I had the job. And the funny thing is I’m being paid more than double what I would have earned at the grocery store.”
Result: “Just tapped the surface”
In addition to writing for the weekly newspaper, Christy writes feature articles for a monthly magazine. She also anticipates exploring other outlets for her aptitudes. “I plan to take more [writing] classes at the college and possibly go back to school in the future.” She may also teach a dance class or act in a play. “It’s been a lot of years since I’ve done that but it’s one of my dreams.” Her life holds many possibilities. “The way I see it is that I’ve just tapped the surface.”
