In 2015, the company Ernst and Young made news by stating that there was no evidence that academic excellence at the university level impacts the professional success of the candidate. According to them, a large section of the recruitment process should/could be scrapped in order to focus on areas, which actually has a point. The company got its own assessments designed which used numerical and aptitude tests. Now many companies have started using such tests and these are collectively known as psychometric tests. The tests comprise of questions related to aptitude, numerical ability, verbal ability, personality judgement, situation judgement. The set of questions changes as per the requirements of the company. Slowly, academicians started realizing that psychometric tests can be used at an earlier stage which can help the students opt for the right career choice.
So, one of the major questions that students have at this stage is:
How career counseling in class 12th can help them when they have already selected a stream in 10th grade?
At class 10th level, students select a career field from science, humanities, commerce. These are quite broad fields and do not specifically define the career of the student. After 12th grade, the student has to decide what opportunity he has to grab in his selected field. For example, if a student opted for medical science then he still has an option to pursue a career in different sectors such as MBBS, dentistry, nursing, counseling, psychiatry, biotech etc. Similarly, if a student has opted for non-medical, he can pursue engineering in different fields or can opt for research field in specific science subjects. There are vast opportunities in front of students after they complete their 12th grade but mostly, they have knowledge of only 2-3 fields which have been told to them by their parents and teachers.
At this stage, career counseling can help them understand their own skills and interests and how they can use them to build a strong career. Career counseling for 12th class students take the following steps:
- Psychometric tests: The first step of career counseling is having a psychometric testing done. This test has to be specifically designed keeping in mind the country of study and the courses that are available in the country. 12th class students can take this test to analyze their strengths and weaknesses. This test further maps them to the possible career options that can help them to use their strengths. A psychometric test at this level can be helpful if designed according to the field already selected by the student. Then the results and report can be a focused outcome.
- 1:1 career counseling: After observing the psychometric test results, a career counselor helps the students to understand what career can be suitable for them and what not. In addition, a career counsellor can guide them through the process of entrance examinations and admissions in different colleges and Universities for their specific career option. Upon having a discussion with the students, a career counsellor can motivate and encourage them towards their selected career option and give them the best and practical advice over that.
- Involvement of parents: This step is often neglected by career counselors and schools who undergo career counseling for the students. However, this is a necessary step in proper career counseling of a student. After 12th, a student has to select which particular career option he is going to pursue and parents have an important role in the decision making process. Some of the parents have concerns about the location of college or University, others have of budget and many even have their own aspirations for their children. A career counselor needs to understand them and guide the parents along with the students for the best outcome of the whole career counseling procedure.
Though this is one step of counseling, actual career counseling does not end here. It is an ongoing procedure and a student might require it while doing graduation. At that time, it supports the student in building the skills that can be fruitful for his future and later on career guidance can be used to sharpen the skills at the job level. Right career counselling is a necessity for a student and is as important as the other curriculum of his/ her academics.
You might also like to read our blog on how selecting a career through psychometric test can impact your life and does a good CGPA decides your career.
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Such a nice story good work.