Small gained the highest grades worldwide in the recent City and Guilds Construction examination. - Photo by Ricardo Makyn
YOU ARE working in banking but something happens to your emotions whenever you see a carpenter passing by with his hard hat and tool kit.
Could you have been born to work in construction? After all, it is what your father did.
Are any of us 'born' with the basic talents which will determine what career we will pursue? Perhaps it is in our genes?
Dr. Leachim Semaj, Human resource consultant and psychologist based at the Job Bank in Kingston answered 'yes.' You could easily find yourself yearning to sew or pursue the same career that your parents pursued.
"You inherited half of mother's genes but also share 100 per cent of her environment. Genes affect biology, but social environment is even more powerful.
Making a living
"If you see her make a living from it, hear her talk about it, you might find yourself wanting to do it too. But, there are some talents that parents have that children will never get. Michel Jordan had skills that could only be developed in a certain social environment."
Your individual personality type comes with a set of characteristics, interests, values, attitudes which will also influence the job that you do best in life.
Some are the outdoor type, others are indoor. Some people do well with equipment but have poor interpersonal skills.
Says Semaj, "when people work in careers and environments compatible with their natural interests, they end up a lot more satisfied and more productive.
Testing for aptitude
The first thing your career counsellor will do is try to find out who are you? What are your natural inclinations, strengths and weaknesses?
The error often made among Jamaicans, says Dr. Semaj, is to look at persons who are doing well and say you want to be like them. Ask instead, "what are my own personal natural inclinations? What are my natural interests?
Often, when the question is answered, it indicates the jobs that fit you.
How can we find out what we are naturally talented to do?
The psychologist suggests that there are two ways of finding that out.
1. The personality profile based on the Myers Briggs concept.
"Once we know what your Myers Briggs personality type is, we have catalogues of various occupations that are close to your personality type."
2. The Self Directed Search which is based on the Halland Type Indicator. This describes interest profiles among which are: Realistic, Artistic, Social Enterprising, Conventional.
Every job can be classified according to these interest classifications, says Dr. Semaj.
The career counsellor looks for matches, looking at the activities that you enjoy doing, what you are competent at, what in the past you have had interest in and how you estimate your abilities.
Careers are suggested according to your educational level.
Inside everyone is planted a seed which has the potential to be a massive tree. Getting to know yourself is one step towards arriving at your 'inborn' potential.
- Outlook Team
