Examining Our Comprehensive Vocational Evaluation

When an individual has experienced a long layoff from work, finding a job can often be the furthest thing from this person’s mind. Naturally, a return to better health after an arduous bout with an illness or injury is priority. However, for many, when it comes time to return to the workforce, it feels like an insurmountable task. Often, a new résumé needs to be prepared, interview skills need to be brushed up on and the very idea of working needs to be accepted.

Needless to say, it’s not easy. Consider the fact that due to the illness or injury, a person’s skill set and even interests may have significantly changed. At Independence Incorporated, we offer a Comprehensive Vocational Evaluation to test individuals looking to get back into the workforce. We use a combination of paper and pencil tests, computer assessments and hands-on work samples in order to assess an individual’s interests, aptitudes and achievement levels.

The overall objective, of course, is to adequately prepare such individuals for employment opportunities that they are best suited for. There are three specialized types of tests that we use to determine a person’s abilities to work in specific areas. They are Interest Tests, Aptitude Tests and Achievement Tests. By completing these tests, individuals are better suited to locate the right careers paths for themselves.

Interest Tests. As the name suggests, these tests are used to determine a person’s interests. As you can imagine, it greatly helps for a person to enjoy his or her work if he or she is actually interested in the field. The tests allow us to identify preferred work environments, work styles, and occupational groups. For example, we work to determine if someone is best suited for either sales or customer service or whether a mechanical or technical field is more fitting.

Aptitude Tests. These tests help to determine an individual’s skill level. Essentially, they answer such questions as “what are you best at?” or “what talents do you have?”. The tests are used to identify a person’s capacities or abilities that can help when being taught the specifics of a new job. Aptitude tests may be conducted through either paper and pencil tests or through computer assessments and work samples.

Achievement Tests. These tests work to identify the educational levels of individuals looking to re-enter the world of work. Through a computer assessment program that measures “General Educational Development”, we assess a job-seeker’s reasoning development and ability to follow instructions. In addition, both language and mathematics skills are measured. Following the completion of all testing, we develop a “Personal Qualifications Profile”.

This profile allows us to establish a list of potential employment opportunities. Using this list, an individual is given greater insight into what type of occupational options he or she has. The results of all testing is utilized to come up with a list that takes into account one’s interests, aptitudes and academic achievements as well as transferable skills. However, there are a number of other factors that help us to compile one’s profile.

They include one’s vocational history, an establishment of medical restrictions (if applicable), a compilation of suitable occupations and a labour market survey of identified and determined job opportunities. This includes information about job availabilities and wages. At Independence Incorporated, we have found that our Comprehensive Vocational Evaluation is extremely helpful in getting people to find their right vocational matches.

For more information, please don’t hesitate to call us at 204-478-6644.