Accounting can be a lucrative career, but it takes a certain type to excel in this field. To be happy and successful, you need to test low on five talent-based reasoning abilities.

Would I make a Good Accountant?

To find out how you score, take The Highland’s Ability Battery Test.

You’ll need step-by-step reasoning, sound judgment, and the ability to concentrate on data rather than generating ideas. You also want to be able to focus on the abstracts, like numbers, opposed to tangibles, like buildings and tools. Along with these traits, you need to have the ability to observe irregularities in numbers on spreadsheets as well as have visual speed.

Depending on the firm and position you’re interested in, there’s a chance your job will require an explanation of the information in easily understandable ways. Therefore, Concept Organization is essential. For example, lawyers hire forensic accountants to assess the value of large estates necessary to enable judges to allocate fair and equitable distribution of assets in divorce cases. Concept Organization tends to be an ability that females tend to have over males. It is not surprising to see such offices employing more female than male workers. 

One forensic accountant I know possesses both Generalist and Idea Productivity abilities.  It is close to the career profile for what is known as a “deal-maker.”  As a hobby, this accountant works for another joint venture company building and negotiating deals for the purchase of real estate buildings as an investment. 

Once you land in your career field, knowing your unique profile pattern helps you to find the perfect niche career. 

Dentists in the U.S. earn well over six figures per year, but the job requires a certain mindset in order to be successful. Today, we’ll explore how you can determine whether dentistry could be your dream job.

The best way to determine whether dentistry is the path for you is by taking The Highland’s Ability Battery Test.

Test results need to show that you’re an Introverted Specialist. This is someone that is most satisfied with becoming experts and sharing that expertise in their field. An example is a professor sharing with their class, or scientist releasing new research.

A great dentist also needs Classification and Concept Organization to see solutions clearly and act on them quickly, as well as helping other understand the process.

Lastly, Spatial and Visual Abilities play a strong role in dentistry for being able to understand a system, remembering patterns, and noticing changes.

Does this sound like you, but you still want to explore options? You might also consider becoming a zoologist, neurologist, or archaeologist.

Take The Highland’s Ability Battery Test now to see if this is the perfect fit for you.

When you ask children what they want to be when they grow up, they often respond that they want to be a doctor, lawyer, or garbage man. In this post, we’ll explore what personality types make the best lawyers and attorneys. In 2016, almost 800,000 jobs belonged to lawyers, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. 

Those interested in seeing how their natural abilities would work in this role should take the Highland’s Ability Lawyer’s Report.  A high score is needed on vocabulary and verbal memory or reading comprehension since law requires the reading of vast amounts of information and documents. 

Of course, there are many types of law, and this test helps identify which avenue best matches your natural abilities. For example, ‘invisible systems reasoning’ points to a lawyer finding success in environmental law.  

Often, lawyers stumble over their idealistic reasoning, finding it difficult to project how their sound ideas play out in the real world. Experts suggest seeking the advice of realistic reasoners, like trade workers.  

The Eight Multiple Intelligences by Howard Gardner

There are almost 800,000 job for lawyers in the United States, earning a median pay of $56 per hour. Could this be your new career path? Click here to find out, and be sure to speak with a career coach to understand your test results. 

STEM Careers for the college grad

Recently, Sam Berndt published an article through the National Retail Federation about STEM careers after graduation called After graduation: Where this year’s grads will find jobs. 

Let’s take a look at a snippet of his work and analyze it: 

With graduation season underway, NRF’s annual survey found that more than a third of consumers are getting ready to pick up cards, set aside some cash or splurge on new electronics for the high school and college grads in their lives. The data shows that graduation gifts have not changed much in the last 10 years: Most of today’s grads can expect a card and some cash or a gift card to help them prep for the next phase in their lives. However, what has changed is the type of jobs and careers those exiting school and entering the workforce are considering. Using national data from Emsi, NRF’s research team dug a little deeper to gain some insights into who these students are and what career opportunities they’re considering. 

Which career test should I take after graduation?

More students are focusing on STEM 

The top three degree programs for graduating seniors are business, health and liberal arts degrees, with over 1.7 million graduates between them; these programs also account for over 40 percent of all graduates in 2017. They will continue to be pillars of the U.S. higher education system, but looking to the 10-year growth trend in degree programs provides a different perspective. 

Looking at the top 10 fastest-growing degree programs over the last 10 years, we can see significant representation of STEM fields. In fact, seven of the 10 fastest-growing occupations are in STEM (precision production, science technologies, mathematics, health professions, engineering, computer science and biological fields). The rapid growth in STEM fields may reflect a shift in focus from broad-based degrees to more technical and skill-based trainings. A number of initiatives designed to encourage STEM education have popped up that focus on rapidly training the workforce in STEM-related skill sets, including JPMorgan Chase’s recent commitment to skills as the future of work and The Home Depot’s OrangeMethod coding bootcamp.  This heavier focus on tech skill sets is good news for retailers, most of which are equal parts customer and technology focused. 

Marjorie: As much as we ideally hope that all who study STEM programs can master the demands of the job with education, the reality supported by research does not support this contemporary hope. 

Let me highlight a few factors about STEM careers after graduation.

For half a century now, large utility type companies have used objective test modules to determine whether an applicant can actually do the tasks of technical jobs.  Certain types of reasoning abilities are required to perform technical jobs in fields such as engineering, telecommunications, construction and medical devices. These reasoning abilities can not be taught as 100 years of research has determined.  You are born with them or not. 

Let me give you some examples. 

A large high school  valedictorian sought my help after completing his bio-medical engineering degree.  He chose it because he had the smarts to learn it.  Indeed he did.  But he quickly discovered that not only did he not like it, he could do the work without a book telling him what to do.  His learning was completely book dependent.  The tasks one faces in a job can not all be covered between the covers of a book.  When he completed my natural ability test, he discovered that while he had the smarts, he did not possess one of the two reasoning abilities to do engineering.  He did however have one of the most perfect musical composer profiles I have seen to date.  

Much research has been done in the area of natural abilities since the military started almost 100 years ago.  Utility companies like Ball and GE used it for their hiring purposes.  Johnson O’Connor researches for career purposes.  Education has used it primarily for learning challenges.   

Out of this vast collection of research, and due to the disappointment by companies in relying on education to determine job function capabilities, companies are beginning to use such testing tools as a screening aid for even soft skill jobs as well.  A client with much marketing experience was required to complete such a test.  She had called me up help her prepare for it.  After learning that it was a natural ability test, I assured her that there was little she could do to prepare.  The tests are in fact so simple that if you have the ability you master it quite easily from the age of 14.  If, however, you do not have that natural reasoning ability, no matter how many times you try to do better you can not.  I have tried, even using my paper & pencil version where I can set the time.  I can’t improve on my lower scores.  

My client  did not “pass” her tests.  But, that was very useful information for her.  It opened up a host of other jobs for her to apply to that she knew she would enjoy more.  Within months of this discovery she landed a job she loves. 

I have another client who was fired from her first job after college, and was now struggling in her second which was much like the first.  When we got back the results, we examined the factors that were making it difficult for her to do the tasks of her job.  Suddenly she burst into tears.  Her strong belief in the modern inclusivity motto had been shattered.  She realized that she really would struggle for a long time to learn to manage the paperwork and organizational demands of her high volume client job well.  We have begun looking at occupations where she can have success, as well as happiness instead of stress and failures. 

Careers for aging adults

Last week, Robin Ryan wrote an article for Forbes called How To Overcome Age Discrimination In A Job Interview. A 63-year-old woman named Jane wanted a new career in technology, and feared that she would face age discrimination.

Let’s take a look at her work and analyze it:

Jane had been working part-time in her own business but she wasn’t earning much money for all the hours she worked as a videographer. She knew that she needed a new career path. That meant getting fresh training if she was going to land a new job, one that would pay well, and provide her with medical insurance from. She elected to go to the community college and take a program on technology involving servers and networking and obtain some Cisco certifications in the process. Sounds like a great plan because many employers are looking for new technology people and they are quite hard to find in today’s marketplace. The only problem was Jane is 63 years old. She said she plans to work for another 10 years. That may sound okay, but in the tech world, many companies are trying to eliminate older workers whereas she’s trying to break into that field. A friend referred her to me and we met for a career counseling session to discuss her job search and specifically review her answers to interview questions.

Age discrimination after 60  

Age discrimination is certainly alive and well and living in America. And no place is it more prevalent than in the technology industry. Many of the Fortune 500 companies and larger tech organizations have worked hard to eliminate older workers by encouraging them to retire. Either they would retire voluntarily or be pushed out (read my column “How Workers Can Overcome Layoff In Light Of The IBM Age Discrimination Lawsuit“). Since there was no way to hide her age when she got to the job interview, I advised her to deal with it in the very opening question if possible.

Yes and no; there are old 60-year-olds and young ones.  I know a woman who retired at 70, but everyone who knew her, including me, thought she was retiring early, not late.  She is definitely young in spirit and energy for her age. She still mows her large lawn at 73.

It’s common for many employers to start out with the question, Tell me about yourself.  With this question, I suggested that Jane bring up the fact that she was a mature worker.

Never use the word mature; that is just a fancy word replacement for ‘old.’ Use ‘experienced’ or ‘been around the block’ or something equally invigoratingly positive.  

Talk about the advantages that her age offers, such as a strong work ethic, her excellent communication skills between technical and non-technical people, and her ability to meet tight deadlines. Also, she should mention the fact that she’s done exceptionally well in her high tech training program where she’s been Cisco certified. To craft a good answer to the open question she needed to get the information out there right away.

Very true; if you say it first, it shows that you truly understand their needs, and challenges.  They feel understood. You are then in a far better position to present your argument (or your case to be hired).

We both knew they may not mention her age but they sure were thinking about it. We feared that they were thinking that this woman is too old to be hired for their tech job.

Sadly, many people over the age of 45 look tired and older than they need to.  If getting a job in a young persons world is a necessity/critical/urgent, more value can be gained from looking and acting young.  Get a new shorter haircut or fun glasses. Buy new clothes in young colors but great style. Walk fast. Sit tall. Talk faster.  Even consider getting a quick face-lift. My husband’s business partner is 10 years older and shorter than another partner, but her hair is short and spiky, her glasses are bright, and her eyelids were tucked.  I recently told new friends who met them both at a function, and they thought it was the other way around.

I advised her to deal with it in the very opening question if possible. It’s common for many employers to start out with the question, Tell me about yourself.  With this question, I suggested that Jane bring up the fact that she was a mature worker. Talk about the advantages that her age offers, such as a strong work ethic, her excellent communication skills between technical and non-technical people, and her ability to meet tight deadlines. Also, she should mention the fact that she’s done exceptionally well in her high tech training program where she’s been Cisco certified. To craft a good answer to the open question she needed to get the information out there right away.

Find employers who hire mature workers

We talked about the kind of employers that might be more receptive to hiring her in the IT area. We talked about city, state, county, and federal government positions.

Great list of industries in which to search for jobs with benefits, though small companies are often the best places for seasoned and experienced workers.  They need persons with multiple skill sets. While it is often easier to get a job in smaller companies because of this fact, there are two drawbacks: more searching to locate such jobs, and they do not always offer the pay or benefits provided by large ones.  As an older worker, you need to consider the cost benefit ratio of search time versus benefit package. I often recommend a person get a desirable job as quickly as possible, and use it to get another one that is even more desirable.

She has a strong interest in working at a hospital so we put that on the top of the list. I suggested she could also add medical clinics and large insurance companies such as Blue Cross or Blue Shield. The companies we didn’t put on her list are all the magnet tech ones that young people want to apply for, like Facebook, Google, Microsoft, Amazon, or the IPO’s such as Uber, which just came to market. We both agreed that she wouldn’t likely be offered a position in one of these high tech firms. Instead, I directed her to look at large organizations that might need her skills and that weren’t as popular with younger applicants. This included utilities and energy companies.

Prepare savvy answers to the interview questions

We role-played and worked on good answers to the tough questions she’d likely be asked.  Jane needed to convince the employer she would be a very good applicant and that she was going to stay long enough that it’s worth it for them to train her. Jane plans to work 10 years but even if she only ends up working six or seven years that is still long enough for an employer to be satisfied, considering most millennials leave within 2-3 years. It is not very effective to say I only plan on working a few years and then I’m going to leave. So one of the answers we crafted was to a typical question, where do you see yourself five years from now?

This is how Jane was coached to answer. “I plan to work hard to advance my technical skills on the job.

‘Plan to’ ‘want to’ and ‘continue’ all lack power. They convey intention not demonstrated past action.  I prefer people to say something like ‘As demonstrated in my past work I have always advanced my technical skills through on-going learning that has been valuable to my companies.  I expect to do the same for your company.’

“I know that I want to continue to learn and be valuable to my company. But as to what I can do five years from now that’s going to depend on the training I received and also on the fact that I’m continuously learning. So many new jobs haven’t even been thought of yet, nor have they even been invented, so I try to keep my eye on where the company needs to be going and make sure that I’m working towards that goal.

I love this one; I hadn’t thought of it before, but all the skills, demands and knowledge of any technical jobs change so rapidly that this is a tremendous thing to mention.

“I know that I’ll be making a major contribution because I’m a very hard worker.”

If possible without lying, I’d rephrase this to include “I’m not just a hard worker, but a smart one as I have developed efficiencies out of my experiences.”

TestEts helps mature career-seekers find their new path.

Another key question we covered was why should I hire you? This gives Jane the chance to use the technique I call the “60 Second Sell.” Some of you may think of it as an elevator speech but it is so much more than that. It’s really your personal branding and brings forth the top five selling points that you have for that particular job.

The top five selling points could also be redefined in terms of categories – Education, Experiences (paid and unpaid), Traits that make the case that you are the best person for the job.  I like to have people create a Spiel (short version often the elevator version) and Story (the long version to share in a visit or interview).

Here’s how we decided that Jane should answer the question. “For the last two years I’ve been working on a high-tech associate degree and Cisco certifications I think that along with my technical skills, I have excellent communication skills and those skills allow me to work with people that are technical as well as those that are not technical. I have my own business doing videography and that taught me the importance of meeting deadlines and customer service. I’m very good at technical troubleshooting and problem solving and when you’re dealing with tech issues there’s a lot of problem-solving that needs to take place. Finally, I bring a very strong work ethic. I know the importance of being on the job every day and putting in any extra time necessary to get the work done. You could count on me to be a very reliable, and excellent employee.”

More tips 

Lastly, I advised Jane to write out answers to typical questions that she might get asked and practice saying the answers. We talked about creating stories of her past work experience whether they were at school, in her part-time job or volunteer work. Stories of past work performance always are influential and they should be used in answers whenever possible.

Too often when people think of stories they ramble on without ensuring the story will have its hoped for effect. The best way to ensure a story is effective  this is to fill in a form called a STAR: situation, tasks and techniques needed, actions taken, results. I prefer a more concise version called the PAR: problem, actions and result.  

Jane’s now ready to face employers. She’s convinced that she will be able to get a great job and I think she definitely will. She has found the right way to overcome her age and make herself appealing to a hiring manager and company. That is essential for her to land a tech job at age 63.