Convergent Thinking

Though you may never have heard of it, Convergent Thinking is a combination of aptitudes that strongly influence your life. The two aptitudes that make up this kind of thinking are Classification and Concept Organization.

Classification

Convergent Thinking test aptitude

How do you think? Convergent Thinking is a great way to understand your patterns of thought

The Classification score determines if a person is an Inductive or a Progressive thinker. These are general ways of problem solving and organization information. Process thinkers are patient with the step-by-step process of solving a problem. They work well within an already organized structure. Inductive thinkers, on the other hand, like connecting disorganized information. They see connections and relationship very quickly. Their problem-solving method is almost reflexive and they have little patience for step-by-step processes or having to explain their reasoning to others.

Concept Organization

Concept Organization divides people into Decisive or Deductive Reasoners. Decisive Reasoners are low scorers. When problem solving, they have no problem choosing the most important item or factor and solving the problem based on that “bottom line.” Rather than taking in a lot of information and weighing many possibilities, they make a decision quickly based on only one factor – the most important factor.

The Deductive Reasoners who score high in Concept Organization scorers are the opposite of this. They need to go through all the steps of reasoning in order to make a decision or solve a problem. Weighing each option carefully, taking every factor into account, and imagining every outcome thoroughly is how they come to a solution.

Ready to find out what kind of Convergent Thinker you are? The best way is to head over to The Highlands Ability Battery page and take the test. This test will give you so much more information than just your Convergent Thinking score. Then come back in a few weeks for our next blog: what happens when Convergent Thinking is applied to your life? We’ll look at the strengths, weaknesses, and the best careers for each combination of low and high aptitudes.

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Interest Tests

Interests tests are just one way of getting information vital to understanding a person. For those looking for a career, it is not the most “heavy” test – it is quick and easy. 

Interests tests are simply questionnaires that gauge how interested you are in different activities and subjects. There are basically two types of interest tests: the more accurate and thorough ones are excellent at providing career matches. The less accurate, but cheaper and quickest, provide you with a list of generic careers that most people with your interests work in. 

interest test

Find out your likes with an interest test

 

 

Some of the most prevalent advanced interest tests, which provide career matches are:  

  1. Strong Interest Inventory: One of the most reliable interest tests, in our opinion, helps you define and organize your interests, goals, and calling.
  2. Campbell Interest Test: Specifically geared towards college students, this test gauges the vocational interests and skills with the goal of making a career plan. 

The Strong Interest and Campbell are especially accurate and highly researched.  These specific interest tests match your interest in activities, jobs and school subjects to jobs you will like. The Career Profiler, a career coach, recommends the Strong as the best interest test.

Two more basic tests are: 

  1. Career Occupational Preference System (COPS): This test clusters different fields of study, careers, and activities to help people find the college major or career that’s right for them.
  2. Self-Directed Search: Developed by John Holland, this test “matches your aspirations, activities, and talents to the career choices and educational opportunities that fit you best.”

The relative weaknesses of these tests can be bolstered by other types of tests. Think of the results as a starting point for your job search. Research those careers to find job titles that perform the same kind of work in an industry that appeals to you. If you need help in this research, contact a career coach who can guide you through your interests, test results, and provide you with more information to find the perfect job for you.

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Free Career Test Quiz!

Trying to find the right career test for you? Don’t know where to start? We know there are so many choices out there, with a lot of different information! Aptitudes, abilities, personality, interests – which one do you choose?

TestEts has a FREE career test quiz that you can take today to help you make the right decision. This quiz leads you to the career test that will tell you exactly what you want to know! No more guessing about which test is right for you. No paying for something you didn’t need! This free quiz finds out which test will give you the answers you need and lead you straight to a hyperlink so you can get started today.

Don’t drown in the sea of career test information! Find the exact test you need with this free quiz!

career test aptitude test

Find the right test quickly and easily – click the link to take the quiz!

 

 

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Aptitude: Ideaphoria

The aptitude for coming up with ideas and brainstorming is called Ideaphoria by Johnson O’Connor and Idea Productivity by The Highlands Ability Battery. This aptitude is measured through a timed writing test. It’s simple: how many words can you write about a certain topic in x amount of minutes?

Ideaphoria aptitude

The spark: how quick can you come up with ideas?

The test administrator does not grade for quality of content, but rather how many words a person can produce quickly. Writing speed usually does not sway the results much. If you are a person who is able to come up with a lot of ideas, you will be able to write more words than most people. One idea leads easily and seamlessly into another. You may even be able to think of the next sentence while writing the current one. On the other hand, if you are a person who has trouble thinking up new ideas, you will be on the lower end of the scale.

Just as with other aptitudes, there are benefits and disadvantages to scoring either high or low. Knowing your score will help you direct your life into areas in which you are sure to be successful. Ideaphoria is a driving ability, so if you have a high score, putting yourself into situations in which you can use it will help you find success and happiness there.

Johnson O’Connor says, “High-ideaphoria people should choose work that gives them an outlet for their ideas. Sales, advertising, journalism, and teaching are examples of fields that will generally provide such an outlet. The teacher trying to keep a class alert and interested, the journalist struggling to complete a story before a deadline, the salesperson thinking of the one last persuasive point to clinch a sale, are all exercising their ideaphoria.”

Low Ideaphoria

Idea productivity aptitude

The idea productivity aptitude measures quantity, not quality of ideas

A low-ideaphoria person will not do well in these situations. They will struggle to come up with solutions quickly. They will find it taxing to constantly meet deadlines dependent on their thought output.

Instead, “the low-ideaphoria  person should consider occupations that call for concentration rather than a rapid flow of new ideas, such as some areas of banking, clerical work, and engineering. These jobs demand concentration, an ability to work at complicated tasks without being distracted. Business executives often do not score high in ideaphoria: in many management situations it is more important to carry through existing policies than to dream up countless new projects.” A very high Ideaphoria person will probably find these jobs slow paced, boring, and will soon realize their strengths are not being used.

An important thing to remember about the Ideaphoria test is that it does not measure the quality of your ideas. This is something you must work on your own and receive feedback from others about. The quality of your ideas is something you can control (unlike the innate aptitude of Ideaphoria). You can widen your experiences, hone your writing and speaking skills, improve your vocabulary, and work on creative projects.

aptitude test

How bright is your Idea Productivity? Find out by taking The Highlands Ability Battery today!

If you have low Ideaphoria but are creative, don’t worry! Scoring low in Ideaphoria does not mean you cannot be a writer or creative person. The Career Profiler, a career coach, had a client who had low Ideaphoria but high originality. His originality pressed him to produce something new. His low Ideaphoria actually helped him slow down enough to create the new thing. With low Ideaphoria he was able to stick through his projects until finished. That is a skill many artists wish they had!

Do you know how you score in Ideaphoria? The answer is important if you want to find a job that makes you happy. Find out today by taking an aptitude test. We recommend The Highlands Ability Battery.

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9 Fast-Growing Careers for Introverts

By cross-checking a list of best careers for introverts with the fastest growing jobs, we came up with this list of 9 fastest growing jobs for introverts! 

In February 2016 PersonalSelf posted a blog listing some of the best careers for introverts. But because it’s important to take more than only one perspective into account (i.e. don’t get a job based only on whether you are introverted or extroverted), we did some research to find which of these introverted jobs were growing quickly.

It’s a good idea to research fast-growing jobs because it increases the likelihood that you will get hired in that field. Additionally, the greater the demand, the higher the salary is likely to be. The national average growth rate of a given career is 7%. Each job listed here is growing at least three points faster than the average.

If one of these careers sounds interesting to you, continue researching by taking an aptitude, interest, or career test. That way you can be sure if one of these jobs will be something you will be good at and enjoy.

  1. Fastest growing job

    Wind Turbine Technician

This may come as a surprise to you, but by far the fastest growing job in the US is wind turbine repair. It grows 108% per year! This requires repair and technical skills (and being comfortable with heights) but you will probably be working alone, or with a partner.

  1. introvert job

    Translator

If you know more than one language, translators often work from home, or work alone. Our quickly globalizing world is moving faster than technology in one area: computers can’t translate as well as humans. Thus, translator positions are growing at 29% a year.

3.

Introvert Job

Software or Web Developer

Anything tech-related is likely to be growing faster than usual, and almost always means working on your own or in a small team. Software and Web Development are growing 17% and 27%, respectively. Another not-often-thought of job is information security. Oftentimes you can protect companies’ information from hackers at home, and it is growing 18% a year.

  1. Fast growing introvert career

    Personal Driver

Taxi driving and chauffeurs are growing at 13% a year. Although small talk is sometimes required, if you are a personal driver your client may not want to be disturbed. One reason this is growing quickly is because of the rise of personal driving apps like Lyft and Uber.

  1. jobs for introverts

    Computer Support

    Knowledge of computers is obviously required for this job, but depending on the company, you may not even have to speak on the phone. Many computer support companies have text chat rooms in which clients and workers resolve computer issues, rather than talking on the phone. This job is growing at 12%.

  1. job for introverts

    Accountant or Auditor

Tax season can be a good thing for people looking for a job. Furthermore, tax season lasts longer than January to April, since there are various filing dates. Many firms are very likely to hire seasonally, hire those who work from home, and hire remote accountants. Often a firm will train on the job, and you will be working with people’s taxes, not people themselves. This job is growing at about 11% a year.

  1. Introvert jobs

    Animal Services

Growing at 11%, this might be the perfect job for you. There are many different capacities in which animal services are needed, not just at a veterinary clinic. Zoos, animal shelters or pounds, amusement or animal parks, kennels, and private dog walkers or sitters all need someone to feed, groom, bathe, exercise, and train pets and other animals. Many of these jobs can be run out of your home as a small business!

  1. Introvert job

    Customer service representative

Although it involves a good deal of human interaction, it is rarely face-to-face, and could even be through a chat room rather than telephone. It’s growing at 10%.

  1. jobs for introverts

    Commercial Truck Driver

Truck driving currently has a short term demand – probably through the next 10 years or so. This is because truck driving and other blue-collar jobs are having trouble finding new, younger workers. But the demand is only short term because driverless vehicles will become increasingly accepted and may replace human drivers in the next decade. While a long, empty road is often a joy to an introvert, you can also get the best of both worlds by driving shorter routes, which are just as needed as cross-country truckers.

What’s Next?

Can you see yourself in one of these jobs? Or want to know what else you should take into consideration on your job hunt? Get in touch with a career coach who can guide you through all the information. Whether you are most concerned about being an introvert, working from home, a high salary, or something else, a qualified coach can help you weigh all the choices and find the right job for you. If you are not sure what kind of job you’re looking for, consider getting a career profile; a tool like this is powerful in finding a job that will make you happy and successful.

Introvert jobs

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