COUN 6753 Discussion Discussion: Career Values: A Card Sort Activity

 

COUN 6753 Discussion

 

Discussion: Career Values: A Card Sort Activity

Beyond the quantitative assessments of career interests you explored last week, counselors also can access many qualitative strategies to learn about other factors that influence the career decision-making process. One of the more popular types of qualitative career assessments, card sorts, is particularly useful in exploring and prioritizing values associated with career. Career satisfaction can be heavily dependent on how closely your career aligns with your personal values. For example, if one of your values is "Spontaneity and Flexibility," but your workplace is very routine and structured, you probably will not be happy in that job and might not be successful there.

This Discussion involves a mock career counseling session in which you practice exploring and prioritizing career values using a card sort with a volunteer. In this Discussion, you will create a card sort using the suggested list of values provided in the course Learning Resources, or values you identify for yourself. Then, with a volunteer conduct the card sort, and have the volunteer first categorize each value as “Most Important,” “Sometimes Important,” or “Not Important.” Consider selecting a volunteer that most closely matches the setting you hope to work in. For example, school counseling students should select a volunteer in grades K-12. After the cards have been categorized, instruct the volunteer to organize the values within the “Most Important” category in descending order until the top five values are identified. After identifying the top five values, sit with the volunteer while they use the Career Values Worksheet to rate how closely the four different career options match his or her selected values. Conclude the session with client reflection questions to support the volunteer process insights gained from the activity.

To Prepare:

• Watch the example card sort demonstration located in the Week 9 Learning Resources.
• Arrange a time to meet with a volunteer to conduct your own card sort. The meeting should not be recorded.
• With 3 x 5 index cards, use the list of career values provided in the Week 9 Learning Resources to create the cards for your card sort, or come up with your own list of values.
• Download the Career Values Worksheet from the Week 9 Learning Resources, and meet with your volunteer to conduct the card sort. Conclude the session with client reflection questions to help the volunteer process insights gained from the activity.

Post:

• A photograph of your volunteer’s completed card sort
• Description of what happened during the card sort.
• Reflections on your experience and your observations of your volunteer.
• Your personal insights on differences between using quantitative career assessments and qualitative assessments, including the benefits and disadvantages of each.

 

 

 

 

 

HERE IS WHO I WANT THIS DISCUSSION ON

 

A description of the person’s background

One person that I admire is my dad who is working as a real estate broker. He has a company that he has been able to develop from the ground up to a point where it is one of the known real estate companies in Ohio. The commitment that I have seen from my dad has been a motivation in that although there are rising competitions in the industry he has always devised a new way of handling customers and new ways of ensuring that there is an enhancement of satisfaction both the customer and the house owner. I could say he is such a good “closer” for any deal that he comes to a close and he is always focused on ensuring that his deals go through and he follows the standard ethical processes at all times. 

A conceptualization of the person’s story using one of the career development theories discussed this quarter

There are various skills that I have viewed to have played an important role in the enhancement of the chances of success of my father. As presented by Frank Parsons' Trait and Factor Theory, the traits, skills, and values as well as the personality of an individual play an important role in the determination of the success they attain in their job (McMahon & Arthur, 2018). My father is a person with good communication skills. The aspect of communication helps him to interact with others and learn of their needs and develop ways that they can attain their needs. The other trait that I have seen to have played an important role in the enhancement of the success of my father is the aspect of being consistent in his work. The consistency that he has had since the start of the company has helped him to progressively develop his brand and learn of ways that he can provide a better service. 

Highlights of relevant sociocultural factors

Various factors influence the progression of his business and the provision of the best services to the people one of which is the culture of a person. The differences in culture have led to the people being unable to handle the specific direction of change that could be put in place for ensuring that they own a house in a certain location. The issues of crime in the community as well have impacted his business since they lead to the deterioration in the prices for the houses in the area. Along these lines, the aspect of security has been seen as an important factor in real estate that is influences the profitability of the companies in the industry. 

 

 

 

 

References

McMahon, M., & Arthur, N. (2018). Career development theory: Origins and history. In Contemporary Theories of Career Development (pp. 3-19). Routledge.