Demystifying Skill Assessment

When we hear or say ‘’skill assessment”, what immediately comes to mind is a bunch of tests that are to be given and a thick, fat test report that tells us the ‘score’ of our abilities and competencies. But as a skill-assessment therapist, I beg to differ. It is not just about writing, scoring, and giving the report based on the results. I think that the crux of skill assessment is in the interpretation of the result. And as with most things in life, a lot depends on how you interpret or perceive the facts.They say that your choice of career or the work you do is an expression of yourself. Lack of congruence between your personality and your work environment leads to dissatisfaction, unstable career path, and low performance. ‘Interest’ is an enduring attitude that engages an individual’s attention to make it selective towards its object of interest. It is a state of motivation that guides behavior in specific directions or goals. Simply put, we are more likely to do better in things that we are interested in. Interest influences our feelings and attaches value and meaning to the work that we do. And as neurologist and psychiatrist Victor Frankl would agree, an individual is motivated by a desire to find meaning in life.Skill assessment is a tool that helps us in identifying our innate abilities, interests, and also our unique behavioral traits and tendencies. All of these are understood as a whole to assist in making better career choices. ‘Better’ means more aligned to your strengths and traits and values. As a skill-assessment therapist, interpretation, and study of the assessment gives me a small glimpse into the kind of person that you are and also tells me all that you can become. I look at it as helping you find your own treasure box. This box has stuff that you had either forgotten about, or you didn’t know you had – perhaps because you never had the opportunity to use it?!For me, skill assessment is not just about ‘knowing’ what your abilities are.It is about exploring an array of wonderful possibilities. It is about uncovering your hidden potential. It is about becoming aware of what all you are capable of achieving. It is about finding all the ways in which you can express yourself – beautifully, entirely, and truthfully!