The CREAM of the Crop Career Map service will provide the following core elements:

Client Meeting ONE (approx 2.5 hrs):

• Initial appointment and discussion with senior consultant
• Completion of Career Interest Inventory (Career Pathfinder Indepth OR Pathfinder Quickscan)
• Occupational Personality Questionnaire OR Human Factor Questionnaire

Client Meeting TWO (1 hrs):

• Debrief and counselling with Cream of the Crop senior consultant.
• Provision of detailed Career Map report on results of assessment including: abilities (if required), behavioural style, career aspirations.
• Suggestions for training or further development.

CREAM Career Map - Key Elements

Initial Appointment Interview
This will be used to gain the Client’s confidence and establish the direction and objectives of the Career Map process. Clients will be keen to understand the process and we will ensure they are briefed on all aspects including assessment, privacy and feedback.

As this meeting, the client’s educational and work background will be explored together with other relevant aspects of their life that might have a bearing on Career choice. The aim will be to obtain a thorough understanding of the Client’s current needs and aspirations, and identify any barriers that might have a limiting effect so that they can be overcome, or bypassed.

Occupational Personality Questionnaire - OPQ
Matching a Client’s preferred behavioural style in the workplace to the type of occupation they choose, is a critical factor to achieving happiness and success. Certain occupations require certain personality traits, and therefore it is important for an individual to determine that they have these characteristics before embarking on that career.

The OPQ model of personality provides a clear, simple framework for the interpretation of behaviour in the work place. It looks at 32 measures of personality within three major groups – Relationships with people, Thinking style and Feelings and emotions. In addition, a fourth underlying group – Dynamism – relates to an individual’s sources of energy and includes factors such as Achieving, Competitive and Vigorous

Occupational Interest Inventory
Clearly it is ideal in choosing a career that a Client actually has an interest in the type of work involved! Although this seems an obvious conclusion, time and time again it is this factor that ultimately causes people to leave their employment!

CREAM of the Crop will use an in-depth career questionnaire to provide a description of the strength of preference for each of six interest areas and across 30 major occupational groups. Indepth includes 150 questions covering personality, organisational culture and competencies. Linking is also possible across different occupational scales.

Debrief Interview
Where the debrief interview differs from many other forms of interview is in its emphasis on a 2 way process of information sharing. The intention is that through frank and open discussion, both the consultant giving the feedback and the Client can uncover relevant information about the Clients previously unknown to one or to both of them. It also provided an excellent opportunity to increase self awareness, as well as providing feedback and an opportunity to discuss the results achieved.

This interview will also identify barriers to success and strategies that could be pursued for the future. Debrief interviews are conducted in a highly sensitive and objective manner and only conducted by trained (accredited) persons.