FAQ's

Do you have questions? 

Below you'll find answers to many of the questions you may have about how we work and services provided.  If you still can't find the answers to your queries, be sure to contact us. 

Why use career guidance tests with students?

For school students looking to make next step decisions; we use a mix of interest and aptitude tests which can be done online, from home, in advance of our one-to-one consultation.  The assessment we use are developed and continuously reviewed by UK occupational psychologists, and approved for use in Ireland by the Department of Education.  Our selected suite of assessments layer aptitudes with interests to help students understand what careers are appropriate, and can challenge what careers may not be suitable for them. 

Layering all this information with the detailed report from the interest and aptitude tests; we will identify career fields that are worth further investigation and identify action that the student can take to move towards these fields.  Depending on the stage that the student is at in school or college; we will identify their best options right now and consider what steps may need to be taken in future. 

These tests provide valuable reports to support the student in making informed decisions.   This includes making subject choice decisions for Leaving Cert cycle; identifying university and college courses in Ireland, UK and beyond; exploring apprenticeships, plc and other traineeships; or determining if starting work (with other goals and part time training) is the best option. 

Please note, if a student experiences heightened anxiety around tests (or has specific educational challenges); we also use a variety of other career guidance and coaching tools to explore and discover what they are best suited towards in the future.  Just drop us a message to discuss and we can figure out what suits best.

What practice can I do for aptitude tests?

There is no need to practice for these specific assessments.  There are two components to the assessments that we use.  The Career Interest Profiler consist of 200 questions which covers your interests, skills and personal qualities.  They require a yes / no / maybe response so typically students get this completed within 30 to 40 minutes.

The Aptitude Tests provide insights into your academic potential and identify how this can support you in your preferred career fields.  We assess under seven different aptitudes including abstract reasoning, spatial reasoning, arithmetic calculation, spelling, verbal reasoning and numeric reasoning.  During your consultation, we review the meaning and relevance of each test and the possible significance of this within relevant career fields.  These results help students become aware of your stronger skills and what occupations they will be of value.  At times, 'warning notes' can also be sounded when important scores are low and where problems may arise in occupations of future interest.

We provide practice examples when you register and once you have reviewed this, you are ready to start the aptitude tests.  The aptitude tests are designed to take no longer than 1 hour 45 minutes, but breaks can be taken after each test as needed.  Remember, these aptitude tests can be challenging.  We are looking for your strengths, so you will likely find some tests much easier than others.  And that's ok, we then know that this is not an aptitude that needs to be an integral part of your future college or career options, or, we know that additional focus may need to be put into developing this particular aptitude.

What age group do you support?

We work with teenagers from 16 years upwards, who need to make decisions about Leaving Cert subjects; next steps after the Leaving Cert (be that work, further education or apprenticeships) and / or college choices through the CAO.

We also support college students and young adults who may need to review what they are doing in college; need help to kick-start their career and / or reposition themselves in the job market.

What takes place during a career consultation?

At the start of each Career Discovery consultation session, I get to know each client by using coaching techniques to help them become more self aware of their interests, strengths, preferences and learning styles.  We also use exercises to identify their purpose and how they want to contribute in their future career and life. 

We then review their report from the completed online assessments and interpret what this means for them.  We evaluate how the output matches (or not!) with what they know about themselves.  Then we begin to focus in on career fields that may suit them best and what actions they now need to take to turn potential dreams into reality.  Sometimes, this includes more research to get deeper insight into specific fields and this maybe online, informational interviewing, attendance at open day talks, etc. 

Together, we determine their best paths (college, university, traineeships, plc's and more); locations (close to home, further afield in Ireland, UK or Europe).  We then consider applications, be that CAO, UCAS or individual colleges in Europe. 

At the end of a Career Discovery Programme Consultation, I will debrief and recap on the session with both a parent and the student.  And within two working days, I'll send a follow up report to the student and their parent with a short summary of session and action steps.

Please note, that you should allow up to two hours for the consultation session.

I live in Sligo and see you are based in Galway.  Do you work online?

I provide career coaching online however for the first session, I prefer to meet people in-person.  This enables us to get to know each other and use a variety of career guidance exercises, cards and prompts to explore clients learning styles, interests, personality and unique traits. 

Any follow up sessions can be more easily done online via Zoom.  Our office is just off the N17 and the M17/M18 motorway is less than 500m away, so I regularly have clients come from Dublin, Kildare, Westmeath, Limerick, Clare, Sligo, Leitrim, Mayo and Roscommon.

How do I book a career guidance session for my son or daughter?

All bookings can be made via my calendar.  Schedule your individual consultation at a time that suits you (if you are driving) and your adolescent.  Payment is required once you confirm your consultation appointment, which can be done via the secure online payment link.  I will then be in touch (usually 24-48 hours) with log in details for your student to complete the online assessments.  These need to be completed at least two working days in advance of the consultation. 

Please note, that I keep the parent who processed and paid for the booking on cc for all emails sent to the student.  If you or your son or daughter have not received communication from me, please let me know.  This is not an automated step, so don't expect to receive log in details immediately after booking.

Do you work weekends or after school hours?

My booking calendar is kept up to date and you can check out all available appointment times here.   At the moment, I have limited availability in late evenings and weekends as I have school-going children too.   If you are struggling to find a time that works for you and your son or daughter; please check for dates that they may be off school in the coming weeks.  Or perhaps they have a class that they can miss that doesn't have an impact on their studies. 

How do I know you are the best person to help my son or daughter make career or college choices?

First of all, I'd suggest you check out my reviews from past clients on Google.  I also have loads of more testimonials from parents about the impact and support that I provided their teenagers in making career and college decisions (some of which you can see on Facebook, but to be honest, I don't like publishing too much on social media).  What makes me stand apart from many school guidance counsellors is that I specialize in Careers.  Most of my clients are referred by previous clients (both parents and students). 

I have a background in business and human resources working with many international, and Irish, companies in recruitment, graduate and employee development.  I know Careers in multiple industry sectors across public and private industry, and I just love helping people figure out their best options, whether that be further education, college or work.  After 20 plus years in International Human Resources, I pivoted into Career Coaching, and am supporting students and adults needing to make career & college decisions for over four years now.  I'm endlessly curious about courses, colleges and companies, and am always reading or listening to all things careers and psychology related. 

Feel free to call me or get in touch if you have any concerns at all.  I'm more than happy to listen and share how we can support your child make their best decisions. 

Can you help my son or daughter who has just graduated and doesn't know what to do next?

Over the years, my signature programme is working with senior cycle students needing to make decisions about further college (to Masters or not), graduate programmes and careers.  But I also work with college students and graduates where they need to make decisions about what's next.  For most of these students, we don't need to complete the online assessments and we use coaching conversations to figure out what is their best path and actions that need to be taken.  I don't write CV's however I will provide feedback on them so that my client develops the skills and ability to continuously update their CV for the rest of their working life. 

Do you write cv's?

I don't write CV's however I will provide feedback on them so that my client develops the skills and ability to continuously update their CV for the rest of their working life.  I know of specialist CV writers, so I'm happy to recommend others if you are really stuck.  However first of all, getting clarity on your strengths, interests and best career path, will help you write an exceptional cv that truly reflects you and what you have to offer.

Still have a question?

I'd love to hear from you with any other questions that you may have.  So send me a message and I'll get back to you shortly.