Do you conduct tests? And in general, how does your methodology differ from classic testing?

На вопрос отвечает Эльмира Давыдова, кандидат психологических наук, консультант по карьере и профориентации, директор центра профориентации «ПрофГид», автор теста на профориентацию ПрофГид.

Elmira Davydova, the director of the career guidance center ProfGuide, a candidate in psychological sciences, and a career and vocational consultant, answers the question.

Tests vary. There are questionnaires — standardized procedures — that operate automatically using the power of a machine, a pre-made program. Such questionnaires don't consider a person's age or life situation. However, they allow the psychologist to remain ignorant about certain things - life, professions. Suppose a person is 46 years old, and the test tells him that he is capable of being a biophysicist.

What should the person do? Maybe he is capable of being a biophysicist. But he won't enroll in a biological or physics faculty anymore. The test provides objective, general data, but doesn't guide on how to live and what decisions to make. I work differently. I see a person in front of me. And that's a powerful stream of information already: gender, age, education, their kinetic melody, speech, the words they use, voice formants, intonations. Next — a conversation. In it, I use a different kind of tests — tasks for resourcefulness, creativity, the ability to visualize geometric figures in cross-section, juggle words, sing, etc. I call this Live Vocational Guidance, meaning that I work live, like a psychotherapist, I work using my heart, eyes, ears, life experience. I need to know a lot — about cinema, literature, businesses, psychiatry, sciences, professions. And new professions are emerging all the time. I also need to know about educational institutions: universities, colleges, courses. Their number is also constantly increasing.

People take away from the consultation not only the name of the most suitable profession among the ones they desire and fit into, but also a plethora of information about this profession, names of educational institutions, books, and internet resources.

By the way, recently the ProfGuide career guidance center has developed a precise career orientation test, which will tell you which professions are suitable for you, provide a conclusion about your personality type and intelligence.