Guest Article: How to Be a Strategic HR Player in 2015 by Ben

You’ve heard the talk about HR strategy and how it can make your organization better–now it’s time to live it. I want to help you make 2015 the best year yet in that respect, but I need a little help from you to make it happen.

I’m doing a little research on strategic HR, developing an HR strategy, and strategic HR planning, and I’d really appreciate if you would take this two-question survey to help me understand what you want to know more about so I can prepare to teach those topics.

Click here to take the survey


Thanks! I’m looking forward to seeing your response.

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Guest Article: Joyful Wishes for You by Jennifer Miller

Wishing you a joyful day, full of wonder and warmth.

And some cookies, if you’re into that sort of thing.

Article source:Jennifer Miller - Joyful Wishes for You»

Guest Article: We Wish You… by Ben

Captain Awesome in his new Rudolph threads

From the Eubanks house to yours, we wish you a very merry Christmas!

Whatever reason you have to celebrate this time of the year, enjoy it. I pray that you’re blessed beyond measure and that you take a little time to bless others as well. Any opportunity to bring joy to others in the form of a smile, a gift, or a heartfelt comment is truly worthwhile.

We’ll be back next week with more HR fun. :-)

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Guest Article: Life doesn't come with a guarantee by Ross Clennett

Last week, one unstable man caused the deaths of two patrons in a Sydney, Martin Place café. For about eight years I worked in Sydney in an office located about 300 metres from Martin Place. I have consumed countless cups of coffee in Martin Place cafes over the years. I have never had anything close to even rudeness in any of those cafes over the years. Last month a

Article source:Ross Clennett - Life doesn't come with a guarantee»



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Guest Article: The Daleks are coming and many high skill jobs are not safe by Ross Clennett

Every time I shop at my local Woolworths, I join the self-service checkout queue to pay for my shopping. I don't need or want any social interaction (‘How's your day?') when I shop. I am happy to scan and pack my own shopping. When I do this, I am indirectly undermining a cashier's job at Woolworths. A self-service machine can work for hours (days?) without a break and doesn't require sick

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4 ways to reduce pre-Christmas stress for your staff

Christmas should be a time of peace, joy and love. However, if you’re not a child with endless holidays and gifts to look forward to, the lead up to this holiday can be a stressful time of year. Financial pressures from debts, gifts and celebrations tend to increase at this time. Family gatherings (or lack thereof) can lead to unhealthy anxiety, loneliness or conflict. To add to the mounting social pressures, work pressures accumulate as New Year deadlines approach.

The mental health (and general wellbeing) of your employees is vital to ensure their longevity as contributing and creative members of your team. It is also important to help your staff get through difficult times so your efforts and output (and let’s not forget employee satisfaction) do not suffer.

Here are 4 tips to motivate your team and safeguard their mental health at this time of year:

1.    Keep an eye out for red flags 

While it is normal to experience a degree of pressure and frustration at this time of year, it’s important to note when this may become a larger problem. If you notice that an employee appears sleep deprived, aggressive, anti-social, distracted or negative, it may be a sign that they are under an unreasonable amount of pressure. If you see someone acting out of character for a long period of time, let them know you’ve noticed that they’ve seemed a bit down and ask them how they are. 

2.    Review workloads

Stress occurs when our demands exceed our resources. Quite simply, your employees may not have enough time or the resources to get the job done. Pay close attention to establish whether the work that is being produced meets the standards that are normally achieved. This reduction in performance may occur due to under-staffing and over-loading rather than a lack of enthusiasm or competence. Communicate these concerns with the team and where necessary, give clients advance notice that deadlines may alter during a resource-restricted period.

3.    Say thank you

It cannot be overstated – a simple word of appreciation can motivate and encourage anyone. You don’t need to organise an elaborate event to thank work colleagues, as genuine personal encouragement can be enough to brighten their day. 

4.    Lead by example

If you feel yourself becoming burnt out, it will be difficult to ensure your team does not follow suit. Take some time to rest, spend time with family and engage in relaxing activities. Seek professional advice if needed and take some time over the New Year period to evaluate your life goals.


While Christmas is a stressful time of year for many, effective management of your staff, communicating openly with them and supporting those around you can have a snowball effect to put the peace, love and joy back into the workplace leading up to the festive season!

4 tips to handle pre-Christmas work stress

Christmas should be a time of peace, joy and love. However, if you’re not a child with endless holidays and gifts to look forward to, the lead up to this holiday can be a stressful time of year. Financial pressures from debts, gifts and celebrations tend to increase at this time. Family gatherings (or lack thereof) can lead to unhealthy anxiety, loneliness or conflict. To add to the mounting social pressures, work pressures accumulate as New Year deadlines approach.



The mental health (and general wellbeing) of you and your team is vital to ensure you are able to contribute creatively and productively. It is also important to to get through difficult times where your efforts and output (and let’s not forget satisfaction) may suffer.

Here are 4 tips to motivate you and your team to safeguard general mental health at this time of year:

1.    Keep an eye out for red flags 

While it is normal to experience a degree of pressure and frustration at this time of year, it’s important to note when this may become a larger problem. If a colleague (or yourself) appears sleep deprived, aggressive, anti-social, distracted or negative, this may be a sign that the stress is getting to them and their work.
If you see someone acting out of character for a long period of time, let them know you’ve noticed that they’ve seemed a bit down and ask them how things are going. It’s normal to feel the need to seek support at these times so don’t hesitate in speaking up and finding help where you can if you feel overwhelmed.

2.    Review workloads

Stress occurs when our demands exceed our resources. Quite simply, you may not have enough time or the resources to get the job done. Pay close attention to whether your efforts are sloppy or are being completed late, as this may occur due to under-staffing and over-loading rather than a lack of enthusiasm or competence. Communicate these concerns with the team and where necessary, give clients advance notice that deadlines may alter during a resource-restricted period.

3.    Say thank you

It cannot be overstated – a simple word of appreciation can motivate and encourage anyone. You don’t need to organise an elaborate event to thank work colleagues, as genuine personal encouragement can be enough to brighten their day. If you feel this is a little out of your hands, talk with your employer about your concerns over general stress levels and that their candid feedback and support could really help.

4.     Make a grand example

If you feel yourself nearing burnt out, it will be difficult to ensure that others around you do not follow suit. Take some time to rest, spend time with family and engage in relaxing activities. Seek professional advice if needed and take some time over the New Year period to evaluate your life goals.



While Christmas is a stressful time of year for many, effective management over communicating with and supporting those around you can have a snowball effective to put the peace, love and joy back into the festive season!

Psychometric testing and hiring in 2015

An ever increasing number of employers are identifying the benefits of psychometric testing and are reaping the rewards of applying it to their recruitment process. In 2015, the decision to use technology in order to save time and money in hiring may make or break both recruitment agencies and frequently hiring enterprises. Gone are the days where a ‘gut feeling’ provides acceptable justification to decide the fate of one's career and more importantly, business success. Instead decisions must now be based on tangible data in order to compete with a fast paced environments, and fast paced staff. Furthermore, current research suggests that replacing a skilled person can cost an employer upwards of 150% of that employee’s annual salary, meaning even one bad hire can be extremely damaging! This is where online psychometric assessments can turn things around. Whilst there may be many kinds of objective testing on offer, they all aim to provide scientifically backed data about a person. This data may be on the candidates’ personality attributes, past behaviours, and intellectual abilities. This information can then be used to predict future occupational success in a wide variety of workplace environments, including sales, human services, and even the defence force. Listed below are some of the benefits and outcomes achieved by using such a process that traditional methods such as interviews, resumes or even years experience cannot achieve: 1.      Predicting future behaviour Information gathered from psychometric tests can be used to predict how well potential candidates will behave in the future. This can include how well they make decisions under pressure or how they prefer to manage important tasks. This kind of information makes an assessment report an integral ongoing tool as it can be used post-hire to provide vision into how best to manage an individual and receive the most value from their role (not to mention allows you to identify which directions NOT to point them in!) 2.      Comparing candidates Sometimes it can be hard to choose between your shortlisted candidates. Using psychometric testing to compare candidates allows you to look past aesthetic disruptions or perceived value shown through interview confidence to highlight number driven abilities and reasoning as it relates to verbal, abstract and numeral skills which have been shown to be far better indicators of job performance. 3.      Evidence and accuracy Even the most experienced interviewers may miss out on small, crucial details about their candidates, potentially leading to a bad hire. This is not because they are incompetent, but because simply relying on a resume and interview alone allows the candidate preparation to tell you exactly what you want to hear, without any way for you to determine how truthful and accurate the information really is. It's not the candidate's fault as it's natural to appear more able, more agreeable, and more confident in an interview situation than a working situation where they need to use their reasoning and intelligence to get the job done. Including research based psychometric tests to your recruitment tool box eliminates such guess work by adding reliable insight into the traditional hiring model. 4.      User friendly Often employers are concerned about how difficult interpretations of psychometric tests are. Fortunately, you don’t need a degree in psychology to understand them! Psychometric assessments are written using a practical language, so that employers can easily understand what is being measured, why it is important to their goals, and how their candidates compare to the ‘ average’ in any given assessment. This allows employers to determine if that person is suitable for the advertised role, and how successful candidates are likely to be. 5.      Specialised tailoring Some providers' psychometric assessments can be tailored to meet the employer’s individual needs based on the specific attributes and qualities an employer is looking for in potential candidates. In some cases a consultation can be organised between the employer and the psychometric assessment provider to understand their organisational goals and how these can be achieved through the right balance of talent management. Such a quality will not only increase the relevance of the tests, but also strengthen your hiring choices. With candidate's changing organisations more rapidly today, customisation in the recruitment process can ensure you're hiring longer term staff whom already have the required skills needed, saving you from training up workers to a beneficial level only to have them leave. 6.      More than one application Not only can psychometric tests be used for recruiting, they are also often used for training and retention purposes. These assessments allow you to profile employees, identifying their strengths, weaknesses and work styles. This information can be useful when considering promotions and reorganising work-flow. By reallocating tasks to employees that suit their abilities, you can increase productivity and job satisfaction, leading to a happier and more efficient workplace… and of course, increase revenue! If you’d like to learn more about the benefits of psychometric testing, or are ready to add them to your recruitment tool box, contact the dedicated team of psychology professionals at Psych Press for a confidential discussion about the variety of psychometric assessments they provide. Please call Psych Press on 03 9670 0590 or email info@psychpress.com.au

Taking responsibility over satisfaction and happiness

The old saying "do as I say, not as I do" can ring true for many allied health professionals. Constantly having to take on the weight and pain in other people's lives can take its toll, and it's often difficult to point your expertise inward for help.

When your boss acknowledges your hard work, when a client gets great results because of your help, or when someone waves after you give way to them in peak hour traffic this can be enough to make our day! But when your hard work goes unnoticed, a client makes unfair complaints, or the driver you let in doesn't even bother to wave, we let it get to us and allow these external factors to influence our mood, satisfaction and overall happiness for longer than it should. We focus on the trivial things in our life and depend a little too much on what happens around us, what others do and don’t do to make us happy.

So how do we take responsibility for our own happiness and not let trivial external factors influence us too much? Let’s look at some potential solutions:

1.       Emotions and the Mind

Learn to accept your emotions, even the not so warm and fuzzy ones!  

It is argued by some health professionals that most of our problems come from an inability to adequately experience our emotions, especially so-called negative emotions, because we don’t allow ourselves permission to express them. How can this be resolved?

(a) Writing about negative emotions after having a bad day at work, using a process called cathartic writing can help. Research has shown that people who write about their deepest emotions are less depressed and more positive about life. However, make sure to check out some guidelines and examples before you begin. 

(b) Laugh. Take some time out to have a giggle! We have to remember that sometimes we take life way too seriously. Laugh at the little things but also don’t be afraid to get creative. Play a game of charades, google funny cat photos, spend some time talking about something funny that happened at work, or rent a comedy. Laughter really can be the best medicine!  

(c) For more pervasive problems like chronic road rage, seek assistance from a mental health professional before you break your horn. This will allow you to better understand your feelings and what strategies to put in place to assist the situation in the long term.

2.       The Body

Experts tell us time and time again how the mind and the body are connected. This means that if we do not look after our body, then this can have a negative effect on our happiness too. Here are some tips to keep your body (and mind!) in check:

(a) Get plenty of quality sleep – Yes, your parents were right when they told you that you’d wake up grumpy in the morning if you didn't get enough sleep. To improve your sleeping habits, try going to bed at the same time, develop a standard pre-sleep routine such as reading a book or taking a warm shower or bath, and avoid things like caffeinated drinks and chocolate before bed.

(b) Exercise. Physical activity can open the brains pleasure pathways, releasing endorphins, which make you feel great. And if running a marathon isn't your thing you could try meditation or stretching exercises like Yoga and Pilates. When at work, take a quick stroll around the office block or organised with a work friend to take a walk to the local café or cafeteria for a lunch catch up.

(c) Healthy Eating. We need good nutritious food for growth, healing and healthy functioning. Try to eat a balance diet of healthy, wholesome, fresh foods and skip on foods that are highly processed. Eating meat and fish, rich in protein, iron and Omega 3 fatty acids will give you that extra energy to get through the day. Not a big meat eater? Try eggs and vegetables like lima beans and lentils which provide a healthy alternative instead of grabbing a dim-sim or potato cake from the local café on your lunch break.

So now you have a few tools to get you started in finding your own happiness! Keep adding to your new happiness tool box and you might even be the next work-life balance guru!

Guest Article: Is a Global CEO’s Grueling Travel Schedule Necessary? by Jennifer Miller

Is a burned-out CEO the New Normal of the globally connected world? That seems to be the premise of a recent article I read titled, “Death on a Moscow Runway: The Modern, Homeless CEO.” (How’s that for grim imagery?) I take issue with the idea that CEO’s must be this super-human person that “has” to constantly travel all over the world, to the detriment of their health and their personal life.

So I wrote an opinion piece in response to the article and published it on The Huffington Post blog. You can read the full article, titled: Are CEO’s Too Burned Out to Think? on the Huffington Post blog.

For those of you with CEO’s who travel extensively, what do you think? Are CEO’s trying to achieve unrealistic expectations?

Copyright: nan728 / 123RF Stock Photo

Article source:Jennifer Miller - Is a Global CEO’s Grueling Travel Schedule Necessary?»

Guest Article: Is your focus niche marketing or corporate blanding? by Ross Clennett

I was MC at the ATC Sourcing Conference in Melbourne last week. It was, as usual, an excellent day of learning with a varied array of speakers who made the audience think carefully about the future of recruitment through the lens of sourcing. Here's a summary of the major points I took away from the Conference, thanks to the keynote speakers, Mark Tortorici, Fiona Anson, Matt Charney, Karen

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Guest Article: Salute to Volunteers – #SHRMLead by Robin Schooling

This week, close to 900 volunteer leaders will gather in Washington D.C. for the SHRM (Society for Human Resource Management) Volunteer Leaders’ Summit. With a theme this year of “Prepare. Change. Lead.” the event is designed to prepare chapter and state council leaders to guide their organizations in alignment with SHRM’s goals and initiatives. No easy feat; 2015 promises to be a year of continued complexity for the largest HR professional organization as we get the full roll out of the new SHRM certifications.

I myself was a SHRM volunteer leader for well over a decade, serving as chapter president back in the day and holding various roles on chapter boards and with the Louisiana SHRM State Council. I feel like I’ve been a member forever and yet, for all the drama and hits-or-misses that may occur, I always promote membership – especially for new professionals and/or those who wish to network, learn and build relationships with their professional peers.

In 2002 I moved cross-country, relocating from Milwaukee, WI to Baton Rouge, LA. Within a few weeks of arriving in town I attended my first local SHRM chapter meeting and one of the very first people I met was Rebecca Briley who, at the time, was serving on the GBR SHRM board of directors. She quickly became a close and dear friend and we’ve spent countless fun times together whether strolling on Bourbon Street, laughing over dinner and cocktails, or just hanging out and working hard. She’s been a tireless champion for the human resources profession and SHRM and I was so incredibly happy for her when she was elected to serve as a member of SHRM’s Membership Advisory Council a few years ago.

The MAC Representatives are elected by their respective Regional Councils and serve either a 1 or 2 year term. As we wrap up 2014, four of the five MACs are ending their terms and I would like to give them a shout out this week for all they do to connect volunteer leaders with the SHRM Board of Directors. Closing out their terms of service are:

• Kris Avery, SPHR – Northeast Region

• Paula Harvey, GPHR – Southeast Region

• Rebecca Briley – Southwest Central Region

• Debbie Horne, SPHR – Pacific West Region

Steve Browne, SPHR – North Central Region – will continue on as MAC Rep for 2015, joined by 4 new volunteer leaders from the other regions.

So thanks to the MAC Reps, the state council volunteers, the chapter volunteers and all the members who work so hard to connect HR professionals to business and community.

I salute you. You DO make a difference.

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Guest Article: Briggs is Here by Ben

Not a lot of time to write today. Just wanted to share this. #blessed

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5 Fundamental Skills for Running a Successful Clinic

Interested in starting up your own clinic, but aren’t too sure what skills or talents are required to run a successful private practice? Not to worry, this week we provide an outline of 5 fundamental skills required for running a well operated and success-geared clinic!

First things first, if you’re contemplating owning your own clinic you must understand that you are signing up to run your own business. Regardless of your specialist clinical field, there are key skills required to running business that they won't teach you in your allied health masters degree. We show you how you can use what you already know to consistently build on your new business venture skills.

1. Be a planner

It is imperative that before starting any kind of business - a clinic in particular - to put a significant amount of thought and consideration into how you want to operate your company. 

No plan is ever perfect and as a business owner you may often find the need to adapt accordingly if your plan doesn’t serve its purpose. The important thing however, is that you make one! 

A vast amount of time and resources are typically needed in the planning process. The most important thing to remember is to make your business plan relevant and reflective of you, your aspirations, and the business framework you intend to have for your clinic.

2. Know your market

After doing the research and beginning to execute your plan, comes probably one of the key determinants of seeing your plan come to fruition - how you market it! 

This involves building your image and making your mark in the clinical industry.  Knowing where your niche lies, and informing the public and potential clients of your services of what you have to offer them, sets you aside from the rest. 

How you market your business, from the name you give your clinic to the methods of advertisement you utilise, will largely impact the way your clinic is received by potential clients and associates alike and sets the tone for the type business you run.

3. Be organised

The most important skill any business owner let alone a clinician could have, is organisation! 

As a business owner you have to be able to get stuff done efficiently, effectively, and on time, as well as  be able to assist others to do so. 

Organisational skills will benefit not only your personal schedules and lifestyle but the progression of your business in the long run, and become vital when keeping up with billing, record keeping and other administrative tasks.

4.  Understand the  Self-employment Fine Print

One thing new business owners often fail to consider (aside from the cost of directly running a practice) is the fine print additional costs they must adhere to, especially self-employment taxes. 

Many self-employed clinicians are caught by surprise upon learning of the self-employment taxes they’re required to pay when establishing a private practice, which don’t automatically get withdrawn as is usually experienced.

For this reason, any discerning new business owner must read up on all the fine print associated with self-employment.

Also understand that while you make your own hours and tasks, you have to wear many hats and answer to many responsibilities, often simultaneously! You will be busy and will have to come to expect the weight of responsibility and quick decision making should become second nature.

5.   Be passionate

Devoting your time and your money to running a successful clinic cannot happen without having a passion for your business.

Your business is ‘your baby’ and it’s imperative that, regardless of what happens and how successful you may be, you must have continual belief in what you are doing and maintain that drive to strive for the best. If you don’t believe in the services your clinic has to offer, no one else will.

Guest Article: Information Exchange – #KronosWorks by Robin Schooling

I recently got back from KronosWorks 2014, the annual conference for Kronos users which Kronos defines as ‘the world’s largest management information exchange.’ And yes – I can attest having attended for two years now – there is a vast exchange of information.

This past weekend before I headed off to Vegas for the conference, I mentioned to some other HR/Recruiting friends that I was attending the event. The general consensus was “user conferences are just a way for the vendors to get more money from their existing customers.” I disagreed. Big time. And here’s why…every single attendee I speak to at user conferences says the same thing –“the biggest value in attending is learning from other users.”

And to reinforce the point I heard this sentiment expressed multiple times earlier this week. I sat at breakfast with a customer who was at the event with her colleagues from around the world; her team is responsible for running 70 weekly payrolls and they’ve been using Kronos for years. Obviously she’s surrounded, daily, by experienced Kronos users with whom she can confer. Yet she expressed her delight in attending the event each year to learn from other users. “We may do things a certain way and they work for us,” she pointed out, “but I always find that people from other industries and companies have different – and sometimes better – ways of accomplishing the same objectives we do. Every year I learn something new that leads me to make adjustments when I get back to the office.”

Touche.

One of the sessions I attended was “Modern Problems Require Mobile Solutions” in which we discussed the Kronos Workforce Mobile solutions. While a handful of attendees in the session indicated they are already using Workforce Mobile Solutions when the speaker asked who in the room was considering going mobile, the vast majority of hands in the room raised high. We discussed smartphones and tablets; we explored the interplay between BYOD or Mobile Device Management programs. And these weren’t just large enterprise customers; attendees using Kronos Workforce Ready (for small and midsize business) mobile solutions shared their stories and asked questions of their peers. Learning from each other means scaling up or scaling down….right?

Is this sexy HR? Maybe not. It is, however, necessary HR – controlling labor costs, minimizing compliance risk, and improving workforce productivity. All the stuff that we, as HR professionals need to get right the first time. Every time.

So thanks to the team at Kronos for bringing me to this event for a second year. While they provided compensation, the thoughts and opinions I’ve expressed either here on the blog or via other social channels are mine alone and they had no expectations other than I tell it like I see it.

And one thing I’ve seen the last two years is a willingness to listen to customers. Aron Ain (Kronos CEO) and the rest of his team are visible and accessible at every turn as they wander throughout the conference having conversations. I attended two separate events where Aron and his team were open, forthright and willing to answer any and all questions: this occurred both at Monday’s Executive Roundtable for Analysts, Bloggers & Press and at Tuesday’s Customer Spotlight Breakfast.

So if you, like my friends, consider user conferences to be merely a money grab I want to let you know that nothing is further from the truth.

These conferences are, indeed, a needed and valuable information exchange.

**********

Check out the Workforce Management blogging team at Kronos and follow them for great content all throughout the year. And no – you don’t have to be a Kronos customer/user to get great relevant information from these fantastic writers.

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Article source:Robin Schooling - Information Exchange – #KronosWorks»



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Reassessing your work life balance to rejuvenate your energy

When you feel as though your energy levels are drained in the workplace, it may be a good idea to check in on your work-life balance. While achieving an optimum work-life balance may seem like a wishful dream in wonderland – you are not alone! Here are three steps you can follow that will help you get closer to that seemingly elusive dream-like state of equilibrium in a way that doesn't have to leave your work output in deficit.

Firstly, RECOGNISE the symptoms

If you feel as though you are:

• Experiencing a lack of sleep because you are busy thinking about the tasks you have to complete at work the next day.
• Experiencing a loss of energy in the workplace and an apathy towards your work
• Overwhelmed by your tasks at work when you begin the day or return from your lunch break
• Procrastinating more than you should be (keeping in mind that often any procrastination is too much when it comes to the workplace…)

It may be an indicator that you need to reassess your work-life balance.

Secondly, REASSESS your goals

When you find that your work-life balance is out of line, it is important to ask yourself why this is the case. This will help you re-discover what is important to you and will help you re-gain sight of the bigger picture. Placing your work into perspective can often help if you feel overwhelmed. Additionally, you may re-discover the reason you have been pushing yourself so hard in the first place. This can often serve as a great source of hidden motivation that could push you over the finish line. When re-assessing your goals, it is important to consider where you are now; where you would like to be, and what you need to do to get there. It might feel a bit odd at first, but it can pay off to list these details down in a document or spreadsheet. It is always easy to let some demotivating tasks get neglected - until they become a pattern with no solution. So, keep your eye on the prize of your career and personal goals.

Finally, TAKE ACTION!

• Make necessary changes to your schedule and reprioritise tasks that need to be done in terms of what you need for yourself. Assess what extra tasks are created as a result of mismanaged resources.
• If you suspect that there is a misallocation of resources - begin a discussion with your manager that you believe the misallocation of resources is causing distress and has lowered productivity (just be sure to have a sound solution!)
• Reflect on your personal well-being and think strategically about how this affects your productivity.
• Improve the quality of your “down-time” while you are away from work will help manage your productivity while you are in the workplace. It is important to take time out for yourself … even if that means going for a walk around the block without your phone during your lunch break.
• Always be sure to look back at your original goals, and compare it to how your workplace responsibilities have changed and how that affects your personal life.

If you are still finding it difficult to achieve motivation despite work changes, balance alterations and discussions with management, you could have a career mismatch. Trudging through a field that never suited your personality in the first place will almost always end in low productivity, low satisfaction, burnout and worse. One way to be sure that you’re in the right field or studying the right course is to take a psychologically backed careers test. This weighs your values and attributes to define what career course best suits your abilities and fundamentally, who you are.