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Career Vision
526 North Main Street
Glen Ellyn, IL 60137
630.469.6270

The Ball Foundation

Frequently Asked Questions About Career Planning

1. What is an aptitude profile, and why is it helpful to know mine?

An aptitude profile refers to the unique relationship of one aptitude to another. While the implications of each ability is significant in understanding your top talents, the profile provides your consultant a snapshot of what types of work tasks, and therefore occupational choices, incorporate your full range of abilities. This results in a competitive advantage and the greatest potential for satisfaction.

2. Are aptitude tests the same as intelligence tests?

One of the differences in these tests lies more in the way they are used. Intelligence tests are typically used as a selection tool. Your overall composite scores are high enough to get you into something, or low enough to keep you out. While they may measure some similar abilities they usually aren’t intended to measure a broader range of distinct individual talents. Using the aptitude profile offers a more holistic approach ensuring that all your natural abilities are incorporated in the recommended careers. For example, someone with an overall high intelligence score could successfully complete an Accounting major—but if they also had a high level of creativity—they would not be satisfied doing that type of work over the long term.

3. How do your tests differ from the ACT/SAT?

The ACT/SAT measures are more knowledge-based and measure only academic aptitudes. These are intended to predict success in a particular college curriculum. Career Vision’s Ball Aptitude Battery^® not only includes the general academic aptitudes, but more importantly includes aptitudes that give a more complete understanding of a person’s abilities: different types of creativity, spatial abilities, memory abilities, finger dexterity, reasoning styles and attention to details. Put simply, it’s the difference between a black and white picture, and one in full color.

4. How do I know if Career Vision’s program is appropriate for my son/daughter?

If your child is in the small percentage of high school or college students who know exactly what they want to do and have demonstrated that they have a realistic understanding of the career and what it will take to be successful—you may not need us. However, families that use our service gain direction and an increased level of confidence for both the parent and the student.

For individuals with significant disabilities, our program is not the best choice. While we are able to provide great insight in many cases—we evaluate situations on a case by case basis. Additionally, our program is not recommended for students who are not conversant in English.

5. My son took career-planning tests at school. Why should he go through your program?

Good question. Our career planning model is designed to incorporate the best assessments and the individual attention necessary to help you understand how to integrate and use the assessment results to make good career decisions.

Typically high school and college counselors do the best they can with their many, varied responsibilities. The time they can commit to each student is limited to course selection, college applications and other issues. For career guidance they typically use self-report assessment instruments that focus on interests and personal preferences. They often provide students with reports and provide a group summary about what the results mean. Their perspective on abilities comes from student grades and performance on standardized academic tests and your child’s personal estimation of their talents. Self-estimates of abilities are shown to be less accurate than objective measures, such as the Ball Aptitude Battery^®.

6. Which package is right for me (my son/daughter)?

The right package depends on a number of factors; most critical is the commitment of time and geography. All three packages will provide useful tools in the quest for career and life satisfaction. Please call us to discuss your needs.

7. Will Career Vision’s process make my son/daughter happier?

Happier is tough. The long-term effect is that folks who enjoy their jobs tend to find greater satisfaction in other aspects of their life. Our process identifies talents, provides direction and we are available to help with career decisions across their life span. With good, objective information and the expertise of Career Vision, our clients are confident they can make adjustments when their work circumstances change.

8. Who are Career Vision’s competitors?

Our biggest competition is people who use trial and error to find the best career path for themselves. Also, young adults make choices that are often influenced by their peers or the media, rather than objective information about their abilities. Other sources of competition include individual practitioners who provide career assistance primarily to adults, and the free services students can access from their school guidance counselors or college career services.

9. My son/daughter doesn’t want career counseling. How can I convince him/her that they need it?

Kids are tested to death and seldom get real insight from their efforts (and often find themselves judged). This information is for them, and about them. It is one of the few times that objective, positive information focuses a discussion on their potential and options for their future. If they strongly object, they may be afraid of what they will hear, or are not ready to think about this big step. Check out the student testimonials to see what other students have to say about the process. Consider completing the free quiz to help you gauge your child’s readiness for career discussions. And be sure to call us to discuss your situation.

10. My son/daughter is clueless about declaring a college academic major. How will Career Vision help us make that decision?

There are an overwhelming number of college majors to select from, and college majors often don’t align well with career options. There are a number of factors to consider. Some students will easily transition a liberal arts degree to a career—others will be more successful with a degree aligned with their career or a professional credential. Our process really helps you understand your requirements and can even suggest the best school environments for your success.

11. How much does an Advantage Package cost?

About the same as an ACT prep course or a summer camp program, and a lot less than an extra semester of college. See which one of our three packages works for you.

12. We have 3 teenagers. Do you offer a family discount?

Yes. There’s a tremendous benefit when the entire family understands career planning and aptitudes, and has a vocabulary for talking about each child’s unique profile. Please call us to discuss your specific situation.

13. We don’t live in the Chicago area. Where else do you offer the testing?

Career Vision offers a Silver Advantage Package for students or families that are not able to come to our Glen Ellyn office. We have worked with clients from across the U.S. and Canada. Please give us a call at 630.469.6270 to see what options will be best for your needs.

14. How do I know this will work?

This is a reasonable, but hard question. Measuring the impact of learning is not easy. Our packages offer direction and insights that last for a lifetime. The results are both immediate and long-term as decisions are made and plans implemented. But we have many happy alumni that are a testament to the value of our programs.

15. I have taken lots of tests in my life. How is this different from the others?

Most tests are for a grade. Our assessments are about discovering your potential and how to best achieve it. While there are right answers, the results are not good or bad, nor pass/fail. They are guideposts for career direction and decisions. In fact, a low score in some can be an advantage in certain careers. The other thing that’s different is that some of these tests are actually fun!

16. My student gets help at their high school. What can you do differently than what their guidance counselor does?

We actively support the work of school counselors. Unfortunately most have heavy caseloads; the typical counselor is responsible for almost 500 students in a given year. Our sole purpose is to attend to your child and your child alone. We encourage students to share their results and career recommendations with a school counselor, especially when exploring colleges.

17. Our family has very hectic schedules. Do you have flexible times for taking the tests?

Yes, we try to work with your needs. However, we urge you to consider this small investment a priority in creating the best foundation for your child’s career goals.

18. I am not a good test taker. Will that alter my test outcome?

Most folks say they aren’t good test takers. In fact, we expect some tests to be harder for some and easier for others —that’s what individual differences are. There are a variety of tests and even those who say they test poorly have been able to see where their real talents lie. In cases of extreme anxiety or total non-performance—it could be a problem. Many people have said that they actually enjoyed taking our tests and that the time passed quickly. You don’t need to study or prepare. Get a good night’s rest and try your best.

19. Who will I talk to about my results? What are their qualifications?

Our career consultants all have a minimum of a master’s degree and are certified to interpret our assessments. Your consultant will meet with you before your Career Consulting Session to tailor your results to your situation.

20. Once the testing is over, and my child has received their results, can we come back to talk with you, if we still have questions?

Yes, many of our clients return at the crossroads of their careers, and some come for an annual career check-up. This is what effective career management is all about. Part of our process is to try to touch base and see how our clients are progressing. We take a personal interest in your success.

21. Can I sit in on my child’s feedback session?

We require minors to have a parent present, and strongly encourage it for those who are older. This is an informative and fun session. Many of our families see it as a rite of passage that really kicks off some great career planning discussions for the entire family.

22. My child has learning disabilities (ADD, ADHD); can they still take your test?

Possibly. Please call our office to discuss your individual situation.

23. Will your testing process definitely tell my child “the answer” to their career questions, or are there next steps?

We will provide specific recommendations for you to consider and explore. We also share our career decision matrix to guide your evaluation steps. We don’t tell people what they should be. In fact, our consulting sessions are interactive. New insights may come out that prompt consideration of other career options. The more you learn, the more you contribute to your choices.

24. Can you help me find a new job?

We work with our alumni in identifying the types of work they might want to go after. Additionally, we are a resource for job search techniques and an advocate for area job search groups. However, we are not in the job placement business.

25. How long have you been in business?

The Ball Foundation was established in 1975 and Career Vision in 1989.

26. Why should my 17-year old, high school senior go through Career Vision’s program now, rather than later — maybe after college?

Many families that work with us say, “I wish we had done this earlier.” What we have observed is that many high schoolers and parents aren’t fully prepared to consider careers. They don’t realize the critical connections between career choice and selecting the right college and major. Many college students find themselves pushed against the wall to declare a major or pull together enough credentials to graduate, even within five years. Career Vision advocates a “Start early, start smart,” approach for parents and teens to get students on the right path in high school or college so they can experience success in school and their first jobs as well as a sense of satisfaction with the progress in their lives.

27. How can Career Vision help me with my career change?

We love to work with experienced workers. Most folks consider career change when they are dissatisfied. Our first goal is to use our assessments to help determine the underlying causes for the poor fit. Too often people jump back into what is familiar and repeat a pattern. Sometimes it’s not the career, but the company or the role that one has. Our second goal is to determine the full range of career options, and then narrow the focus to what is realistic depending on your situation.

28. If I know my personality and interests, why would I need to take a personality test?

Aptitude and interests are essential. Next are values. Personality encompasses some of interest and values. Our model is based on research and experience. The results of our assessments provide the best baseline to build the criteria for recommendations and to anchor discussions. The personality assessment is included in two of our three packages.

29. I know my abilities, so how could your program help me?

Some people may have a good sense of how their academic performance (abilities in math and reading) compare to their peers. But that perception is often contingent on who their fellow students are. Actually in high performing schools, students might underestimate their potential. Research suggests that self-rating of abilities is much less accurate than objective measures. Understanding your abilities can be extremely valuable. For example, there are several kinds of memory aptitudes that we measure. Different patterns of scores on those tests (high, mid-range or low) often mean differences in our recommendations for career and work environments that would be a best fit for you.

Direction. Decisions. Satisfaction.