Components of the ProMICAD System
Once you enter the program you will have a menu to select from as follows:
| Level 1 | |
| Menu | |
| Personal Profiler | |
| Other Facilities: | |
| Browse Jobs | Easy-write CV |
| Level 2 | |
| Menu | |
| Personal Profiler | |
| Quick-play game: | |
| Character Studies | |
| Other facilities: | |
| Browse Jobs | Easy-write CV |
| Level 3 | |
| Menu | |
| Personal Profiler | |
| Quick-play games: | |
| Character Studies | Headhunter |
| Boardroom Shuffle | Cabinet Shuffle |
| Other facilities: | |
| Geniuses | Quiz |
| Browse Jobs | Easy-write CV |
First time users of the program should complete the Personal Profiler before trying out any of the other exercises or games within the menu. An administrator’s guide: Useful hints for getting the best out of the ProMICAD System are included, with on-screen instructions that are easy to follow. There is also a range of pull-down menus giving further information about the different elements of the program.
Personal Profiler This is the key feature of the system Users are invited to interact with the program by first selecting preferred arrangements of colours or shapes. This is followed by twelve questions answered by one of four different responses.
Example: “To what extent do you enjoy new challenges?” Answer: 1. “”Not at all” 2. “To some extent” 3. “To a large extent” 4. “Very much so”
The Personal Profiler takes only a few minutes to complete. The program then generates a positive personal profile. The profile, a structured character study, is compiled from a database of concepts embodying an updating of Jung’s psychological functions: thinking, feeling, sensation and intuition. (See the Rationale section for a fuller explanation.) The profile is arranged on screen in sets of one-line statements or bullet-points. The user is invited to accept or reject each line of the report, clicking on an unacceptable line to remove it from the screen if it felt to be inaccurate or unacceptable. Typical statements include:
Is likely to enjoy trying to lead a team and direct operations.
Is a thoughtful individual who can listen sympathetically
Can put across ideas and bring them to life.
If all the statements are rejected, the user is invited to try the system again, using different selection criteria. Recent counts, though, tend to average 80-90 percent accuracy according to the understanding of the people completing the program. In theory, the system can never fail, as there are fail-safe mechanisms built in. However, it is important that a person is not over modest and does not edit out the best features of the profile and, on the other hand, that a person is able to support any superlative qualities that the profile has attributed to him or her.
Compiling a personal profile is usually an immensely rewarding and positive experience for the user. Observing and discussing the user’s reactions to statements appearing on the screen can provide a powerful insight to the user’s character. Profiles can be saved to disk and copies printed as needed.
The resulting print-out provides a personal profile under the following headings:
. Summary
. Attitude
. Workstyle
. Character
. Aims and Ambitions
And, in addition to the personal profile, a confidence booster can viewed on screen and printed out. This is designed to be an encouragement towards recognition and achievement of potential.
Careers Mentoring Plans
The 256 Careers Mentoring Plans contained in the new version of the ProMICAD System were compiled by experts in psychology, industry and careers guidance and based on a user’s acceptance of at least 80 percent of statements contained in the Personal Profile.
Each Plan contains a character summary and a list of possible careers to which the user’s attitude, work-style, strengths and ambitions, described in the Personal Profile, could be particularly well suited – subject, of course, to personal interests and a willingness to commence training or further education. The Plans also suggest visits be arranged, where possible, for individual students to visit one or more companies or work establishments that fit the young person’s career interests or goals.
For many years as employers, teachers, and mentors, the authors of the ProMICAD System have been successful in persuading co-operative decision-makers in industry, commerce, public and private sector services, education and the arts, to allow pre-school-leavers and students to visit their establishments as invited guests to observe the day-to-day, ‘behind-scenes’ activities of their operations.
Our students prepare for visits by assembling a portfolio of their designs or other creative work, plus lots of questions to ask their hosts.
Such visits usually dispel misconceptions and can often stimulate an occupational interest that could be maintained by changing the emphasis of curricular and extra-curricular activities and giving access to specialist training, where necessary. Visits also provide an opportunity for the employer to observe the young person informally, perhaps as a potential future employee.
Implicit in the Mentoring Plans is encouragement to careers advisors and guidance professionals to develop wide-ranging contacts with co-operative decision-makers in as many areas of employment as possible.
Other features of proMICAD
CV Writer An easy to use facility for compiling CVs. Prints sample CVs and helpful datapreparation forms for preparing CVs offline. CVs can be saved to disk and updated.
Quick-Play Games / Exercises ProMICAD’s quick-play exercises in character diagnosis help people to understand the structure of peoples’ characters and recognise that attitudes, work styles, underlying strengths and aspirations are as important to success as academic honours.
Boardroom Shuffle and Character Shuffle Two amusing and educative games/exercises that teach the importance of personal qualities for performing a job well. In each game the player models the ideal candidates to fill boardroom or cabinet positions. Player’s choices are scored at the end of each game and a fantasy board or cabinet is revealed, made up of geniuses from history possessing similar characteristics to the player’s appointments. Both games can be played for a few minutes or very much longer .
Character Studies A fun facility for making thumbnail character studies of friends, classmates or colleagues in complimentary terms only. Printouts can be used as tokens of esteem for presentation to the subject. This facility is designed to promote understanding and mutual respect.
Headhunter A useful facility for all staff involved in interviewing and selecting job applicants. This exercise allows users to model the ideal candidate for any job in two minutes.
Quiz Over 250 general knowledge questions on characters past and present. The quiz has been used as an ice-breaker in the early stages of work with young offenders, and also provides a relaxing break from a period of intensive work.
Job Browser Lists some 2000 job titles in around 50 work sectors. This can be used to select a preferred occupation for inclusion in the personal profile. It is also useful for giving inexperienced job seekers an idea of the vast range of jobs that exist in various industries and job sectors.
Geniuses Short profiles of over 500 characters from past and present.
