Sample Narative

SAMPLE

16PF® Fifth Edition
Personal Career Development Profile (PCDP)
Name: John Sample
Date: January 02, 2002

This report describes Mr. Sample's typical personal lifestyle patterns. The narrative in his report is based on his scores from the 16PF Fifth Edition Questionnaire and additional predictive research.

The PCDP is founded on 35 years of research and consulting experience of organizational and management professionals. This experience revealed that people who are effectively directing the course and growth of their careers reflect personal strengths anchored to five important areas of behavior covered in this report:

• Problem-Solving Resources
• Patterns for Coping with Stressful Conditions
• Interpersonal Interaction Styles
• Organizational Role and Work-Setting Preferences
• Career Activity Interests

The purpose of this report is to help Mr. Sample broaden his understanding of himself and to plan well for his future. Although successful people possess personal strengths inherent to these behavioral patterns, no lifestyle can be classified as "the best way of doing things." Various styles may aid in one's efforts to be successful, happy, and productive.

A helpful understanding of Mr. Sample's reported personal strengths should also take into account other significant information about him, such as his work and leisure experiences, education and skills. So, if Mr. Sample wants to benefit fully from this report, he should discuss his profile with a skilled counselor or trained professional. Of utmost importance, though, this report should be treated confidentially and responsibly.

PROBLEM-SOLVING RESOURCES
This section describes Mr. Sample's unique problem-solving resources: What are his overall strengths for solving most problems? How does he usually approach resolving problems which confront him?

Mr. Sample functions quite comfortably with problems and situations that involve abstract reasoning and conceptual thinking. Mr. Sample appears to be quite able to learn well from his experiences. He can usually be counted on to use his experience to advantage in solving most problems.

Mr. Sample's approach to tasks is usually balanced between getting things done fairly efficiently and having an awareness of the impact of what's done on others involved with him. However, when necessary, Mr. Sample is able to work creatively, to get beyond what is normally viewed as customary or accepted, and to come up with new ideas and ways for approaching problems in efforts to resolve them.

PATTERNS FOR COPING WITH STRESSFUL CONDITIONS
The personal patterns Mr. Sample presently reflects in efforts to cope with stress and pressure in life are described in this section: Depending on the situation, how does he tend to react to emotionally charged events? What is he likely to do when faced with conflict or opposition on the part of others?

For the most part, Mr. Sample seems to be well-adjusted. He does not usually show signs of tension and worry. He usually strives to take most situations in stride and to manage them in a balanced and adaptive way. He rarely allows his emotional reactions to get in the way of what he does or tries to do in situations and relationships. He seems to be quite casual in the way he reacts to some circumstances and situations. However, when situations call for a good deal of self-control, he may tend to follow his own urges and feelings, rather than consciously restraining himself in what he does. At the present time, he presents himself as a person who is relaxed and composed. He does not seem to be worried or frustrated. As a result, he probably does not really wish to change himself in any major way. He may come across to some people, though, as being too complacent and self-accepting. Generally, when Mr. Sample is faced with conflict or disagreement from others, he likes to look at all the facts and then usually tries to work out the best solution possible to the problem.

INTERPERSONAL INTERACTION STYLES
This section covers Mr. Sample's styles for relating and communicating with others: How does Mr. Sample usually react in dealing with others? What are his major sources of gratification and satisfaction when building relationships with others?

On the whole, Mr. Sample tends to give about equal amounts of time and attention to the relationship between himself and others. But, he also tends to value some alone time on occasion. Although Mr. Sample may become somewhat concerned when he finds himself in situations that require a lot of personal contact with others, he usually tries to look on the bright side of things. As a consequence, he is able to recover from his concerns with a fairly positive outlook on his part. He usually feels best about what he does when he is being really helpful to others in some way. He seems to have concern for people who may need assistance and support from him. He likes to put forth a feeling of warmth when interacting with others. Mr. Sample is generally quite at ease when approaching and talking with people in most social gatherings. Mr. Sample is usually quite forward when meeting and talking with others. Mr. Sample may sometimes want to get others to do something so much that he may try too hard, and as a result, he could run the risk of coming across as overly pushy and demanding in such instances.

Mr. Sample is normally inclined to state his desires and opinions clearly and quite forcefully. He likes to have things his way most of the time and prefers freedom from other people's influence. Although Mr. Sample usually likes to be free from other people's influence, he can usually adjust his manner, and can be thoughtful of most people's concerns or needs when it is important to do so. He tends to feel closest to people who are competitive and who understand the importance of being in firm control of their lives and what they do to reach their goals. Sometimes, Mr. Sample may be in such a hurry to get things done that he may forget how others may be affected by his actions and how others may feel about matters that are important to them. Mr. Sample may be quite personally guarded when relating to some people. For the most part, he tries to be accepting of people since he tends to be trusting and accepting of himself and what he does in life. Mr. Sample tends to gain his greatest satisfaction in life from being involved in activities that have chances for personal achievement while competing with others. When things are going well between himself and others, he likes to have influence over other people as he faces and meets difficult challenges.

ORGANIZATIONAL ROLE AND WORK-SETTING PREFERENCES
This section describes Mr. Sample's unique style for fulfilling leadership/subordinate roles in organizational settings and his work-setting preferences: What leadership style does he call upon when working with others? How do others react to him? In what type of organizational setting and environment does he feel most comfortable and productive?

Mr. Sample tends to be seen as a leader by most people. He usually responds well when requested to take on a leadership role with them. He likes to be in charge of activities, especially with a group of friends or co-workers. He usually feels comfortable in situations that require him to provide direction over others. He enjoys taking charge and initiating action to get things accomplished. His group members, too, are likely to respond favorably to his leadership patterns. If he were to take on a leadership role, he would probably strive to administer duties by focusing attention on the conditions that foster or hinder performance of subordinates rather than on personnel problems. Being solution-seeking, he would strive to remove personality and power struggles from the work situation. Mr. Sample generally prefers to build feelings of mutual respect and interdependence among people. He likes to share with others whatever power may be necessary to accomplish the work at hand. He appears to value objective working relationships between superiors and subordinates. Mr. Sample appears to want to be a source of objective criticism and feedback to others. He also likes to be part of work settings where responsibility, power and accountability are shared with others. He is overly careful, at times, about keeping personal matters private. He is rather independent-minded and self-reliant. He is apt to question established and traditional ways for doing things.

Mr. Sample generally feels at his best doing things that require dependability and rather precise attention to what is done. He likes to work within a rather structured framework where what is expected and how it will be done are fairly well spelled out. He is likely to enjoy the day-to-day operational details involved in running various aspects of a business endeavor. He appears to gain satisfaction at work when he can set up activities in an intelligent and thoughtful way. He seems to work best in situations where there is clear authority and he can rely on himself.

CAREER ACTIVITY INTERESTS
Career activity interests are an important part of Mr. Sample's personal strengths and his general personality orientation. The purpose of this section is to provide information which may either support his present career choices or assist him to explore, consider, and plan for
another career/avocational direction.

The career activity interests presented in this section, however, should not be treated as recommended career/avocational choices. Some may not appeal to him. Others may not relate well to his training, experience or expressed interests. Since these interest patterns are derived from one set of test scores and specific predictive research, a careful analysis by him and a trained professional may bring to mind other alternatives that may lead to even more appealing and meaningful life planning.

Career/Avocational Activity Interests
Mr. Sample's personal lifestyle patterns suggest he is similar to persons who are likely to enjoy activity interests that entail:

• Influencing: Convincing, directing or persuading others to attain organizational goals and/or economic gain -- activity characteristic of persons who find satisfaction working on the sales, marketing, and management aspects of business, or in the professions of consulting, law and politics. They usually enjoy having the opportunity to exercise control over matters important to them, like to have some degree of influence over people, and to work in situations where they can make decisions and persuade others to their viewpoints in efforts to get things accomplished.

However, Mr. Sample's personal lifestyle patterns also suggest he has some similarity to persons who are likely to enjoy activity interests that entail:

• Organizing: Initiating procedures, managing projects and directly supervising the work of others -- activity characteristic of that performed by people who enjoy working in situations whereby they can handle the details of organizational productivity, data systems, and accuracy of information processing. They usually find satisfaction solving day-to-day problems to bring orderliness to situations, planning budgets and cash flow, and handling investments.
• Helping: Solving problems through discussions with others, and encouraging relationships between people so as to help and develop others to live a full, satisfying life -- activity characteristic of persons who find satisfaction working in the health care, religious, social service, or educational professions. They usually enjoy working in groups, sharing responsibilities, and opportunities whereby they can be helpful, nurturing and caring for others, especially if people require some sort of assistance, training or education.

Career Field and Occupational Interests
The career fields and occupations presented in this section are those found to be related to Mr. Sample's broad activity interests. Again, these interest patterns are derived from test scores and predictive research. Consequently, they should not be treated as recommended career choices. Some may not appeal to him. Others may not relate well to his training, experience or expressed interests. Counseling with a trained professional, therefore, may bring to light even more choices for consideration and meaningful life planning.

Career fields directly related to Mr. Sample's unique activity interests are:

• Sales, Advertising/Marketing, Public Speaking, Management, Counseling, Law/Politics, Supervision, Teaching.

Occupations directly related to Mr. Sample's unique activity interests are:

• Corporate Trainer, Financial Planner, Human Resources Director, Marketing Director, Realtor, Hotel Manager, Manufacturer's Representative, School Administrator, Advertising Executive, Public Relations Director, Insurance Agent, Elected Public Official, Bank Manager, Retail Store Manager, CEO/President, Attorney, Media Executive, Social Science Teacher, Community Service Director, School Superintendent, High School Counselor, Buyer, Investment Manager, Credit Manager, Guidance Counselor.

In addition, Mr. Sample's personal lifestyle patterns suggest he is also similar to persons who express interest for the following occupation(s):

• Police Officer, Translator/Interpreter.

In summary, the career field and occupational information presented above is based on an analysis of Mr. Sample's general personality patterns. So, the career information provided is not meant to be exhaustive, nor is it meant to suggest career choices for which he may or may not have proven abilities, skills, expressed interests, or experience and training. Within the broad world of work, there are many, many more career fields and occupations which could be identified and considered by him. Rather, the career information provided herein is limited by the research basic to this report.

PERSONAL CAREER LIFESTYLE EFFECTIVENESS CONSIDERATIONS
The final section of Mr. Sample's report covers a summary of his broad personal patterns: What are the characteristics of Mr. Sample's basic lifestyle patterns? To which of his behavioral patterns could he give most attention in efforts to achieve greater interpersonal and work-related performance effectiveness?

Mr. Sample's lifestyle is typical of people who value independence and self-directedness. He generally prefers to have control over his personal and work-related situations coupled with a tendency to be actively and forcefully self-determined in his thinking and actions. He likes to be in charge of projects, and to accomplish things by being as solution-seeking as possible and to work in a business-like manner. He seldom needs to be shielded from the truth so that subordinates are able to communicate easily and directly with him. He generally feels most satisfaction in life when he can follow his own interests without having to accept direction or help from others. Mr. Sample might very well feel most comfortable and able to experience the greatest degree of satisfaction if he is involved in work that must be carried out in an organized and orderly setting.

Mr. Sample would most likely function with greater personal effectiveness, both on-the-job and in other personal-career situations, if he would try to be aware of and work consciously to guard against the impact of:

• his tendency to sometimes overlook the need to give enough thought to himself or to take enough time for quiet, deep thinking about things that are important to him;
• the tendency to make spur-of-the-moment decisions, rather than giving enough thoughtful consideration of future consequences of such actions;
• the tendency to enjoy risk-taking and being involved in adventurous activities, especially when a more cautious approach could be taken to what is being done;
• tendencies to become overly impatient when confronted with what he may view as possible roadblocks to doing things valued by him as being important;
• taking on assignments in such an expedient way that he could overlook critically important details that require thoughtful deliberation and planning;
• turning away from others when he feels the need to act independently, especially when it is really not necessary to do so;
• doing or saying things that others may view or interpret as being unnecessarily direct;
• striving to be so self-sufficient that he may overlook the need to rely on others for assistance when it may be important to do so;
• tendencies to be less prepared and organized than he could strive to be because he may not be aware of his need to build more effective work habits than he seems to have at this time;
• urges to change from one career field or job to another, or to not stay with one organization long enough to feel as if he belongs there;

and in addition,

• taking on activities or assignments that involve ordinary, routine tasks without much creative thought or tasks that may not fully challenge Mr. Sample's intelligence or curiosity.

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