IDAK Mid Career Advancement

Finding Your Calling in the Marketplace White Paper

Here is an insightful paper written by IDAK founder John Bradley, DHL, written especially for those desiring to have their passion make a meaningful difference in their world and culture.

Job Satisfaction Survey

Instantly measure your current job satisfaction in four vital areas: job values, job duties, work relationships and personal and professional growth.

Finding Your Calling in Ministry White Paper

Here’s an insightful paper written by IDAK founder John Bradley M.Div written especially for those desiring to have their faith make a meaningful impact in their world and culture. Download it for free.

Free Consultation

When it comes to the big decisions in life, it often helps to talk to an expert. If you’ve plateaued in your current position, experiencing burnout or just sensing that there could be more to your career or ministry service life, then give us a call at 800.245.1108.

One of our highly experienced counselors will give you 30 minutes of their time, at no charge, to listen to your special needs. You can schedule a phone or in-person session and get a glimpse of how life can be lived in your vocational sweet spot.

Job Hunting Tips

“HOW TO DO IT RIGHT”  highly helpful recommendations prepared by IDAK founder and President John Bradley.  Included also are “SEVEN CAUTIONS”.   If you are currently unemployed, here are seven things NOT to do … and a little bit more.  These tips have been tested and proven for more than 30 years in job hunting and career advancement counseling. They are available for you now. Download for free.

Online Talent Discovery Guide

Everyone has natural inherent talents and abilities. The IDAK Online Talent Discovery Guide is perhaps the most effective resource available to identify and evaluate your natural talents and match them to the ideal job positions. This service is a based upon the talent assessment approach described in IDAK founder, John Bradley’s ground-breaking book, Discovering Your Natural Talents.

The IDAK Online Talent Discovery Guide™ leads you through the highlights of your life to evaluate your most consistent patterns of natural talent behavior. This is a four-step self-assessment exercise which is valuable for personal awareness and as a tool for future career and volunteer service decisions. Plan to spend about 90 minutes performing this assessment.  (It can be completed in multiple sessions.)

IDAK Career Match™ Self-Administered Kit

Watch the Video

Your ideal career possibilities revealed. The IDAK Career Match is a computer scored assessment tool which evaluates your career interests and values along with your natural talents. The assessment results then are matched to over 90,000 career options including ministry service, business, industry, government agencies, military departments, education and nonprofit organizations. It even includes an Employer Search Guide to help connect you with career and employment opportunities in cities of your choice.

You receive two detailed printout spreadsheet reports along with an Employer Search Guide to help you locate organizations in your city which match the report results. (It takes approximately 6-8 hours for completion. Allow time to mail in answer booklet for computer scoring).

The printout reports list your aptitude results and list your top 10 recommended career matches. Your interpretation of your spread sheet reports is enhanced by an audio CD step-by-step guide to help you with the interpretation of your results. This tool does not include any counseling or advisement of your results by a counselor. This self service process is very valuable to help discover your full range of career possibilities, particularly at midlife and beyond. It is not recommended for individuals who are attempting to resolve a current job problem (such as stress, boredom or lack of advancement). It is also not recommended for unemployed individuals seeking a new direction for their job search. This self service can be upgraded to either Full Service Options: Mid-Career Advancement Assessment or IDAK Complete Job Search.

IDAK Mid-Career Advancement Assessment

Most individuals over 30 years of age have questions about maximizing their full potential at work as well as resolving job performance, stress or conflict issues.  For those at mid-life and near retirement, there are issues about making a difference, leaving a legacy, and finding a possible ministry service. To help clients better assess their full potential to make their lives more rewarding and impacting, IDAK approaches the assessment with the help of three proven approaches:

• The IDAK Career Match assessment exercises with a large inventory of over 90,000 job options with specific localized opportunities.
• Personality and temperament testing combined with an aptitude assessment interview.
• Personal, individualized counseling is provided over the phone or in our office in two, 90-minute sessions.

This service is helpful for anyone over the age of 25 and has been especially helpful to adults considering a mid-career change or more meaningful service or ministry involvement as they near retirement.

IDAK provides aptitude assessment of natural talents as part of career counseling, career coaching, career advisement and outplacement services. IDAK also provides character, temperament and talent assessment for employment screening, new hire screening and training for employment screening. IDAK assists non profits, closely held businesses, ministry service organizations to maximize individual productivity. IDAK assists colleges, universities and seminaries with student assessment to maximize student career focus, student retention, student placement and alumni relations.

IDAK Complete Job Search Service

This is IDAK’s most comprehensive counselor-guided service.  Each appointment is facilitated one-on-one by a certified counselor (office/phone).   It begins with our extensive Mid-Career Assessment Service. This is followed by eight consecutive weeks of job search coaching including resume preparation, interview training, development of employer contact list, tutoring for cold calling in setting appointments and negotiation offers.  Each appointment focuses on a separate topic which is led by a certified counselor.  Each topic is also supplemented with thorough instructions by use of audio CDs, self-administered exercises, role plays, example interviews and resume how-to’s. Service features include:

Step 1: – Finding Your Calling

(approximately 2 weeks)

In this first step, you receive testing to identify your innate skills, your interests, values, and personality traits. These supplement your education and work experience. You receive the 10 best career options from over 90,000 possibilities, finalized to the top three. This step is the same as the Mid-Career Advancement Assessment.

• IDAK Career Match™ system assessment.
• Autobiographical Interview™ assessment.
• Evaluation of assessment results
• Confirmation of assessment results.
• Coaching of spouse (if applicable)

Step 2: – Finding Your Job – Research

(Step Two – 8 weeks)

We coach you in researching your top recommended career options so that you can select your most preferred organization and job position. If you decide to make a career change, this research preparation is essential to validate your new direction. If you wish to continue in your present occupation, this portion will take less time. Weekly office/telephone sessions are supplemented by audio CD instructional training exercises.

• Research of “new” or unknown options.
• Evaluation of entrance requirements.
• Confirmation of best fit essentials.
• Analysis of industry growth and stability.

Step 3: – Finding Your Job – The Job Hunt

(Continuation of 8 weeks)

We instruct, coach and prepare a personalized job search campaign for your chosen career goal (city/state anywhere in the U.S.). Emphasis is on developing an in-depth search in a chosen career target as well as responding to publicly advertised vacancies. Your training will include two levels of instruction and coaching:  Basic and Advanced. Weekly office/telephone sessions are supplemented by audio CD instructional training exercises.

Basic Job Search Training:

• Competing for posted vacancies
• Developing your Employer Contact List
• Best sources for internet job leads
• Preparing for interview questions
• Getting past the secretary and screening committee
• Developing your resume
• Cold calling employers
• Tailoring your image to the job
• Job offers negotiating
• Networking skills
• Overcoming obstacles
• Assessment of your marketable skills
• Wardrobe recommendations

Advanced Job Search Training:

• Finding hidden, unadvertised jobs
• Developing employer contact lists
• Setting telephone appointments
• Evaluating growing companies
• Negotiating opportunities into offers
• Scanning news sources and internet for information
• Negotiating your offer
• Coaching your friends and acquaintances to give you leads
• Tailoring your image to the job
• Assessment of your marketable skills
• Wardrobe recommendation

IDAK Job Search Services

Some clients contact IDAK with a clear description of their career goal. They ask for help in their job search, how to be more competitive, how to find the hidden jobs. The IDAK Job Search is based upon the client’s individual needs and is facilitated through a one-on-one coaching and training experience. There are no group sessions. Each client receives take-home learning exercises and audio instructional CDs which complement the weekly office sessions. We have both four-week and eight-week instructional sessions.

We guide you to develop a personalized job search campaign for your chosen career target for the city/state of your choice (anywhere in the U.S.).   Emphasis is on developing an in-depth search in a chosen career target as well as responding to publicly advertised vacancies. Your training will include two levels of instruction:  Basic and Advanced.

Basic Job Search Training:

• Networking with friends and acquaintances
• Developing your Employer Contact List
• Best sources for internet job leads
• Responding to vacancy ads
• Preparing for interview questions
• Getting past the secretary and screening committee
• Developing your resume
• Cold calling employers
• Wardrobe analysis
• Job offer negotiating

Advanced Job Search Training:

• How to locate the hidden, unadvertised jobs
• Setting telephone appointments
• Evaluating growing companies
• Negotiating opportunities into offers
• Wardrobe analysis
• Scanning news sources and internet for information
• Coaching your friends and acquaintances to help you

Both the four-week and the eight-week service include the complete take home training materials. The eight-week version provides four additional weeks of service.