By Chantelle Gradidge

When Annuschka Verster began her studies in Psychology, her initial intention was to become an Industrial Psychologist, but during her internship, she realised that she enjoyed working with people and carrying out assessments, and writing up reports on aspects such as personality, aptitude and interests of individuals.

“I began my career working for a company that specialised in assess-ments and organisational develop-ment, but we mainly performed assessments for government departments. I decided that I wanted more variety in my job, so I made up my mind to go on my own. I now have different clients and work in different areas, which makes my job more interesting and exciting, and, therefore, more fulfilling,” she says.

“If you work for a company, you can expect to start off with a salary of some R10 000 to R12 000 per month. If you work for yourself, you can obviously earn more, but it can be a challenge, considering that you are not certain of your income every month. Then again, if you work hard, it shouldn’t be a problem. Working for yourself does come with some stress, but I still believe that working independently is the way to go in this career,” says Annuschka. Psychometrists who work for themselves generally charge between R220 and R250 per hour.

Responsibilities in this field vary considerably – from assisting with career guidance and planning for university or high school students, to testing people in a working environment in various organisations, for development purposes.

Assessments involve testing individuals to obtain information for subject choices for Grade 10 learners; career guidance for Grade 12 learners; job selection purposes; surveys on performance, personality, aptitude and interests; tests for emotional stability; as well as tests for personal development, such as identifying an individual’s strengths and weaknesses.

“The pros are that one can make this job very flexible, and that one gets to work in different areas and different environments, carrying out different tests or assessments for different companies

or individuals. The cons are that reports can take time to write and often involve working at night, and if you can’t say ‘no’ to clients and try to accommodate everyone, this can cause a lot of work and a lot of stress!” she says wryly.

You will need to achieve an Honours degree in Psychology or Industrial Psychology. You then need to complete a board exam with the Health Professions Council, in which you must achieve at least 70% and do a six-month internship.

You need to be an outgoing person, flexible and willing to adapt to different situations, and want to work closely with people.

“An average day usually starts off with taking phone calls from clients wanting to make appointments – I always try to accommodate everyone, so this sometimes takes a lot or rescheduling and working around people. I then try to beat the traffic to get to my clients on time – as with most South Africans, especially in Gauteng! The assessment usually begins with giving the individual a breakdown of the process and an explanation of the reasons for psychometrical testing – such as identifying strengths and weaknesses as part of an interview for job selection. Job interview assessments often involve giving specific scenarios and asking the individual to solve problems that could arise in a specific scenario. Once all the assessments have been completed, I head back home, mark and score the assessments, gather all the necessary information, and compile or write the reports.”

“The best thing, according to me, is the flexibility and variability of the job.”

“In my case, the worst thing must be trying to accommodate everyone and not being able to say ‘no’!”

Annuschka’s word of advice is: “I know it can be really difficult to study and I know some people find it extremely hard to get motivated, but hold on and keep pushing yourself – it will be worth it in the end. And if you don’t make it first time around, don’t give up! Keep trying – you will eventually achieve what you have set out to do and get to where you want to be.”