Frequently Asked Questions

I'm perfectly happy in my job, does that make Birkman Express irrelevant to me?

noreply@blogger.com (jon) — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 10:42:00 +0000

Not really. "Helping people who aren't in quite the right job identify why that is" is definitely one of Birkman's strengths, but that doesn't exclude people who are already in the right job. Far from it: it is better to invest in improving what you can already do well than to focus on what you can't do. By the same token, the person who is already in the right job can benefit a great deal from understanding why that is such a good fit. Understanding that means you can focus your personal development on those areas of existing strength, and aim to do more of what you were born to do and be.

Does the Job Family section of the report simply repeat back to me what I said in the Questionnaire?

noreply@blogger.com (jon) — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 14:43:00 +0000

No. Next question?

...oh, sorry, you want more detail on that. Although the Questionnaire does indeed ask questions about job preferences, there is no direct connection between those answers and what appears in the report. The Job Families section of the report is based on matching the whole of your Birkman profile (several dozen independently measured "scales") against twenty-four reference samples of around 3,500 individuals each. The individuals in each sample are known to have a) success and b) tenure in those specific job families. So far from simply reflecting something you already said, this is definitely telling you something you didn't previously know: namely, who you most resemble in these 24 categories.

Powerful stuff.

In the DVD you say we shouldn't base our treatment of others on how we would like to be treated. Aren't you contradicting "the Golden Rule"?

noreply@blogger.com (jon) — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 12:47:00 +0000

The "Golden Rule" is the popular version of what Jesus says in Matthew's Gospel (Chapter 7, verse 12):

Therefore, whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets

Or more popularly, "do unto others as you would have them do to you."

Now it may seem as if we are suggesting that this isn't so. We say on the DVD something to the effect that "treating other people based on how we would like to be treated can often annoy or upset them". But reflect for a moment.

Jesus is talking about "do WHAT". Are you going to do things which do good to, build up, encourage others; or are you going to do things which do evil to, tear down, discourage others? Here's the test - what would you prefer that they did to you? Personally, I absolutely agree with what Jesus says. I would rather people did positive things to and for me, and will try to do likewise.

On the Birkman Express DVD we are talking not about "do WHAT" so much as "do HOW". "Do WHAT" tells me that if I have a problem with another person, I need to talk to them about it. "Do HOW" says that just because I prefer to get that kind of communication in a plain and unvarnished form, that doesn't mean that they share that preference. So I need to be sensitive to HOW they need to receive communication, not just assume that what I would prefer will also work for them. But that is what we are talking about the HOW of your communication and interactions, not the WHAT.

Do I need to complete a Questionnaire before attending a Birkman Workshop?

noreply@blogger.com (jon) — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 13:16:00 +0000

Yes! Please don't attend a Birkman Workshop before you have completed your Questionnaire. It won't particularly help you with the Questionnaire, it is just likely to confuse you, because you will be trying to see how what goes on in the Workshop relates to the questions you are being asked.

Remember - this isn't an exam, with "right" and "wrong" answers or "good" and "bad" scores - it is a tool to help you understand yourself and those around you better.

Is Birkman a skills inventory?

noreply@blogger.com (jon) — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 08:10:00 +0000

No - the online questionnaire can't tell whether you have acquired certain skills or not. Instead it looks at how you are wired with regard to what motivates you, what you think is important in behaviour and communication, what is likely to stress you and so on. Based on a huge reference sample, it then compares your profile to those of people known to be successful in certain fields. Birkman is never saying "you have the skills to be a top lawyer" - but it could be saying "if you wanted to apply yourself to acquire the skills, you certainly look like you have all other characteristics of a successful lawyer" - or whatever it is. And when you think about it, acquiring a skill is usually the easy part of the equation - skills you can train in.

If Birkman® Express is Birkman "lite", is it worth having?

noreply@blogger.com (jon) — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 10:28:00 +0000

Emphatically, yes!

Birkman Express doesn't give you all the fine-grained detail available in the full version - but what it does give you is a) still way more powerful and detailed than any other tool of this kind and b) is enough to understand a great deal about what motivates, supports and stresses you. By way of illustration, the team performance work that Elaura does with corporate and public sector clients usually begins with exactly the same data that is available through Birkman Express, and only moves on to the more detailed data when very specific performance issues are being addressed.

I have been asked to do the Birkman Questionnaire as part of a job application, but I already have done Birkman® Express.

noreply@blogger.com (jon) — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 11:40:00 +0000

Unless you did the Birkman questionnaire while a teenager, it is far better to use your existing Birkman profile. Give your prospective employer your unique Birkman code (usually in the form Gxxxxx where x is any digit or letter) and they can then arrange for Birkman to upgrade your profile to the full professional version. You will be asked to sign a release form, but there is no need to retake the Questionnaire unless the employer insists on it. (Ask them to contact Jon Mason at Elaura for advice if they are unsure).

How often do I need to take the test?

noreply@blogger.com (jon) — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 11:37:00 +0000

Simple answer - once only. (Only exception is if you complete the Questionnaire when you are aged 13-21, it may be worth taking it again when you are 25+). From 25 y.o. onwards, Birkman profiles have very high stability, even out beyond 20 years from date of first completion.

How old does a person have to be to use Birkman® Express?

noreply@blogger.com (jon) — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 11:33:00 +0000

Birkman International do not permit people under 13 years of age to complete the Birkman Questionnaire. You should also be aware that we expect some change in a person's profile during the years 13-25. However, this change is more usually a matter of degree - some scores become stronger or weaker - rather than of changing from "one of these" to "one of those".