With the myriad of choices available – and new career paths emerging all the time – our high school boys and girls face a daunting task in choosing the correct tertiary education option that is tailor-made for them, personally. Last year’s (2018) Michaelhouse head boy William Norton faced those same challenges and thanks to a unique career assessment tool, administered by Pivotal Talent, Will is now happily enjoying his first-year studies at the University of Cape Town. Michaelhouse will always be close to Will’s heart and this likeable young man has already made his mark.   Use KZN10 as your reference code in completing your Pivotal Talent online SubjectChoice (Grade 9s) or CareerGuide (Grade 10, 11 & 12) assessment. www.careerguidesolution.co.za   Let’s hear it from Will as to how his initial career-option path unfolded. KZN10.com’s Jono:  Will, in what grade were you at Michaelhouse when you did the Pivotal Talent CareerGuide assessment and what drew you to seek outside help in order to feel comfortable with the course of tertiary study to take?   Will: “Thank you for asking, sir. I was in Grade 12 [last year] and not 100% sure about what I was going to study at university. I needed some guidance and Pivotal Talent helped me realise that being myself and trusting my interests and strengths would lead me to making the right choice.” Jono: Will, given that you already had your school subject choices and were therefore focused on the Pivotal Talent CareerGuide assessment, if you had known at the relevant time (grade 9) that there was a Pivotal Talent SubjectChoice option as well, as to what subjects to take in grades 10, 11 and 12, would you have considered it? Will: “I definitely would have considered it – and used it -because of the personal insight it gives to your preferences. Subject choices are a tricky thing and during the course of high school I changed one of my subjects. I’m sure the Pivotal Talent SubjectChoice assessment would have helped me make a more informed decision the first time!”   Replace uncertainty with accuracy in directing your child’s full potential. Use KZN10 as your reference code in completing your Pivotal Talent online SubjectChoice (Grade 9s) or CareerGuide (Grade 10, 11 & 12) assessment. www.careerguidesolution.co.za   Jono: Will, as far as your experience of Pivotal Talent is concerned, were the following unique processes helpful: – that it is online and could complete from anywhere and on any device; – that you didn’t have to travel anywhere (i.e. you could do at home/school or over a weekend) and – that your report and findings were automatically generated and sent back to you immediately via e-mail? Will: “Yes, it made it accessible and took a lot of stress out of the situation because you could to do it in your own time, at your own pace with minimal pressure from anyone.”   Michaelhouse Senior Prefect 2018 William Norton stands on House’s beloved Meadows with his War Cry Leader Nzuzo Tshili. Will has fond memories of the House boys’ spirit and support, especially against Hilton College.   Jono: Will, as the 2018 Michaelhouse head boy and now 1st year University of Cape Town student, how important is it in this day and age to know that you are going into something that targets/leverages your core skills and competencies but also your interests and passions? Will: “I think it’s exactly what the whole of High School gears you up for. “I thankfully have fallen in love with my degree and I think it is largely thanks to the Pivotal Talent CareerGuide assessment” “I have begun to realise that studying something you enjoy is essential for your overall happiness. If you are interested in and passionate about your degree, it makes everything fall into place and it allows you to get the most out of your time at university.”

Jono: Will, how did Pivotal Talent assist you in taking the right option with respect to your university degree?

Will: “Well Pivotal Talent assisted me in discovering that I was passionate in learning about the softer skills, and dealing with people rather than the maths and science options.

“Pivotal Talent took into account my passions and skills, and furnished me with a considered report in double-quick time, which is now allowing me to enjoy every day at UCT!

“I almost fell into the trap of following the crowd and doing what everyone else was planning to do, but Pivotal Talent made me realise that being yourself and trusting in your own choices in responding to the questions is the most important part of finding your true career path.”

Use KZN10 as your reference code in completing your Pivotal Talent online SubjectChoice (Grade 9s) or CareerGuide (Grade 10, 11 & 12) assessment. www.careerguidesolution.co.za

Jono: Will, what attracted you to the Pivotal Talent CareerGuide method of pinning down the ideal tertiary study path for you – perhaps in contrast to the traditional psychometric methods?

Will: “The thought of being able to do it quickly and easily from wherever you were was something that appealed hugely to me.”

Jono: Will, I find that particular answer very interesting. It says to me that Pivotal Talent takes away the pain and angst of over-dwelling on what can develop into an extremely stressful situation, fraught with what could be costly long-term implications should the wrong decision be made.  Hence, one might say, the danger of “following the crowd” rather than forging your own, unique-to-you path?

Will: “Absolutely sir, Pivotal Talent pinpointed the right option for me and cleared up the uncertainty that faces many of us.”

FRIENDS for LIFE: Michaelhouse 2018 senior prefect Will Norton and the 2018 Michaelhouse 1st XV & 1st XI’s Liam England. School is definitely over!

Jono: Will, as you know Pivotal Talent CareerGuide is not only directed at Grade 12s. Would you recommend it to Grade 10s and 11s as well? In getting an early start on pinpointing where their core interests, skills and performance strengths should be steering them?

Will: “Sir, I would recommend it 100%. The earlier you can start grasping what you truly enjoy and what your passions are, the earlier you will be able to start developing those passions into a career path that sees you doing what you love.”

Chris Hardie, Will Norton (centre of image) & Michaelhouse mates at what looks like Inter-House Athletics Day 2018.

Jono: Will, you might know that Pivotal Talent is a proudly South African product. A powerful, web-based analytics tool intent on accurately & scientifically assisting individuals in predicting their core interests, skills and performance strengths relative to available and evolving career fields. Did you find it to be so?

Will: “Yes I did. It might seem contradictory, considering that it is completely online, but Pivotal Talent really does feel personal in the way that it paints a picture of who you are and where your passions, strengths and weaknesses lie. It seems to know you better than you know yourself!”

Jono: Will, I love that answer! Power to Pivotal Talent!

FRIENDS for LIFE: 2018 Michaelhouse first XI cricketers Will Norton (left) and Tom Trotter sharing the moment during their last match for the school, against Hilton College on Roy Gathorne Oval in Balgowan. Photo Martin Ashworth

Jono: So Will, is there anything else you would like to add, with regard to Pivotal Talent? Was it professional and efficient in taking you through the process and to the end result?

Will: “Sir, the entire process was professional and efficient, and at the same time I constantly felt that I was in control of the process. It was slick, and the end result was something that has helped me already – and I know it will continue to help me throughout the rest of my life!”

Jono: Will, coming from you, a young man whom I have got to know and like, a young man with proven integrity, I believe that through your words you have opened the doors for many more of our high school boys and girls to follow the Pivotal Talent SubjectChoice and CareerGuide assessment route.

KZN10 is the reference code in completing the Pivotal Talent online SubjectChoice (Grade 9) or CareerGuide (Grade 10, 11 & 12) assessment. Replace uncertainty with accuracy in marrying your high school child’s passions & strengths with a career path. www.careerguidesolution.co.za

Finally, if you will indulge me please Will – I know that you are a modest guy who prefers deflecting praise onto your peers – please list your school achievements, accolades and anything else of interest.

Will: “OK sir, if you insist, here goes…”

• Represented KZN Tennis for 7 years
• Selected as the KZN U19A Tennis Captain in 2018
• Selected for a School Exchange to Australia in 2016
• Senior Prefect of Michaelhouse
• Honours for Academics
• Honours for Tennis
• Colours for Cricket
• Achieved 5 Distinctions in Matric and was placed in the top 1% nationally for Economics and Life Orientation
• Own a business called NORTON&HARDIE
• Co-founded and ran the “Our House” social media presence
• Enjoy all ball sports
• Family and friends are extremely important to me
• Currently studying a B.Com PPE at The University of Cape Town

Men of House! Thomas Trotter and Will Norton enjoying a Varsity moment.

Jono: Phew! That is quite something. Will, once again, thank you for your time. I wish you all of the very best that life has to offer.

Will: “Thank you sir. Likewise.”

* Will was also the first KZN10 head boy from the 2018 year that Jono asked as to what he had learned from his position of leadership at Michaelhouse and what he would advise to the incoming House leadership group of 2019. Check out the link to that widely-read KZN10.com story.

https://kzn10.com/michaelhouse-senior-prefect-will-norton-reflects-on-the-year/

Also: Please read the quotes below to get an idea of the calibre of man that is Will Norton.

Stuart Orwin: “I look forward to seeing the path that Will Norton chooses and how many countless more lives he will have an impact on. No doubt he will cast his light far.”

Barry Haigh: “Will Norton remains one of the most altogether students that I’ve taught. He has always remained consistent and strives to give of his best. Will, everything of the very best for your future – I will be following it closely.”

Jono Cook: “The super-power that Will Norton has, is that he doesn’t have to try anything, do anything, in a group of people to stand out. He simply does – because he is so comfortable in being the William Norton he was always meant to be. Therein lies a lesson for us all.”

Will Norton and Pivotal Talent – leading the way…

“Pivotal”: of crucial importance in the development of success.

“Talent”: a natural aptitude, gift or skill.

KZN10.com introduces Will Hardie of Pivotal Talent:

Jono says, “Hi Will, I am so chuffed to discuss subject choice and career guidance options with you, as it is close to my heart, based on my history, as well as my having children who will shortly be faced with the challenges these crucial choices can have on their future in the workplace.”

Feature image: Maritzburg College Old Boy Joel Stransky and Michaelhouse Old Boy Will Hardie, Pivotal Talent business partners.

Jono continues, “I went the traditional psychometric testing route when I was in grade 9 and then again in grades 11 and 12.

“Unfortunately the results were so off the mark that it took 14 years in the ‘workplace wilderness’ before I stumbled – purely by chance, into sports journalism, an occupation I have happily been in for close on 25 years now.

“If only I had had the opportunity to go the Pivotal Talent route.”

Pivotal Talent’s Online SubjectChoice (Grade 9) & CareerGuide (Grades 10, 11 & 12) solutions replace uncertainty with accuracy in directing your children’s full potential. Check out www.careerguidesolution.co.za
Upon accessing the Pivotal Talent web link, KZN10 is your reference code in completing the assessment.

“So what is Pivotal Talent, did you devise it or is it a product that originates from elsewhere?

Michaelhouse Old Boy Will Hardie says, “Thanks very much for the opportunity Jono!

“Pivotal Talent is a proudly South African-based technology entity (part of the Pivotal Group of Companies) and is a powerful web-based analytics tool that accurately & scientifically helps individuals predict their core interests, skills and performance strengths relative to available and evolving career fields.

“The solution was founded and developed by Dr Juan Swartz to primarily help companies more accurately and intelligently recruit, develop and retain key staff in their organisation.

“However, as the solution evolved and matured, a further opportunity was identified to help students, sports professionals and individuals interested in a career change.

“From a Schools Focus perspective, and for the purposes of this discussion, Pivotal Talent offers SubjectChoice for Grade 9s and CareerGuide for Grade 10, 11 and 12s.”

Jono says, “Will, your Pivotal Talent business partner is Joel Stransky, one of the founding members of the Pivotal Technology Group AND the 1995 Rugby World Cup-winning Springbok flyhalf – I was sitting behind the posts when Joel snapped over that matchwinning drop-goal!

“Will, you were an accomplished loose forward in your days at Michaelhouse and then at Varsity. Joel was at Durban Varsity around the same time you were playing for Maritzburg Varsity; did you ever play in the same team or perhaps against each other?

Joel Stransky & Will Hardie are Pivotal Talent. KZN10 is your reference code in completing the SubjectChoice (Grade 9) or CareerChoice (Grades 10, 11 & 12) assessments at www.careerguidesolution.co.za

Will says, “Jono, I wish I had played in the same team as Joel! Unfortunately, that never materialised for me. However, I did play against Joel in my Michaelhouse grade 12 year (we got hammered) when he was at Maritzburg College and we may have crossed paths on the rugby field at Varsity.”

Jono says, “So Will, what was the unique motivation for you and Joel around Pivotal Talent?”

“Jono, we believe that Pivotal Talent is a world-first augmented intelligence (AI) analytics solution that goes well beyond the traditional aptitude & psychometric evaluation process and which very accurately helps to predict an individual’s full potential.

“It’s a carefully calibrated questionnaire that can scientifically and automatically match an individual’s interests and skill-set to suitable careers (and, in turn, also subject choices).

“In short, Pivotal Talent is a cost-effective and efficient online assessment that takes no more than 60 to 90 minutes to complete; is simple and very easy to follow and generates a highly detailed, individualised report instantaneously.

“As an aside, my 2 older children, currently studying at University, both completed their Pivotal Talent SubjectChoice and CareerGuide assessments at School and are now studying degrees that are 100% aligned to respective careers – as predicted originally by Pivotal Talent!”

Jono: “That happy situation would certainly take the weight off many parents’ shoulders, including a number of moms and dads that I know.

“So what makes Pivotal Talent a fresh option, when our high school boys and girls must make subject-choice or career-choice – and thereby tertiary studies – decisions?”

Pivotal Talent SubjectChoice (Grade 9) and CareerGuide (Grades 10, 11 and 12) takes the uncertainty out of choosing the right subjects for you.Upon accessing the Pivotal Talent web link  www.careerguidesolution.co.za and completing one of the assessments, please use the KZN10 reference code.

Will’s response: “Jono, we believe that the Pivotal Talent value proposition, namely SubjectChoice and CareerGuide, is a unique solution to what can be a daunting undertaking.

“Apart from the obvious ‘softer’ benefits of Pivotal Talent, such as convenience (can complete the online assessment anywhere in the world and on any device), being substantially more cost-effective and its instant reporting capability, the compelling differentiators we advocate are as follows:

“Unique algorithms for matching – Pivotal Talent uses complex and proprietary algorithms which scientifically match individuals based on the skills, characteristics, capabilities and faculties that predict performance to the unique tasks, performance criteria and success factors required in different careers.

“Scientific approach – Pivotal Talent is based on objective, validated research from top global institutions compiled from research into multiple fields over the last 60 years, and we use this information in our model to more accurately match individuals with the right career options.

“Automated – Pivotal Talent is an automated solution. Results are available immediately after completing an online questionnaire, and focus is provided to help individuals develop a plan of action that moves them towards a particular career path and ultimate employability.

“Multifaceted – The suitability of a career path is based on, 1) how the scholar measures against the key performance criteria in that career path, 2) the scholar’s interest in the tasks performed in the career path, and 3) the desirability of that career path, including elements such as opportunities.

Jono says, “Will, I found the 4 differentiators mentioned above particularly interesting… it makes a lot of sense. So with respect to the genesis of the Pivotal Talent model – did you and your team research and then align with international ‘best practice’ variants in establishing the necessary validity and reliability of the Pivotal Talent blueprint?”

Will: “First and foremost, our solution is theoretically valid, as it only draws on corroborated research from the top institutions globally. We ensure reliability and validity by only incorporating constructs that are supported through extensive quantitative research.

Replace uncertainty with accuracy in directing your child’s full potential. Use KZN10 as your reference code in completing your Pivotal Talent online SubjectChoice (Grade 9s) or CareerGuide (Grade 10, 11 & 12) assessment. www.careerguidesolution.co.za

“Our solution is corroborated by integrating constructs that have been found to be predictors of performance across different fields of study.

“These theoretical models are then validated by statistical analysis, whereby the model utility -and thus the predictive power of the model within the client’s environment – is tested to ensure precision and accuracy.

“Where construct validity is a theoretical concern, our model is based on constructs that have been theoretically postulated to have a causal link to performance.

“Accuracy and precision are our main proof points, as our solution is not a standardised assessment, but rather an analytical model that accurately and precisely predicts performance in a career.”

Jono: “Will, once again you have hit on a point that resonates with me, Accuracy and Precision, something sorely lacking in my case when it came to subject- and career-choice decisions during my schooldays.

“Will, is there anything else you would like to add?”

“The Pivotal Talent SubjectChoice and CareerGuide have been available to the South African market for 2 years now and have already seen a lot of interest and adoption across several provinces and multiple Schools. The feedback from Schools, scholars and parents has been incredibly positive on all fronts.”

Jono wraps it up: “Thanks for the chat, Will; I have personally found this to be one of the most interesting and rewarding interviews in my going-on 25 years in the media workspace. I have no doubt that Pivotal Talent will greatly assist Scholars to accurately predict subject choices and career choices – the 2 areas of uncertainty that plague our children and parents daily – and yet are both so crucial in plotting the way forward.”

Will’s response: “Thank you for the opportunity to share the exciting Pivotal Talent SubjectChoice and CareerGuide story with you Jono.  KZN10.com has a fantastic following thanks to your efforts, and Joel and I are hugely excited at the prospect of working with and adding value to your wonderful cause. All the best!”

Pivotal Talent SubjectChoice (Grade 9) and CareerGuide (Grades 10, 11 and 12) takes the uncertainty out of choosing the right subjects for you. Check out www.careerguidesolution.co.za
KZN10 is your reference code in completing your assessment.