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Our Standards · Career Guidance

What we use, what we refuse to use, and why.

Career guidance shapes a young person's next ten years. Families deserve to know what a counsellor is basing advice on. This page sets out our methods, the popular tests we refuse to use, and how we protect your child's information.

വിരലടയാള പരിശോധനയില്ല. ലേബലുകളില്ല. വാഗ്ദാനങ്ങളില്ല. തെളിവുകളുടെ അടിസ്ഥാനത്തിലുള്ള കരിയർ മാർഗനിർദേശം മാത്രം.

The short version

What we use

  • Interest inventories (Holland RIASEC) used to open options, never as a verdict.Interest fit predicts performance and persistence (Nye et al., 2012).
  • Work-style and study-habit insight (Big Five)Conscientiousness is the strongest non-cognitive predictor of performance (Wilmot & Ones, 2019).
  • Aptitude and reasoning evidence from objective tests and existing scores, not self-rating alone.Reasoning ability remains a substantial predictor (Sackett et al., 2022).
  • Values, family circumstances and the job market: the other three of our Six Windows.Values clarification and decision-making skills add to the effect of guidance (Whiston et al., 2017).
  • Written plans, personal interpretation and follow-upGuidance that combines several of these ingredients works far better than a single test (Brown & Ryan Krane, 2000).

What we refuse to use

  • DMIT or any fingerprint-based "talent" testThe Indian Psychiatric Society denounced DMIT in 2019 as not based on scientific evidence.
  • "Learning style" labels (visual, auditory, kinaesthetic) to steer subjects or careersA major review found no adequate evidence for matching teaching to styles (Pashler et al., 2008).
  • MBTI-type verdicts such as "your type should be an engineer"The Myers & Briggs Foundation says results should never be used to limit anyone.
  • Accuracy percentages and guaranteed outcomesNo one can promise an admission, a job or a rank. We never will.
  • Undisclosed commissionsIf we ever receive a fee from a college or agency, we tell you in writing before you decide.

How our guidance works

Research on career guidance is clear: repeated, structured sessions with personal interpretation and real-world contact work better than a one-off test report.

1 · Intake and assessmentInterests, work style, reasoning, values, family circumstances and the job market: the Six Windows.
2 · Interpretation and planResults explained one to one, a values and decision-skills session, and a written plan with a backup and dates.
3 · Review at 6–8 weeksWe check what the student has found out and adjust the plan.
Follow-up at 3, 6 and 12 monthsShort check-ins tied to the plan's deadlines.
Real people, real placesTalks by working professionals and, for school groups, supervised job-shadow visits with parental consent.
Parents as partnersWe coach support, not pressure: research links parental support to more confident decisions.

We measure our own results. Students complete a short Career Clarity Check at the start and again after 6–8 weeks, and we will publish the anonymised before-and-after figures, clearly labelled as early data.

Our privacy promise for students under 18

We follow the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023 and the DPDP Rules, 2025. In plain words:

Parental consent first. We record verifiable consent from a parent or guardian before assessing or counselling anyone under 18.
Separate choices. Assessment, counselling notes, follow-up messages and photos or testimonials each need their own "yes". A blank box means no.
No advertising to children. We never use a child's data for advertising, tracking or retargeting, on any platform.
Collect less, keep less. Raw test answers are deleted after two years. We never collect fingerprints, Aadhaar numbers or bank details.
Limited access. Only the counsellor and supervising staff see a student's file. We do not share individual results with a school without the parent's permission.
Your rights. You can see, correct or withdraw your consent at any time. Write to vedatopper@gmail.com or WhatsApp 98468 87225.

We also follow the ethical guidelines of the International Association for Educational and Vocational Guidance (IAEVG, revised 2025): explain methods and the limits of confidentiality, disclose conflicts of interest, use validated tools, and keep a human in charge of any AI tool.

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