“How do you find yours?” That is the guiding question behind the Johnson O’Connor Research Foundation. It is an organization dedicated to helping people discover their natural talents. The Johnson O’Connor Research Foundation has been around since 1922. It all started with Johnson O’Connor’s work at General Electric. He wanted to boost efficiency and cut costs. O’Connor believed that people in roles suited to their abilities would be more productive.
Johnson O’Connor and F.P. Cox analyzed various jobs. They sought to pinpoint the natural abilities needed for each. One of the first jobs they looked at was that of meter assemblers. They designed a dexterity test. It is still used today. Nearly all of General Electric’s 3000 employees volunteered to participate. From that single test, the Johnson O’Connor Research Foundation was born.
Their perspective slowly shifted as they developed tests. O’Connor and Cox started considering individuals first. They became more interested in placing people in jobs that fit their abilities. Soon, employees wanted their children tested. They felt students could benefit from understanding their aptitudes. O’Connor struggled to keep up with demand.
He began testing in his free time. He considered establishing a testing center. The first office, called the Human Engineering Laboratory, opened in Boston’s Back Bay in 1938. Another center soon followed in Chicago. It was in conjunction with what is now the Illinois Institute of Technology. In 1939, the Johnson O’Connor Research Foundation was incorporated. It became a nonprofit educational and scientific organization. Since then, it has helped countless people understand their natural abilities. They have used this information to guide their education and career choices.
The Foundation now has eleven offices across the United States. It also has a Research Department in Chicago. The Johnson O’Connor Research Foundation offers comprehensive career aptitude testing. It provides objective data about a person’s natural talents. Unlike personality tests, aptitude testing uses interactive tasks. These tasks reveal how your mind naturally works. Aptitudes are relatively stable over time. This means that your natural talents will not change. Aptitude test results can be used throughout life.
Clients spend about six hours with dedicated staff. They engage in various assessments. These assessments challenge different aspects of their mind. Testing can be done in one day or over two half-days. Trained administrators administer half of the tests individually. The other half are audiovisual tests. Most assessments feel like hands-on puzzles or games. No preparation is needed. There are no good or bad scores. Everyone has a unique combination of aptitudes.
The Johnson O’Connor Research Foundation measures 21 different aptitudes. These range from reasoning and ideating to dexterity and physical drive. Clients also complete a career interest survey and a vocabulary test. Trained consultants explain each person’s unique combination of scores. They make career and college major recommendations. Clients receive a detailed written report. It includes information about their aptitudes and career suggestions.
The Johnson O’Connor Research Foundation helps people gain confidence. It provides certainty as they navigate education and career paths. Clients stay in their chosen major at higher rates. Clients whose careers match their aptitudes report higher job satisfaction. The Johnson O’Connor Research Foundation helps people discover their innate potential. It guides them towards careers that suit how their minds work naturally.