Clients will then turn to the category “I may choose” and arrange cards in
logical groups by their common elements. When all cards have been sorted,
clients will be asked to label each group and try to motivate the choice of the
respective occupations. Again the groups and labels will be written down.
In addition, clients will be requested to select the first 10 occupations in order
of preference and seek relationships, similarities and differences among
them. Each occupation can be examined in order to identify the aspects that
can facilitate or obstruct the attainment of career-related aims. Any other
occupation may be added and then ordered by preference and analysed, even
though it has not been included among the occupational cards.In case of self-administration, clients go through the stages described above individually,
with a series of supporting materials, and then discuss the results with the counsellor. For
instance, Slaney’s Vocational Card Sorting (SVCS – Slaney, 1978, 1983) offers three
important brochures to help with self-testing. The first brochure describes the technique
so that clients might run it on their own (“Directions for the Vocational Card Sorting”).
The second brochure offers information on the process of vocational exploration,
suggests occupational information sources and draws clients’ attention to the aspects they
might have in mind before meeting with the counsellor (“The Vocational Card Sorting –
Understanding Your Results”). The third brochure helps localize occupations (“The
Occupation Finder” ).
Card sorting is flexible enough as a technique to allow a series of variations in its
application. Counsellors may use their creativity and ingenuity to adapt the technique to
the specific problems and needs of their clients. For instance, occupation cards may be
sorted by several criteria:
a. how a client sorts at present compared to the way he or she did in high
school;
b. how mood interferes with sorting – whether the client is in a good or bad
mood;
c. in case of a physical handicap, clients can be instructed to sort ignoring the
handicap;
d. if there is a strong tendency for stereotypes, women may be asked to sort
cards the way a man would do;
e. if there is a strong family pressure a client may be prompted to sort
congruent to his or her parent’s choice.The alternatives of card sorting are also possible due to several existing versions of the
techniques. Of these, the following are most used.