Getting Started
Profile Professional 2004 is a program that will assist you in the process of identifying occupational alternatives that are consistent with one or more sets of objectively defined, vocationally relevant client attributes. Client attributes in this sense are comprised of National Occupation Classification Career Handbook (NOC CH) Descriptors and Labels that Profile implements as Search Filters. Upon selecting a profile of Search Filters (aptitudes, interests, etc.) that describe a client's attributes, you can then quickly search the electronic NOC CH database to find occupation titles that closely match that profile. Your search can be applied against the entire NOC CH database, or you can choose to restrict the scope of the search to specific occupational groupings organized by Skill Level or Skill Type.
Profile uses an electronic version of the NOC CH database that contains 923 Unit Group occupation titles, each of which is uniquely identified by a five-digit code number. Please refer to the Help section entitled 'HRDC Career Handbook Overview' for a more detailed explanation of the NOC taxonomy. You are also encouraged to work through the NOC Training Tutorial provided in the Profile Professional 2004\HelpFiles\pdf folder. That folder also contains a chart summarizing all NOC CH Descriptors and Labels. You will need to have Acrobat Reader installed on your computer to view/print these files.
Profile's electronic NOC CH database has been enhanced to include the most recent release of Job Futures average hourly Wage figures and Employment Prospect ratings for most occupation titles. Consequently, you can also incorporate wage and labour market data within a Search Filter profile.
Most Profile Search Filter dialogs have a Help button that allows you to access directions on how to use that Search Filter. These dialogs also contain a Details button that reveals a definition of that Search Filter.
While users of the Professional release of Profile will be most interested in its powerful database comparison search capabilities, Profile also contains useful NOC CH look-up functions. For example, you can use the text-based Quick Search function in either Unit Group or Job Title display modes to find a specific occupation, and then view a detailed report that describes all NOC CH Descriptors and Labels for that title. You can also use Keywords to search through the Lead Statement and Main Characteristics paragraphs associated with Unit Group titles to find specific titles. NOC CH contents can be displayed by all Unit Groups or Job Titles, or by a specific Skill Level or Skill Type.
Profile operates in three Modes, including:
Most often, you will want Profile to generate and print a comprehensive report that presents a summary of the Search Filters used in the comparison search, a listing of all selected occupation titles, and if used, interpretation narratives of the Canadian Work Preference Inventory (CWPI) and GATB scores. What follows is a basic overview of the steps to follow in preparing a Standard Mode final report. Instructions governing use of the C-TSA Mode are provided in the Help section Using the C-TSA Mode.
Steps To Follow:
1. Creating a new Client File
Under the File Menu, click New. In the Client Demographics dialog that appears, type the information in the fields using the Tab key to move to the next field. You must type a Last Name entry. Completing the remainder of the fields is optional, but may prove helpful when you want to view, sort, and print a listing of your client files using the Library menu. After you have finished entering the demographic information, click the OK button. A message box will then appear asking you to confirm that all of the information you have entered is correct. Please ensure that all client demographic information has been entered correctly because you cannot change it once the client file has been saved to disk. After you have verified the input, a Save File dialog will appear. The name of your client file will default to the client's last name unless you choose to type another file name. Do not enter a file name extension. Profile will automatically add the extension '.xcf' to the file and save the file in the \Reports folder once you click the Save button. Saving a new client file will consume one Licence File usage. You can exit Profile at any time and later re-open your Client File for further processing under the same Licence usage. Profile will automatically save any Search Filters you have invoked, as well as all settings and selected occupation titles upon exiting the program, or upon closing a session, or upon opening another Client File.
2. Add Search Filters
In both Standard and C-TSA operating modes, Search Filters can be selected or modified in two equivalent ways. You can use the Search Filter menu at the top of the screen, or you can directly click an underlined Search Filter label in the pane on the left side of the screen. For example, to enter GATB raw scores using the top menu, click Search Filters/Aptitudes/Enter GATB Raw Scores. Alternatively, you can click on the underlined Aptitudes label.
Once you click a Search Filter, its Search Filter Dialog will appear on the screen. Most dialogs have a Help button that you can use to access directions specific to the use of that Search Filter.
Search Filter action is controlled by its associated Check Box. After you have selected a Search Filter and its properties, the Check Box to the left of each Search Filter label will contain a check indicating that the Search Filter will be activated while conducting a comparison search of the NOC CH database. To deactivate a previously selected Search Filter during the comparison search, click the Check Box to clear it. To reactivate that Search Filter, click on its Check Box again.
3. Conduct a comparison search
After you have selected all Search Filters that are to participate in the comparison search, simply click the Start Search button. A message box will appear, informing you that the comparison search will be performed against the entire NOC CH database. Upon closing the message box, all Unit Group occupation titles matching the Search Filter profile will be displayed in the grid.
To restrict the scope of the NOC CH comparison search to a specific Skill Level or Skill Type:
If you click No in the message box, the comparison search will operate against the entire NOC CH database.
The comparison search can be repeated any number of times using different combinations of Search Filters to arrive at one or more listings of occupation titles that best suit your needs. For example, if the Search Filter profile you create contains Aptitudes and Interests, you can search using both Filters, view the selected occupation titles, print the listing if you wish, and then run another comparison search with Interests deactivated. Often, this will produce a larger number of selected occupation titles.
4. Print report(s)
Both Standard and C-TSA modes offer five report sections. You can print directly to the default printer by clicking the File menu, and then choose a report printing option associated with either the Print Standard Mode Reports menu item, or the Print C-TSA Mode Reports menu item (assuming that you have used both modes). A Print Dialog will appear, and you can change the printing destination as required. If you change the printing destination, this step must be repeated for each report section you print.
All report sections can be previewed on the screen before you print. To do this, click a report section to preview under either the Standard Mode Report Previews menu, or the C-TSA Mode Report Previews menu. While previewing a report section, you can also print it by clicking the Printer Icon at the top of the preview screen. If you want to export that report section to an Adobe pdf file, a Microsoft Excel file, a Word document, or a Rich Text Format (RTF) document, click on the Envelope Icon at the top of the screen.
Before using Profile to generate a report for professional use, it is strongly recommended that you review the Help section Understanding the Comparison Search.