Career Counselor
Amidst the terrible recession, your company sends out a memo to all employees that they will be laying off 15% of the working staff in 2 weeks. Surprised, you start to worry about your job security, and begin to lose sleep and focus at your work place. Your co-worker and friend notices this change in your behavior and recommends that you see a career counselor for career counseling.
If you are struggling with career issues, there may be an answer for you. Career counseling is a type of traditional counseling that focuses on issues dealing with the career. It focuses on issues such as possible career choices, career change, and the development of your own personal career.
Career counselors are professionals who usually have a background in psychology. Through interviews, interest inventories, ability tests, and tests that assess personality, these career counselors can help you through the stress of possibly being laid-off. Additionally, career counseling may help you, as a working professional, find other, possibly better, options for your career.
The career counselor may help you assess your interests, skills, personality tendencies, and values to better help you understand and explore your career options. For those still in school, career counseling may refer to a high school’s guidance counselor, or a student dean. Finding the right major or career opportunities during schooling can jump start your career, and a career counseling can help point you in the right direction by helping you understand yourself better.
So when do you know when to delve into career counseling, or if it is even the right answer for you? There are many different factors that can make career counseling more or less effective for each person. The rest of this article will highlight several tips to help you understand how career counseling may help you:
- Are you about to have a career breakdown? Visiting a career counselor before your career breaks down may save you plenty of headache and financial troubles. Career counseling can help you get into a situation where you are happy with your employment, fulfilling your dreams, and enjoying work every day.
- In reality, career counselors are still human beings. They can not answer questions such as “what job should I apply for?” Instead, career counselors will help you answer questions such as “what job might I be good at?” or “what job would I enjoy?” Learning about yourself will help you develop, commit to, and implement an action-oriented plan for your career.
- If you have already been let go, a career counselor can help you find a new job. He or she can help you conduct a smart career search. Career counselors are experts at helping you develop strategies, powerful resumes, and proper use of all available resources.
- In some states, career counseling does not require a license, so be careful. Do your best to find a counselor who has the designation of National Certified Career Counselor (NCCC).
Will Lee
Counselor Network Writer