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What is a career counselor? |
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What do career counselors do? |
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How can I find a career counselor? |
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What do career counseling clients have the right to expect? |
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What did American adults say about their careers in a recent
NCDA/NOICC Gallup Survey? |
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What are career inventories? |
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What is a career counselor?
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Career counselors hold a graduate degree in counseling
with a specialization in career counseling. Career counselors help
people make and carry out decisions and plans related to life/career
directions. They may be certified as a National Certified Counselor
by the National Board for Certified Counselors. |
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What do career counselors do?
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Strategies and techniques of professional
career counselors are tailored to the specific needs of the person
seeking help. It is likely that the career counselor will do one
or more of the following: |
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Conduct individual and/or group counseling
sessions to help clarify life/career goals.
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Administer and interpret tests and inventories
to assess abilities, interests, values, and/or skills and to identify
career options.
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Encourage exploratory activities through
assignments and planning experiences.
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Utilize career planning systems and occupational
information systems to help individuals better understand the world
of work.
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Provide opportunities for improving decision-making
skills.
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Assist in developing individualized career
plans.
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Teach job hunting strategies and skills
and assist in the development of resumes and cover letters.
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Assist in understanding the integration
of work and other life roles.
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Provide support for persons experiencing
job stress, job loss, and/or career transition.
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How can I find a career counselor?
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Use the telephone yellow pages or access
the counselor’s website. Check under career counseling. As
you scan names, check to see if they describe their credentials
in the yellow page ad. When you call, ask these types of questions: |
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Are you a National Certified Counselor?
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What type of graduate degree do you hold?
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Is licensure required to practice career counseling
in this state?
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Are you a member of a national or state career
counseling professional association?
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What do career counseling clients have
the right to expect? |
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You may ask career counselors for a
detailed explanation of services, fees, time commitments, and a
copy of their ethical guidelines. Select a counselor who is professionally
trained, who specifies fees and services upon request, and who
lets you choose the services you desire. Make certain you can terminate
the services at any time, paying only for services rendered. Career
counseling requires the expertise of a trained professional. Be
wary of services that promise you more money, quick promotions,
or guaranteed resumes. Career issues are usually complex and require
a multifaceted approach by a career counselor who has extensive
education, training, and experience. Be skeptical of services that
make promises of more money, better jobs, resumes that get speedy
results, or an immediate solution to career problems. Professional
career counselors are expected to follow the ethical guidelines
of organizations such as the National Career Development Association,
the National Board for Certified Counselors, and the American Counseling
Association. Professional codes of ethics advise against grandiose
guarantees and promises, exorbitant fees, breaches of confidentiality,
and related matters of misconduct. |
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What did American adults
say about their careers in a recent NCDA/NOICC Gallup Survey?*
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Adults want quality career counseling
and information.
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72% would seek more information on career
options if starting over.
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80% (who sought it) found professional
career counseling helpful.
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78% found career information available.
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53% see a need for more education or
training to increase their earning power.
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Adults perceived a need for
more education and training.
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48% of college graduates.
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66% of those with some college education.
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47% of high school graduates.
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41% of non high school graduates.
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What do adults expect to do for the next three years?
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62% expect to stay with current employer.
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22% expect voluntary job changes.
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52% like their jobs and do not want to leave.
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*This information was found at NCDA's Consumer Guidelines
for Selecting a Career Counselor
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What are career inventories?
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Career inventories (also known
as tests or assessments) assess your values, interests, motivational
traits, personal work style, personality, skills, and aptitudes.
Each type of inventory is designed to gather data and provide you
with meaningful feedback to help ensure that you will land in a
career you will love, and in which you will be most successful!
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The most effective career planning process involves utilizing
various types of career inventories. To benefit from career inventory
results, it is advised that you have a professional career counselor
evaluate them and assist you in synthesizing the information to
allow for effective decision making. Do note that there are no
right or wrong answers when taking these inventories. Below is
an explanation of each type of inventory.
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VALUES:
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It is important to incorporate your most highly regarded values
into your work. A well designed values inventory will help you
clarify and prioritize your career-related values. Values are unique
to each individual and typically change over time; thus values
clarification is an ongoing process throughout your life and career.
It is important to periodically review your values and priorities.
For example, the values you had ten years ago may be quite different
from your values today, and ten years from now they may be quite
different again.
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INTERESTS:
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First developed in the late 1920s, career interest inventories
have helped millions of people find their ideal career. A career
interest inventory surveys your interests, aptitudes, and preferences
and compares the results to occupations that are best for you.
A well designed interest inventory will help you find out more about yourself
and how your choices relate to different careers, including making matches
with occupational groups and specific occupations. A career interest inventory
helps you gain the self-knowledge needed to discover careers and occupations
that best match the characteristics of your interests, abilities, and preferences.
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PERSONALITY:
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A personality inventory is another essential component of career
planning; it surveys your personality traits, key strengths, and
personal work, leadership and communication styles, providing you
with valuable insights about yourself.
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SKILLS:
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A skills inventory surveys your skills, identifying those skills
that are transferable, and preferences in using certain combinations
of skills in the future. All occupations can be classified according
to the use of skills in three areas: 1) Skills with Things; 2)
Skills with Information, and 3) Skills with People. Most occupations
use skills in each of these three areas, however, the complexity
of skills in each area differs in each job. We often tend to have "tunnel" vision
and only see a portion of our skills and accomplishments. Also,
it is often difficult to separate our skills from the environment,
industry, or application in which they occurred in our employment
history. Many skills are transferable to entirely different environments,
industries, or applications.
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