Careers advice has changed. Careers management, career coaches and career counselling have taken over and they’re a lot more than just new terminology for the old careers advice experienced by many people – where careers advisers tried to match school pupils to jobs.
Careers counselling is the process of helping people explore their own strengths and develop strategies to improve their career – always working with the needs of the client. Typically careers counselling services are offered for people changing career or facing a position where they are ‘stuck’ and looking for a new direction. The careers advice has to be practical (it’s just not possible for everyone to be an astronaut) and challenge clients’ own assumptions about their abilities too – everyone can learn new skills and gain relevant experience
A key skill of the career consultant or counsellor is to help a client identify and recognise skills and strengths – often done by a CIPD professional qualified to use personal development tools. Knowledge of the current job market as well as numerous, practical and proven ideas about how to identify opportunities not open to everyone (known as accessing the hidden job market ) are perhaps the most important skills career coaches possess.
Find out how career counselling could help you by taking advantage of Gateway’s free, no obligation, one hour career consultation. Sign up today!