Career Counseling Benefits
By: 2nd Story Counseling Staff
Are you looking to create change in your career? Does it feel like you are stuck right now in your job? Are you a recent graduate who is struggling with finding the right direction for your future? If you answered yes to any of these questions, career counseling may be just the thing you need.
Let’s take a quick look what career counselors do and move about the business of identifying 5 reasons why you need one!
What are career counselors?
Career counselors are highly skilled professionals who can assist you with identifying what your job interests might be and then matching those interests to certain kinds of work. Career counselors generally look at your strengths, which can then be used as a jumping board for the future.
As part of working with a career counselor, you may be asked to complete an inventory assessment or aptitude test as a way of gauging your skills sets and interest areas.
Beyond the basic information listed here, many career counselors also serve as a kind of job coach. In this capacity, the counselor will gently push you towards reaching certain goals that are designed to help motivate you into a direction of positive change.
If you are looking for new work or trying to change careers, here are 5 solid reasons why you need career counseling.
1. Help with marketing yourself
One of the main reasons why a person needs career counseling has to do with that period of time after your education has finished but before your career has begun in earnest. It can be difficult to navigate the rough waters of the job market on your own, especially if your degree is in an “in demand” field. Career counselors can give you tips for not only marketing yourself in a much more efficient way to help stand out in a crowd, but also to make sure that you know what your ideal career path even looks like.
2. Career transitions
Another situation where career counseling would come in handy is essentially the exact opposite. If you are firmly entrenched in a career path that you’re unhappy with and want to make a change but just aren’t sure where to start, a career counselor may be the salvation that you’re looking for. Not only will they help you manage the transition but will also help make sure that you wind up someplace you’re truly happy with.
3. Experience gaps
If you’re not making the type of progress in your career that you had expected or hoped, a career counselor can definitely help you identify certain gaps that may be present. Maybe you don’t have the necessary certifications for your ideal job or you just aren’t marketing yourself effectively. Career counselors can help finesse all of these weak points.
4. Networking
Another major reason why you need career counseling has to do with networking. Career counselors are excellent at providing job searchers with the types of tips and tricks that they need to really get their foot in the door in an industry and make a great impression. Sometimes a person has more people in their network than they thought at first, which is another area where career counselors excel.
5. Interview preparation
Finally, career counselors are excellent resources for people who want to improve in one specific area and just need a helping hand every now and again. Many people are ideal employees but can’t communicate that fact efficiently because they’re not good interviewers. If you put an employee in front of a computer they can impress a manager all day long, but if you sit the same person down in front of that manager for an interview they may clam up. Career counselors are great for conducting “trial run” interviews in a comfortable setting that can teach you tips and tricks for reducing anxiety, making the best impression and more.
Final Thoughts
One of the great things about working with a career counselor skilled in organizational psychology is that you will gain perspective on the primary differences between a job and a career. Generally speaking, career counseling is brief in nature and is designed to focus in like a laser beam on your strengths and challenge areas. Many people use career counseling as a way of reinventing themselves. Why not see what career counseling can do for you?
If you are interesting in learning more about our counseling services, please give us a call at 773-528-1777 or send us a note through our confidential contact form.
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