Career Counseling Services Chicago, IL
Finding the right career counselor in Chicago can impact your life in a number of ways. When you think about it, our careers often define us as individuals.
This may not be right or even fair but it seems to be the way of the world, at least in the United States. To be blunt, we are defined by what we do.
If you are reading this information, you are likely seeing out a counselor to help you with your career needs. Perhaps you are seeking to switch jobs or gain a promotion at your current employer.
Maybe you are just out of college and want to maximize your chances for success with a job in the here and now or the future.
For all of these reasons and more, you have landed at exactly the right place at the right time.
This brief article will provide a basic overview of career counseling and offers a few tips on what to look for in your search for the right person to fit your career counseling needs.
If you are looking for career counseling in Chicago, what follows is designed to offer insight. Are you ready?
Let’s jump right in!
What is career counseling?
Career counseling is a twenty-five cent term used to describe the process of helping you match your personality, skills, aptitude and background to various career options. Career counseling is designed to help you understand different kinds of jobs and workplace environments.
What is career development?
Part of the process of career counseling involves career development, which should be thought of as something you put time into, build and enhance over the course of your working lifespan.
The goal of career development is to help you make smart, strategic choices for the here and now and the future so that you are involved in your chosen career field and compensated in a way that is commensurate with the work you do.
What can I expect during career counseling?
There are a number of things that happen during the career counseling process. What follows is a brief rundown of what you can expect.
- Identify your current skills
- Assess your unique personality and traits
- Explore interests and passions
- Take a career inventory assessment
- Review your education
- Explore future educational needs
- Jointly determine your career goals for the future
- Work with you on creating and development a resume
- Reviewing salary expectations and needs
- Discuss any mental roadblocks you may have
- Assist you with self-esteem and self-view
- Identify job and career resources
- Assist you with finding where the jobs are
- Coach you during the job search process
- Role play for interviews and salary negotiations
- Act as an accountability partner
What should I look for in a career counselor?
There are many people who claim to offer career counseling but it is important to choose a person who has the requisite skills and experience to help you with your career needs.
While training and education are certainly important, what is key to maximizing your success is working with a career counselor who has real world experience at the workplace. The reality is that very few therapists are trained in career counseling or for that matter, have the appropriate background to assist you as the client with your career needs.
Here are some things to ask yourself in your search for a career counselor:
- Does the counselor have strong experience helping people with careers?
- Has the counselor worked in human resources, management, sales, etc?
- Do they have specialized credentials? (MBA, HR Certification, Career Certification?)
- Does the counselor have experience hiring people?
- Is the counselor linked to specialized career resources?
Is career counseling the same as therapy?
During psychotherapy (aka therapy) issues involving your career will likely come up however, psychotherapy and career counseling are really two different types of counseling. One is designed to treat a given issue (i.e. therapy for anxiety).
The other is designed specifically to focus on work and career (i.e. career development). Again – during therapy it is likely workplace issues will come up however, the main focus is not on career development.
How long does career counseling last?
Generally speaking, career counseling is considered a briefer form of counseling. Determining how many sessions you will need however will largely depend upon your career goals, your background and what gaps (if any) that need to be worked on in order to help position you in a way that is optimal for success.
Some people only need a few sessions, like six or eight. Others needs more frequent visits. Again, much will depend on where you are now and where you want to go.
How much does career counseling cost?
The cost of career counseling is generally the same amount as regular therapy sessions. To learn more about the costs of career counseling in Chicago with 2nd Story, please visit our fee schedule page to learn more information. Your insurance may cover career counseling, depending upon your plan.
Where can I find out more about career counseling?
If you have questions about our career counseling services, please give us a call at 773-528-1777 or send us a note through our confidential and secure online contact form.