by Beverly Baskin

In Parts 1 and 2 and 3 of this series, the reader learned what career counseling will do for all four types of clients; how the career counselor begins with an interview which provides as much information as is needed to facilitate effective and appropriate decisions about possible careers; and how the setting of Goals and Testing helps an individual to choose a career based on unique abilities, skills, interests and economic considerations. The next 4 areas of concern begin with:

  1. Career Information. Job seekers and career transitioners want to be educated about the various careers that are available to them. They would like more information about job descriptions, employment outlooks, and professional qualifications. Some people explore promotional opportunities, wage and salary guidelines, and assessment of their talents as it is related to the world of work. A career counselor can suggest various resource publications and reference books that may be of specific interest to you. These are some of the most popular reference books: The Dictionary of Occupational Titles, The Occupational Outlook Handbook, The Guide for Occupational Exploration, The Dictionary of Wages and Salaries, and various U.S. and State government publications. These are all readily available in any library. Often recommended are vocational, and motivational books such as the popular What Color Is Your Parachute, and The Overnight Job Search Strategy and many, many others. These books line the shelves of any bookstore. This process of reading books and disseminating career information takes clients out of the fantasy stage of career development and transfers their job search into a realistic mode.
  2. Career Pathing. After working with your counselor regarding your needs, interests, personality, and abilities, interpretation of test scores, and related reading, you are now ready for career planning or “career pathing.” You can explore at least two or three career paths simultaneously. For instance, if you excel in mathematics, research, and statistics, you might consider a career in insurance as an actuary, or a career as a statistician, or a business analyst, or a career as a stockbroker. Additionally, you could look into becoming an economist, a college professor, or an engineer. All of these positions will utilize your skills and abilities, and provide you with future aspirations. As you perform research into various careers, you will begin to narrow down your preference list based on educated decisions and your own intuition. Remember — you are still the only expert! Then you will learn how to interview or “shadow” people in different professions to gain more insight into the actual jobs. Through a process of elimination you will reach a decision about the best career possibilities for you. Now you are ready for the job search stage.
  3. Preparation of Resumes and Cover Letters. Once several career paths are being considered, you and your counselor will again collaborate on writing and producing a resume emphasizing your unique and special skills and abilities. The next step is preparing cover letters that will highlight each of the job preferences and serve as an advertisement for the client. When the resume and cover letters are approved and finalized, the actual job search becomes the client’s and counselor’s main focus.
  4. Career Marketing. Now you are ready for a very important and crucial part of the career counseling process; that is, effective personal marketing to achieve results! The emphasis is on networking. The goal here is to find as many contacts and referred leads as possible, to ask for advice and suggestions of key decision makers in your chosen field or fields, and to get as many names as possible. Notice, the goal is not necessarily to find a job. That would be too big of a step at the start of a job search. You will learn to set small goals for yourself as a job seeker. In this way, you will obtain more “wins” and ultimately achieve your future goal of landing that coveted job.

    Career counseling clients employ career marketing techniques including finding the hidden job market, developing contacts and conducting information interviews. Some of the more common methods include replying to newspaper ads, contacting agencies, and working with search firms. It is extremely important to network with friends, relatives, and referred leads. The client also researches target companies, solicits resumes to those firms, and “pounds the pavement” in order to gain more exposure to certain industries. Preparation for the job interview, salary negotiations, and videotaped mock interviews are reviewed and rehearsed with the counselor. The client is well prepared and can easily discuss his or her strong points, and the strong points in the resume. Thank you letters and follow-up letters are utilized at appropriate stages of the job search. You and your career counselor will utilize some or even all of these processes and techniques.

    Finally, you are primed for success with a high degree of self-confidence and the ability to communicate your skills and abilities to the prospective employer. More importantly, you will have achieved the competitive edge among other job applicants!

    One last point: From our experiences with many clients just like you, we have found that our clients operate most effectively with balance in their lives. The ideal work scenario encompasses what they consider to be the best and most creative aspects of their personalities. Whether it is building something, writing, utilizing teaching or training skills, working with numbers, working in the performing arts, working with one’s hands, or using verbal/ persuasive skills, clients decide what type of creative skills they would like to use at different stages in their lives. Often skills overlap. By the way, we all add to our repertoire as we mature and gain more life experience. Each new job is a rung on our personal career ladder.

    Career counseling is really a life-long process….a combination of task work, team work, personal marketing, and promotion. Former clients tell us that what they have learned in the career counseling process will stay with them always. They feel a sense of achievement as they meet larger and larger goals, develop their own instincts and become empowered to make important decisions affecting their lives now and in the future.

    So will you. Good luck!!98