What is a Career Counselor?
Career counselors hold a graduate degree in counseling with a specialization in career counseling. Services of career counselors differ, depending on the counselor’s level of competence, the setting,client needs, and other factors. National Certified Career Counselors, Registered Professional Career Counselors, and other professional career counselors help people make and carry out decisions and plans related to life/career directions.
Career professionals come with many different titles—counselor, coach, and consultant are among the most common. Career counselors are not recruiters or job placement specialists. They do not get paid to get you a job or to place you in a position. They are paid to provide advice. A legal career counselor’s ultimate objective is to help you attain your career and employment goals. As an experienced practitioner, you may think you don’t need help with decision-making skills. In this case, finding someone who specializes in stress management or career transition may be a better fit. But regardless of your particular concerns, a good career counselor should be able to help you identify and explore career options, narrow down your choices, focus and target your job search, and generally guide you through the often-challenging job search process.
A career counselor is someone educated, trained and experienced in helping employees tackle their toughest career problems and achieve their highest career aspirations. Career counselors typically are experienced in dealing with assessment, performance improvement, career transition, career pathing, workplace, and work/life balance situations that plague workers at one time or another. Career counselors are experts in tailoring strategies and techniques to the specific needs of people or groups seeking help. Many career counselors are members of the National Career Development Association (NCDA), the leading organization that promotes career development of all people over the life span. What does a Career Counselor do? Career counselors can provide a wide range of services. They will do one or more of the following: Administer and interpret assessments and inventories to asses work values, interests, skills and competencies Identify alternative internal career options for people in tra
Career counselors are teachers, confidants, and advisors to their clients. Career counselors help people understand themselves better and to take proactive steps to improve the quality of their work lives. They help people examine their interests, their strengths, work styles, and their abilities to find and enter the profession that best suits them. They can be helpful to those who have yet to choose a career and those who are unhappy with their career choice. Many are knowledgeable about job search and hiring and know what skills are needed in a broad variety of professions, how much they pay, and what an employer will want to see in a successful applicant. They coach the client through the process of researching fields that match their interests, help create resumes, cover letters, and teach interview and salary negotiations skills. Career Counselors do not “place people,” nor do they “find them a job,” instead they teach the process and act as the guide. WHAT ARE THE QUALIFICATIONS
Career counselors hold a graduate degree in counseling with a specialization in career counseling. Services of career counselors differ, depending on the counselor’s level of competence, the setting, client needs, and other factors. Examples of services include conducting individual or group counseling sessions, administering and interpreting assessments or inventories, and teaching job hunting skills. National Certified Career Counselors, Registered Professional Career Counselors, and other professional career counselors help people make and carry out decisions and plans related to life/career directions. NCDA offers Special Membership Categories to recognize members who hold special levels of achievement in education, training, and experience in career development. Three special membership categories include the Master Career Counselor (MCC), the Master Career Development Professional (MCDP) and the Fellow.
