Usually, one or both spouses in a divorce must make a career change or a reentry into the job market. This transition can be scary and confusing. Career counseling plays an important role in calming these fears, and many job seekers have not yet acquainted themselves with the wealth of resources that career counseling provides. Andrea King, MS, NCC is a career counselor in Beaverton. She has supplied the following information as a resource, and it is printed with her permission. Ms. King has neither provided to me, nor received from me, anything in exchange for the posting of this information. If you wish to contact Ms. King for her services or for information, I encourage you to do so. Her contact information is: Andrea King, MS, NCC. (503) 997-9506. aking@careerful.com. www.careerful.com.
1. What is a career counselor?
Career counselors hold a graduate degree in counseling with a specialization in career counseling. Career counselors help people make and carry out decisions and plans related to life/career directions. They may be certified as a National Certified Counselor by the National Board for Certified Counselors.
2. What do career counselors do?
Strategies and techniques of professional career counselors are tailored to the specific needs of the person seeking help. It is likely that the career counselor will do one or more of the following:
(1) Conduct individual and/or group counseling sessions to help clarify life/career goals
(2) Administer and interpret tests and inventories to assess abilities, interests, values, and/or skills and to identify career options
(3) Encourage exploratory activities through assignments and planning experiences
(4) Utilize career planning systems and occupational information systems to help individuals better understand the world of work
(5) Provide opportunities for improving decision-making skills
(6) Assist in developing individualized career plans
(7) Teach job hunting strategies and skills and assist in the development of resumes and cover letters
(8) Assist in understanding the integration of work and other life roles
(9) Provide support for persons experiencing job stress, job loss, and/or career transition.
3. How can I find a career counselor?
Use the telephone yellow pages or access the counselor’s website. Check under career counseling. As you scan names, check to see if they describe their credentials in the yellow page ad. When you call, ask these types of questions:
(1) Are you a National Certified Counselor?
(2) What type of graduate degree do you hold?
(3) Is licensure required to practice career counseling in this state?
(4) Are you a member of a national or state career counseling professional association?
4. What do career counseling clients have the right to expect?
You may ask career counselors for a detailed explanation of services, fees, time commitments, and a copy of their ethical guidelines. Select a counselor who is professionally trained, who specifies fees and services upon request, and who lets you choose the services you desire. Make certain you can terminate the services at any time, paying only for services rendered. Career counseling requires the expertise of a trained professional. Be wary of services that promise you more money, quick promotions, or guaranteed resumes. Career issues are usually complex and require a multifaceted approach by a career counselor who has extensive education, training, and experience. Be skeptical of services that make promises of more money, better jobs, resumes that get speedy results, or an immediate solution to career problems. Professional career counselors are expected to follow the ethical guidelines of organizations such as the National Career Development Association, the National Board for Certified Counselors, and the American Counseling Association. Professional codes of ethics advise against grandiose guarantees and promises, exorbitant fees, breaches of confidentiality, and related matters of misconduct.
5. What did American adults say about their careers in a recent NCDA/NOICC Gallup Survey?*
72% would seek more information on career options if starting over.
80% (who sought it) found professional career counseling helpful.
78% found career information available.
53% see a need for more education or training to increase their earning power.
Adults perceived a need for more education and training.
48% of college graduates.
66% of those with some college education.
47% of high school graduates.
41% of non high school graduates.
What do adults expect to do for the next three years?
62% expect to stay with current employer.
22% expect voluntary job changes.
52% like their jobs and do not want to leave.
*This information was found at NCDA's Consumer Guidelines for Selecting a Career Counselor
6. What are career inventories?
Career inventories (also known as tests or assessments) assess your values, interests, motivational traits, personal work style, personality, skills, and aptitudes. Each type of inventory is designed to gather data and provide you with meaningful feedback to help ensure that you will land in a career you will love, and in which you will be most successful!
The most effective career planning process involves utilizing various types of career inventories. To benefit from career inventory results, it is advised that you have a professional career counselor evaluate them and assist you in synthesizing the information to allow for effective decision making. Do note that there are no right or wrong answers when taking these inventories. Below is an explanation of each type of inventory.
VALUES:
It is important to incorporate your most highly regarded values into your work. A well designed values inventory will help you clarify and prioritize your career-related values. Values are unique to each individual and typically change over time; thus values clarification is an ongoing process throughout your life and career. It is important to periodically review your values and priorities. For example, the values you had ten years ago may be quite different from your values today, and ten years from now they may be quite different again.
INTERESTS:
First developed in the late 1920s, career interest inventories have helped millions of people find their ideal career. A career interest inventory surveys your interests, aptitudes, and preferences and compares the results to occupations that are best for you.
A well designed interest inventory will help you find out more about yourself and how your choices relate to different careers, including making matches with occupational groups and specific occupations. A career interest inventory helps you gain the self-knowledge needed to discover careers and occupations that best match the characteristics of your interests, abilities, and preferences.
PERSONALITY:
A personality inventory is another essential component of career planning; it surveys your personality traits, key strengths, and personal work, leadership and communication styles, providing you with valuable insights about yourself.
SKILLS:
A skills inventory surveys your skills, identifying those skills that are transferable, and preferences in using certain combinations of skills in the future. All occupations can be classified according to the use of skills in three areas: 1) Skills with Things; 2) Skills with Information, and 3) Skills with People. Most occupations use skills in each of these three areas, however, the complexity of skills in each area differs in each job. We often tend to have "tunnel" vision and only see a portion of our skills and accomplishments. Also, it is often difficult to separate our skills from the environment, industry, or application in which they occurred in our employment history. Many skills are transferable to entirely different environments, industries, or applications.