Career Counseling
The goal of career counseling is to help individuals with career planning, the decision-making process, implementation of career choice, career adjustment, and the interplay between career and personal issues. The career planning process focuses on self-understanding and awareness and may use professional instruments, exploratory questionnaires, inventories, and a variety of other information gathering tools to assess personality traits, interests, and values. Assessment instruments aid in the awareness process and are often a necessary component of the career planning process.
The career planning process follows the following steps:
The focus of career counseling is usually on one or more of the following
areas:
- Patterns of satisfaction and dissatisfaction
- Broad-based occupational interests
- Work/personal/interpersonal values
- Competency development
- Technical/leadership competencies
- Life priorities
- Family issues and priorities
- Leisure activities and interests
- Spiritual concerns
- Short- and long-term goals
There are two fundamental goals of career counseling activities. First, it is to teach a process – for career exploration and decision-making. By teaching this process, the client becomes empowered to continually reassess and reevaluate career goals in relation to changing circumstances. The second goal is to assist the client in clarifying a direction in life, for only then can more specific decisions and exploratory activities become more meaningful.
Finally, career counseling should be conducted by a professionally trained
or certified career counselor. The following links will provide you with
important information about the competencies, code of ethics, and consumer
guidelines critical for selecting a career counselor.
- There are nationally recognized bodies that define Career Counseling Competencies and certify qualifications, including the National Career Development Association.
- Career counselors have a responsibility to follow a Professional Code of Ethics.