Insight into Career counselling
A few years, a young adult not knowing what to do with his professional life had not had many options but to pick and choose based on his education, abilities, and inner voice. Maybe the path was too direct, and people knew they had no option but to constrain themselves to some few career opportunities.
But things have changed now. It’s not uncommon to see an engineer, in the hospitality sector, a CA in the media sector, or a lawyer in the business. That doesn’t mean one should necessarily do a degree that has nothing to do with their livelihood, but it shows how people now have the privilege to take up careers based on what they want to do, at any point in life. It shows how making career decisions have become more autonomous, with more options for careers opening up and relevant support systems in place.
Why career counselling?
Living with bad career decisions can be very difficult and taxing. And career counselling helps you make those right decisions, at the right time!
But what’s then the right career?
Well, the right career choice is often an interaction of an individual’s interests and abilities, and the industry trends.
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Career counselling is broadly a mental healthcare service that helps young adults or people of any age group begin, change or advance their careers. It’s done usually as one-on-one, in-depth conversations between a specialized counsellor and the career seeker. It can also include various activities, assignments, and projects that are specially designed to assist career seekers, which can be students too, to make sensible and informed career decisions that help them make the most of their strengths and capabilities.
It is also called student counselling when the counselling environment is an educational institute, where the counsellor deals with students both for their academic performance and their future career development.
With the number of career options available to students and professionals nowadays, career counselling’s become even more important. Especially when a student has to choose the right stream in class 11 or the right course after class 12, these are crossroads where a career counsellor can make decision-making easy and efficient for them.
Who is a career counsellor?
A career counsellor is a highly trained professional who can provide guidance and counselling about anything related to your career. Career counsellors typically undergo education in psychology and are proficient in applying career development theories and techniques to help you in your career development journey.
A good career counsellor is always a good listener and keeps updated with the latest trends and career-related information to assist career seekers across various domains.
Quick checklist- what your career counseling will do
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An important point to remember is that a good counsellor will add value and perspective to your thinking, but not tell you what to do! They do not make career decisions but empower you to make the right decisions considering all the pros and cons.
Your counsellor will
- Help you realize who you are and what you want from your education or career and in general life.
- Provide an open channel for communicating your thoughts, ideas, and concerns related to career and education, and hence sort them out first-hand and support to help you identify factors that influence your career development.
- Help you identify those factors that directly influence your career development.
- Help you locate resources and the right sources for career-related information.
- Assist you with developing a plan to achieve your short and long-term career goals.
- Motivate you to create a work-life balance – by helping you assess and access your interests and values.
As you begin, it’s always best that you and your counsellor have discussed and agreed on your ambition and professional goals. This will help you keep a track of your progress and make the process smoother for you!
Who can go for career counseling?
Career development is a lifelong process. You might be a student who is not sure which field to choose after class 12, a freshman looking for your first job, or an employee concerning job change for processing your career.
Either case, career counselling is for you. It’s these few groups that surely need to experience career counselling in their life-
- Individuals exploring careers or higher education options.
- Students who are in constant conflict with the career choices they made.
- Individuals who do not have a defined goal or career path.
- Employees or professionals not feeling happy in their current employment, and want to change their trajectory.
- People who don’t know where to begin.
Benefits of career counselling
There are many things a person can achieve from career counselling. Whether you’re choosing your subjects or making initial career choices or comforting a career change, in all these cases career counselling will have you make better decisions.
What are my options
The changing job markets make it almost impossible to always keep on top of the trends. It’s common for people to find themselves in a confused state when it comes to making decisions about the next career step.
As the world of work continues to evolve. If you’re just starting out or still in your education, you will want to focus on what will have good prospects in the next few years.
One of the many things that a career counselor does for you is to help you identify more career fields that match your skills, strengths, and interests and then possible roles in those fields.
As counsellors understand the wider world of work in much depth, career counselling can broaden your perspectives on what career will be available as well as suitable for you.
From this comprehensive list, you can take into consideration what goes best with your passion, value system, salary expectations, etc.
Goal setting for your career
Once you’ve identified your abilities and interests, your career counsellor will help you evaluate your options and identify steps to profess towards your goals. Support during this phase is critical as most people struggle with goal setting and making changes in their professional lives. Having a career counsellor with you in this phase helps you make more realistic and achievable goals.
Establishing and enhancing your brand
In any career decisions you make, what remains a constant is printing yourself in the best light. Career counselling helps you provide that additional support, that push, to create and enhance a personal brand – by making an insightful yet objective CV, or resume, writing better job applications and cover letters, developing peoples’ skill and interview skills, doing a better job search and researching and connecting with potential employers. This will make your personal brand more marketable to your potential employers.
How to find a career counsellor?
Well, you’re at the right place!
To get the best out of your counselling session, identify counsellors who specialize in various career sectors of your choice. Mindwire is your one-stop destination for career counselling. Sign up now and experience the most personalized counselling where you and your counsellor decide what you want to achieve together.
Feel free to reach out to us on our website or social media platforms should you have any queries or concerns. We’re always there to help, just a click away!
We wish you a very happy career development journey.