Career counseling - Stuck? Find some help

A licensed clinical professional counselor,
she is the owner of Heart At Work, offering
career counseling, outplacement and
retention services based in Yarmouth.
Her Web site is www.barbarababkirk.com.

Few would argue that
there are times when
it's wise to seek out a
specialist concerning
certain medical conditions.
The same can be
true regarding career
or work life. That said,
what exactly is career
counseling? How do
you go about choosing
a professional career
counselor and what
might you expect?

Career counseling
is a well-established
profession with origins
dating back to the
Industrial Revolution,
when jobs on farms
were shrinking and
new technologies were
increasing. The demand
for workers was an
incentive for veterans
returning from World
War I. But, they needed
guidance to help them
understand the marketplace,
find training and
secure jobs.

The qualifications for
career counselors vary
from state to state. In
Maine, a license is not
necessary to practice,
although a counseling
license is one indication
of a person's level
of expertise. Certain
education, training and
experience can differentiate
an effective and
able career counselor
from one who lacks the
background to assist in
all phases of the career
planning process.

In considering a
career counselor,
determine if she or he
holds a graduate degree
in counseling or career
development, has
supervised experience
in career counseling,
has had success helping
individuals reach their
career goals, is familiar
with the job search
process and the most
effective steps and has
current knowledge of
the local and national
marketplace.

Career counselors
typically meet with
clients in person. They
may charge an hourly
fee ranging from $85-
$150 and schedule
follow-up sessions depending
on client needs;
or they may ask a client
to commit to a group of
sessions from the start.
Consider the following
examples:

The ambivalent job
seeker feels confused
and stuck, no longer
motivated to go to
work and finds her
responsibilities boring.

But the regular
paycheck and benefits,
flexibility and familiarity
of her job make it
difficult to resign or
even begin to look for
another position. She is
unsure about whether
she wants to remain in
her current field or look
at a totally different
option.

The insecure job
seeker, out of the workforce
for 15 years following
the birth of her
first child, now wants
to explore a return to
work. While she had
enjoyed a successful
career in finance before
becoming a mom, she is
unsure about returning
to that setting. Although
she had been active as
a community volunteer,
she lacks confidence in
her marketable skills
and how to begin her
job search.

Here's how a career
counselor might help:

• Assess what is
influencing the desired
work-related change.
How is a particular life
stage impacting them
and their interest in new
work?

• Identify current
needs. Both women
may benefit from assessment
tools or focused
questions to help
them understand their
personality, life priorities
and marketable
skills. They are likely to
need help determining
appropriate options that
match their criteria.

• Determine a course
of action. Establishing
a strategy for success
might range from steps
to better understand the
marketplace and where
there is a good match to
creating an appropriate
resume that presents
them in the best light,
and refining their interviewing
techniques.

Whatever the case,
trust your intuition
as well as the specific
information you receive.
Choose wisely, since
this relationship could
impact the rest of your
life.