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Mairead

Hi there

I currently work in Career Coaching and obviously meet people who are at a crossroads in their Careers

Last week I met with someone who became frustrated because I would not "tell them" what career they should be pursuing. In my opinion any decent career coach should guide an individual through a self assessment process until they come to a conclusion themselves

However I feel that some clients feel that this is not enough and feel the counselor should be more responsibile for coming up with their direction

Over the last year I have met so many people who have fallen into courses and careers that a Career Counselor in school "told" them to do.

I was wondering what your expectation would be if you were investing in meeting with a Career Counselor?

Look forward to your thoughts
Mairead
http://www.careermentors.ie

Claire001 · Posted: Tue Oct 06, 2009 1:10 pm Post subject:

This is an interesting post and one that I am always keen to discuss.

A careers adviser will never win with this type of candidate- you either won't give them enough direction and then if you did make suggestions I am sure that those clients would be first to blame you if the job didn't work out!

I think there is an element of idtification with their key skills and making suggestions as to the direction they could go in but this should not be confused with telling people what direction they should go in.

If relationships develop over time then you may be able to identify areas that will be suited but I understand the role to be much more of a support position giving direction and enabling clients to stick to an action plan.

Erin23 · Posted: Thu Oct 15, 2009 8:21 pm Post subject:

Dear Mairead,
As a career coach myself I agree that career coaches or counselors should not be telling a client what job they should pursue. And yes, I can't agree more that many clients come to coaching or counseling with the expectation that their coach or counselor will tell them what job is right for them.

You are 100% correct when you state that our jobs is to guide them a process of self-assessment. There are many ways this can be done and I am sure as a career coach you use a variety of approaches. What I have found helpful (especially for those who feel like they want MORE than self-discovery) is referring clients to testing. I offer my clients the Strong Interest Inventory and/or Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) assessments. Both list out a variety of career choices including very specific jobs and then we work together in investigating those that seem interesting or feel would be a good fit. Often times this seems to satisfy their "aren't you going to TELL me what career I should pursue" mindset.

Hope this was helpful and good luck with your clients. As a career coach myself I know all too well how difficult it can be when people just want you to tell them the answers. But as we know the clients have the answers within themselves and it is our job to help them discover these answers.

Take care,
Erin

johndale · New User Joined: 13 Oct 2009 Posts: 5 Career Advice: +0/-0

Also I guess the proper career for a specific student graduate of his/her course and self maintenance in reaching the goals.

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