Find a Good Career Counselor
Career counselors can help you with a variety of vocational goals; especially if you want to consider a career change and need assistance to determine your strengths, so you can secure a new position with a new employer. Career counselors can also be sought if you need help developing skills related to job placement, such as interviewing, resume development, and job-hunting. When you are tasked with finding a good career counselor that can assist you with career development, you must seek a person who possesses a counseling license or other counseling credentials and experience in career counseling. Continue reading to learn about methods you can use to find a good career counselor who can help you with your career goals.
Contents
- 1 Steps
- 1.1 Find career counseling from your K-12 School Counselor/School Counseling program or from your college/university Career Counseling Center
- 1.2 Use a private career counselor and resources from professional counseling associations
- 1.3 Use career counseling and career development internet resources
- 1.4 Career Counseling Tips
- 2 Related Articles
- 3 References
Steps
- Find a career counselor who belongs to a professional counseling organization. Career counselors who have established membership with the National Career Development Association (NCDA) or the National Association of Certified Counselors are a first choice in the United States. In Canada, seek out professional counselors who are members of the Canadian Counselling and Psychotherapy Association.
- Determine the credentials and experience of the career counselor. Upon meeting the candidate, you can determine where their licenses or certifications are valid (e.g. U.S or Canada). The Council on the Accreditation of Counseling and Related Education Programs (www.cacrep.org) maintains a listing of accredited graduate programs in the United States and internationally.
- Ask to see a copy of the counselor's credentials and a professional disclosure statement including copies of publications or presentations where their career counseling work was published or recognized in professional journals and conferences.
- Obtain a list of references from the career counselor. If the career counselor is legitimate, professional, and established, they will provide you with a list of references from past clients who can provide you with feedback about the counselor.
- Ask the career counselor for customer testimonials in addition to references; as testimonials may confirm your decision or inspire you to work with a specific career counselor.
- Research the career counselor with a consumer protection agency. This process will help you read about the nature of any specific complaints that have been filed against the career counselor by past clients. Contact the Better Business Bureau (BBB) at 1-703-276-0100 or visit the BBB website featured in the Sources section of this article to research a counselor's complaint history.
- Choose a career counselor with styles and methods that meet your personal needs. Some career counselors may work with people in groups or offer one-on-one counseling sessions; whereas other career counselors may specialize in a certain age groups or cultural identities.
- Make a list of counseling preferences that you can bring to your initial meeting with the counselor, then ask the counselor if they can accommodate your needs. For example, if you feel you need hourly sessions every week alone with the counselor, determine that the counselor can accommodate your request.
- Verify the age group of clients the counselor typically works with. For example, if you have recently graduated from high school and need help determining your career strengths, you may not want to work with a counselor who typically works with individuals preparing for a different career before retirement.
- Determine the fees charged by the career counselor. Good career counselors will be open about the fees they charge for each session and fees charged for any other materials such as textbooks or workbooks.
- Ask the counselor to provide you with a printed list of all possible fees. Some counselors may charge a package deal for multiple sessions or charge you an hourly rate. Fees will vary depending on your career counseling needs.
- Ask the counselor about initial consultation or meeting fees.
Find career counseling from your K-12 School Counselor/School Counseling program or from your college/university Career Counseling Center
- Follow the steps below.
- Find your school counselor in K-12 schools or a career counselor in a college or university career counseling office. Elementary, middle and high school counseling programs all should have school counselors delivering school counseling curriculum lessons, career planning, and group and individual counseling and advising specific to career development and college readiness. universities and colleges around the world offer career counseling, career development, and career education to students and alumni.
- Set up an appointment with a school counselor (K-12) or college career counselor in person, by email, or by telephone.Some schools also offer career services for other graduates or the public in their area for a fee. Inquire about possible fees when you request the initial appointment.
- Follow the directions or guidelines given to you by the school counselor or college career counselor. Sometimes you will need to bring a resume or complete a series of career aptitude assessments and inventories (Self-Directed Search, Myers-Briggs, Career Key, etc.) to assess your skills and interests and how they relate to potential careers.
- Bring all required documents to your appointment including any prior career assessments or portfolios that you have completed.
Use a private career counselor and resources from professional counseling associations
- Follow the steps below.
- Contact the National Career Development Association (www.ncda.org) for a list of career counselors http://ncda.org/aws/NCDA/pt/sp/consumer_find
- Contact the National Board for Certified Counselors for a listing of certified career counselors in your state by visiting http://www.nbcc.org/.
- Contact the American School Counselor Association and state branches for lists of school counselors and career development resources K-12 www.schoolcounselor.org
- Call or email your state's counselor licensing board for a listing.
- Look through your phone book yellow pages under career counseling or career services. Ask potential counselors if they are licensed to practice in your state and what experience they have in career counseling.
Use career counseling and career development internet resources
- Follow the steps below.
- Bright Outlook: Occupations expected to grow fast with large numbers of openings and new fields: http://www.onetonline.org/find/bright?b=0&g=Go
- Bureau of Labor Statistics www.bls.gov
- Career Cluster Search: http://www.onetonline.org/find/career?c=0&g=Go
- CTE Career and Technical Education: 16 career clusters and pathways www.acteonline.org
- US Department of Labor Employment and Training Administration website http://www.doleta.gov/.
- Career Guide to Industries www.bls.gov/oco/cg/home/htm
- Career Interest Game http://career.missouri.edu/career-interest-game
- Career Key: Research-based career and college major information and assessments www.careerkey.org
- Career Key Map of Career Clusters and Pathways www.careerkey.org/asp/education_options/ck_map_career_clusters.html
- Career OneStop: Pathways to career success www.careeronestop.org
- Career Readiness Partner Council: Coalition of organizations in education, policy, business, and philanthropy disseminating a comprehensive vision of career readiness www.careerreadynow.org
- Career Resource Library: Careers, labor market info., workforce, development, job trends www.acinet.org
- Career Technical Education (CTE): Preparing students of all ages to succeed in education and careers—and enable the United States to flourish in a dynamic and increasingly competitive global economy www.careertech.org/
- Career Values Test: Translate your values into a negotiating position to experience the rewards of work in harmony with your feelings/beliefs about life/career satisfaction http://www.stewartcoopercoon.com/jobsearch/freejobsearchtests.phtml#mst
- Career Videos (English, Español)
- Careers Out There: Video interviews of persons in various careers careersoutthere.com
- National Career Development Association resources www.ncda.org
Career Counseling Tips
- Follow the steps below.
- If you are unemployed, it will probably be easier to go to your local unemployment center to use the career resources there.
- Seek out professional career counselors who have at least a master's degree in counseling and specific career development specializations. Ask for references verify whether the career counselor has a state certification/license to practice professional counseling.
- Anyone can hang out a shingle and say they are a career coach, so be wary of persons who don't have professional career counseling and development graduate degrees, experience, credentials, and references.
- Be wary of career coaches who also advertise themselves as therapists, life coaches or hypnotherapists. It is better to find someone who's main focus is career counseling.
