CareerCounseling.com

The Value of Career Coaching & Career Counseling

Over the years, after coaching thousands of clients, we cannot stress enough the importance of putting time and effort into choosing the right career. Our clients have learned that if they pursue a career that they feel passionate about then the rest is relatively easy. If you love what you do, then talking to people about it comes naturally, whether it is networking, blogging or interviewing. When we talk about what we love we tend to smile and show enthusiasm, two things that really help you to connect with people. And connecting with people is key in your job search.

So what happens if you are already on a career path that isn't the right match for you, but that you have invested time and money in? Anyone who has worked with us knows that we don't expect you to quit your job today or tomorrow to pursue your passion, but we do want to help you discover what you are passionate about. We want to know what would make you look forward to Monday mornings. We want you to find a niche, whether with your current employer or with a new employer, where you feel truly connected with what you are doing, who you are doing it with and where you are doing it.

OVERVIEW OF CAREERCOUNSELING.COM

Welcome to CareerCounseling.com. Our goal is to provide you with a career roadmap and career strategies for finding career satisfaction and career success. With more than twenty years of career coaching and career counseling experience we have learned that everyone benefits from the career roadmap, which includes: Career Assessment & Career Testing; Career Exploration & Career Research; Career, Interview & Job Search Coaching; Professional Resume Services; Employer Profiles & Research; Resume Distribution Services; Networking and Online Job Search Strategies. No matter where you are going with your career it always serves you well to look back at where you have been and plan wisely for your next career move. We want you to be in charge of your career. So many of us end up without a roadmap and just haphazardly move along a career path that no longer brings the career satisfaction, meaning and fulfillment that we had once wished for. By following the CareerCounseling.com roadmap you will take charge of your career.
A Career Review Session is the best place to start if you are confused as to exactly what you need. Most of us aren't sure if we are focused on the right career path or if that career path will lead us where we are hoping to go. Other times we just aren't sure if our resumes are doing us justice. Is your resume polished? Does it highlight your strengths, your R-O-I? Can a potential employer get a clear idea of the value you will bring to the business? In your Career Review Session you will have the opportunity to have your Career Coach answer any and all questions you have regarding your career transition and/or job search.
We offer several options for jumpstarting your personal Career Roadmap. The first is through Career Testing. This is the place to start if you are unsure of your career direction. You will take the career test that is right for you (Myers-Briggs & Strong Interest Inventory Career Reports). Please review the sample reports before selecting. We have selected these tests as the ones that are best suited for our clients who are in the midst of a career change. The Career Testing package will provide you with information on what types of careers would best fit someone with your profile. This is a jumping off point for some as it answers their basic questions and they move on with their planned career move.

Others may want more clarity and coaching as they sort through their career options. For those clients we offer three different Career Assessment Packages. Our Career Assessment packages are designed to assist clients with further career assessment and exploration through one-on-one tele-coaching sessions. Our goal is to help you identify and sort through your strengths, accomplishments, skills, values and personality preferences so that you can learn what is most important to you in a career. We all want meaningful, fulfilling and satisfying careers. By putting the extra time into your research and decision making you will reap the lifelong benefits of a career that fits you.

For those clients who know exactly what they want or at least a career ballpark of what they want, they may want to select the Job Search Jumpstart Program. If you find yourself tired of your current work situation, maybe burned out or bored, or possibly in the wrong job or wanting more money or advancement opportunity, the Job Search Jumpstart Program may be for you. To participate in this program you will need several things: a clear career goal, an old resume and cover letter, a list of professional references and a willingness to set realistic goals. Our Certified Career Coaching staff will review and critique your materials, then will 'meet' with you to discuss how you can best achieve your goal of satisfying employment. You will receive clear feedback regarding your career materials and what they need in order to promote you for your chosen career goal. Additionally you will learn what to expect from the interviewing process and will practice interviewing. You will also design a realistic job search game plan with the assistance of your Career Coach.

We have incorporated many of the steps of our career roadmap into several different career programs to best help you meet your career goals. Below are the individual steps involved in pursuing your own personalized career roadmap.

CAREER ASSESSMENT & TESTING

Career assessment is the foundation for your career. Would you build a home without a foundation? Probably not, so why do that with your career? When we work with clients, as part of our career counseling and career coaching services, we conduct a subjective career assessment and an objective career assessment. We use self-assessment tools that we have designed along with tried and true career testing tools, including the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, the Campbell Interest & Skill Survey and the Strong Interest Inventory. If you are not ready to sign up for career coaching, you can begin with a Career Test. This is a good place to start. We would also be happy to work with you or to connect you with a Certified Career Management Coach in your area by visiting www.careercoachacademy.com.

CAREER EXPLORATION & CAREER RESEARCH

Once you know your preferred career direction, you will need to research the various careers within the field you have chosen. You will also need to research the career path progression. It's important to know not only what your next career move will be, but also where your career may lead in two, five, ten and twenty years. We refer to this process as career path planning. When you know what your career path is, then it is time to research potential employers in your chosen field. We have featured some sites that are great at providing employer and career information. We have also included a link to the Occupational Outlook Handbook (OOH). The OOH provides complete job descriptions, training requirements, job outlook, salary information and resources for additional information. We really like this resource. It is on the list of favorite references of every Certified Career Management Coach.

CAREER, INTERVIEW & JOB SEARCH COACHING

Career Coaching and Career Counseling are the vehicles that will help you get a jumpstart on your career or job change. Career Coaching is also a great way to move forward faster with your career plan. A Certified Career Management Coach can help you develop your very own personalized career roadmap. We have worked with hundreds of job seekers and career changers during the past twenty years. With some we have developed a simple "jumpstart" plan, provided interview coaching, or assisted with job search coaching; with others we have guided them through every step. We have partnered with executives, students, recent graduates, teachers. attorneys, physicians, politicians, social workers, engineers, administrators, managers, and the list goes on. Everyone follows the same path, whether just starting out as a recent graduate or as seasoned professional. We all want to succeed in our careers. Our definition of success and career satisfaction comes in many forms from meaningful and passionate work and financial gains to power and influence. No matter what your career goal, a Certified Career Management Coach can help you achieve success.

Once your resume opens the door for you to an interview, it is up to your interviewing skills and your references to do the rest. We highly recommend that you do everything you can to polish your interviewing skills. This is where most job seekers fall down. They think they have great interviewing skills, but ultimately don't get the offers. So, we cannot repeat enough the importance of polishing your interviewing skills. Again, a Certified Career Management Coach can help. What most of us neglect are our references. At best, they are an afterthought. At worst, they hold us back from the jobs we want. We have heard over and over that our clients think that a former boss has given them a bad reference. Be sure to check with your references as you proceed with your job search. If in doubt ask your references to write you a letter of recommendation. That way, at least, you have something in writing. Most prospective employers will want to speak directly with your references; however if they have committed something to print they may not stray far from that. There are also online services for reference checking.

PROFESSIONAL RESUME SERVICE

Every job seeker and career changer needs a professional resume. Ideally, you will work your network and get interviews through word-of-mouth; however it will be expected that you will have a well-written professional resume. This is not the time to learn a new computer program or learn to type. It is worth the investment to seek out the services of a Certified Professional Resume Writer (CPRW) to assist you with this project. You will save time and frustration by going with a Certified Professional Resume Writer. Keep in mind that every resume that is mailed to a prospective employer needs to be accompanied by a personalized cover letter. Your Certified Professional Resume Writer can assist you with your cover letter as well. Be sure to check out the resume distribution services once your resume is ready. We are happy to work with you to write or re-write your resume. Sometimes our schedules are very booked and we will refer you to others whose work we admire.

EMPLOYER PROFILES

Gathering information on prospective employers is key to success in your job search. Have you ever been asked what you know about a company during the interview? It happens every day. If you don't know who they are, what they do, how well they do it and where they are going, then you will not get the job. People want to hire people who want to work for them. At careercounseling.com we provide you with valuable information and links to guide you so that you can gather in-depth information necessary for your next job interview. Learn how to impress your prospective employers by being prepared.

GET YOUR RESUME INTO THE RIGHT HANDS

Getting your resume out and into the hands of decision-makers is key to a successful job search. There are many ways to do this. The best way to do this is through word-of-mouth whether in person or via social networking. Most of my clients are now using several social media channels to get their resumes into the hands of hiring officials. Resume distribution services are also available to you. These services will send your resume to several different search engines based on your parameters. This is one process that saves valuable job search time. Remember, it is a numbers game and the more you get your resume out there the better your chances of landing the job faster. Resume distribution makes sense with today's technology. We also suggest that you use professional networking channels to connect with prospective employers in your career field. At careercounseling.com we can help you get yourself noticed with social media. While considering social media we can also help you ifyou are impacted by digital dirt (bad stuff that shows up when someone googles you).

ONLINE JOB SEARCH

Where would your job search be without job search sites? We highly recommend that you use your network to develop word-of-mouth referrals; however with today's technology, no job search is complete without an internet job search and social media campaign. We can help guide you to some of the most effective sites and services available. Increase the odds and check all the job search engines. Again, we will help you create and navigate the use of social media in your job search.).

MEET THE COACH

Meet Joan M. Roberts, MA, CAGS, our resident Certified Career Management Coach. Joan has worked professionally as a Career Coach and Career Counselor since 1988. During that time she has assisted hundreds of career changers to successfully transition into meaningful and rewarding careers. Her specialty over the years has been in the area of corporate outplacement, which is another way of saying career coaching for employees who been downsized from their employers. The corporate outplacement projects she has worked on have ranged from 400+ projects with Fortune 500 companies to 1-2 employees with micro-businesses. While assisting these clients, Joan realized that regardless of how her clients came to her, where from a paper mill closing or a healthcare consolidation, they all needed to follow a similar path or roadmap back to satisfying careers. If you are finding yourself propelled into a job search or career change, then careercounseling.com is here to help. You can choose to have Joan personally coach and guide you through the career change or job search process or you can find a Certified Career Management Coach in your area by searching www.careercoachacademy.com. We can provide as much or as little as you need. Hopefully this website will serve as a starting point for your career change. We wish you the best as you move toward your career goals.

CAREER TALK TODAY

Our Career Talk Today blog is back. As you may have noticed careercounseling.com has been totally revamped. With these new changes we have reinstated our popular Career Talk Blog, where you can find answers to your career-related questions each week. You will find in-depth articles on hot career topics, trends in the job market, career-related polls, the latest links for career testing and career assessment and other useful links to career websites. We will also get discussion going on a different topic based on readers' questions. Please send us our questions or post a comment on the Career Talk Today blog. All comments are moderated.

HOW IT WORKS

Most of our consultations are done via the telephone/internet. However, if you live locally we would be happy to set up an in-person consultation with you. You may work with Joan M. Roberts, CCMC, or may want to locate another Certified Career Management Coach in your area by visiting careercoachacademy.com. CareerCounseling.com is not affiliated with any other coaching practices; however Career Coach Academy has trained and provides ongoing continuing education to all Certified Career Management Coaches.