If you need help in choosing a career, you have several options. You can look through online help wanted ads or the employment section in your local newspaper. You can work with employment agencies or headhunters. You can send your resume to targeted companies in hopes that one of them has job openings in your field. If your employment search includes drastic changes, however, you might want to consider hiring a professional career counselor.
Services Offered
Career counselors will try to help you get a job as part of their services, although a reputable professional will not offer a guarantee. A career counselor is more of a "personal repackager."
One of the most important things that a career counselor can provide is guidance as you change career paths. Your counselor can help you find a career that fits your personality as well as your skills. In addition, a professional career counselor might help you rewrite your resume, work with you to improve your interviewing skills or help you learn to negotiate a better compensation package.
Who Hires Career Counselors?
Career counselors work with a variety of professionals. Some choose to consult a career counselor because they are burned out from working in a high-stress occupation and would like to have a career with less pressure. Others contact career counselors because they find their current careers to be unsatisfying. Many hire career counselors because they are having difficulties getting responses to their resumes or can't seem to progress beyond first interviews. Some people hire career counselors simply because they would like to make more money.
Career counselors are often used because whole job categories are being eliminated, leaving trained personnel trying to get jobs in markets that are disappearing. In some cases, companies will hire career counselors as part of an exit package for their laid-off employees to help them transition into a new field or business.
Hiring a professional career counselor is not for everyone. However, if you are considering a career change and are having difficulty in deciding how to go about it, take the time to meet with a few counselors to see if they can help you.
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