10 Reasons to Seek Career Counseling
The benefits of career counseling
Career counseling can be useful for managing issues that come up in our working lives.
Work is an important part of our lives. Not only do we spend many hours of each week earning a living, for many of us work is a central aspect of our identity. David Blustein, a prominent career researcher, notes that while most of us need a job to survive financially, work also provides us with a sense of accomplishment and connection to others.
Work can influence our physical and emotional health.
Finding and maintaining satisfying work contributes to good health.
Here are 10 reasons to seek out a qualified career counseling professional:
1: YOU DO NOT KNOW WHAT TO DO FOR WORK.
When you are undecided about what occupations would fit well with you, career counseling helps you understand your strengths and interests, explore different occupational options, and make decisions about what careers paths would be a good match.
2: YOU WANT TO TAKE A CAREER TEST.
Career counselors use different tests that give you information about your career interests, skills, personality traits, working styles, work needs, and strengths. Counselors help you use the information about yourself to make decisions about what occupations and work environments fit best with you.
3: YOU FEEL UNHAPPY OR BURNED OUT IN YOUR CURRENT JOB.
Being dissatisfied in your job can affect other areas of your life and bring about feelings of frustration and depression. Career counselors help you identify the reasons you are unhappy in your job and make the changes in yourself or your work environment needed to reduce burnout.
4: YOU ARE CONSIDERING A JOB OR CAREER CHANGE.
Changing jobs or careers can feel both exhilarating and terrifying. Talking with a career counselor can help you sort out your options, manage any anxiety, make decisions about what to do, and assist you through the career change process.
5: YOU NEED TO CREATE OR REVISE YOUR RESUME.
Your resume tells the story of your career path and, along with your cover letter, is used to convince a potential employer that you would be an asset to their organization. Career counselors work with you to develop or revise your resume and increase your confidence in selling yourself in the job market.
6: YOU ARE SEARCHING AND INTERVIEWING FOR JOBS.
Searching for a job is like running a marathon. It can take months of networking, interviewing, and multiple rejections before getting hired. Career counselors help you navigate the job search and interviewing process by providing expert advice and emotional support.
7: YOU ARE ANTICIPATING OR DEALING WITH A MAJOR LIFE TRANSITION.
Life transitions such as becoming a parent, divorcing, taking care of older parents, or coping with health issues can affect our working lives. Career counseling helps you manage the stresses of these life transitions and make decisions about your working life that fit best for you.
8: YOU ARE CONSIDERING RETIREMENT.
Retirement is a major life transition and often requires a change in how you define your purpose in life. Career counseling helps you explore your options for retirement and feel more in control of your decisions about how and when to disengage from the paid workforce.
9: YOU FEEL LIKE AN “IMPOSTER” IN YOUR JOB.
Feeling like an imposter - that at any moment someone will discover your incompetence - is a common experience, yet can be very isolating and anxiety-producing. A career counselor with mental health training can help you manage these feelings and increase your sense of competence in your work.
10: YOUR WORK LIFE IS OUT OF CONTROL.
While technological advances have allowed us to work from almost anywhere, for many employees this means that it feels impossible to unplug from work. Career counseling helps you find better balance between work and home to improve your physical and emotional health.