Career Counseling – Individuals

Career Exploration and Focus is a process that includes clarifying what is most important to you regarding careers.  We generate about 15 career options, and then you explore the 4 or 5 especially enticing ones; as you learn about those, you also consider each in light of your own criteria in order to choose your next career or job.
We use a Four Lists handout to keep track of the important bits and pieces, some that you already know and others that you discover as we go.  We talk about your ideas, do a guided visualization, use assessments or tests, and brainstorm to generate those options. During each session we develop an Action Plan of next steps for you to take toward your goal.  You’ll also receive relevant handouts, feedback, support, and encouragement on the way.

The Assessments I most often use re career exploration and choice are:
~ MYERS-BRIGGS TYPE INDICATOR, looking at personality; we apply it to careers;
~ CAMPBELL INTEREST AND SKILLS SURVEY,  relating interests & skills to careers.

A Resume is often helpful as an “ad” to land an interview.  That’s its job.  To be max effective, you want your resume to have a career or job field target; the target informs what is and isn’t included in your resume.  Much information is available online and in books on how to create or amp up a resume.  Be sure to include achievements, specific stand-out things you have done; these are your neon lights on the resume, they get attention and give the reader powerful information.  Have the most effective resume possible, so as to get the interviews that you really want, as many, and as soon, as possible.

Job Interviews / Grad School Interviews have as their job getting you the  position or program you desire.  Again, much is written about what to do and not do in an interview.  We can help you fine tune your interview skills with role playing and feedback. Know that almost everyone has some issue they hope never comes up in an interview; we can work out simple ways to deal with that.  The role playing drains off nervous energy, too, and that allows you to think more clearly and be your best self in the actual interview.

Doing the Job Search is somewhat like playing a game, in that skills and strategy are key.  Skills in your career field are essential, but so are job search skills; these include being able to present yourself to max advantage, networking, interviewing, negotiating.  Also, having a strategy that includes a number of approaches strengthens your job campaign.  We can work on these together.

Returning to School: if you know that you want to do this but are not sure what field you’d like to study and/or what school you want to attend, we can clarify those.   Then you’d work with the academic advisors at that school to get your classes or program set up.

Starting Your Own Business is a real adventure!   We can together clarify what you’d like to do as a business, using the Career Exploration and Focus process.   Then we’d locate appropriate small business resources and referrals in your geographic area that can help you develop a business plan and a marketing plan.

A Success Team, based on Barbara Sher’s books WISHCRAFT AND TEAMWORKS!  can help you make your career dream real.   Each team is a group of 6 people, committed to meeting once a week for 8 weeks.  Each team member focuses on accomplishing a particular goal or project. During every 2 hour session, each person has the same amount of time; he or she sets out a specific “next step” they’d like to have help with and the others brainstorm and offer practical, down-to-earth suggestions, resources, contacts, support.  These are high energy, stimulating sessions.  With a little help from your friends, you will move more quickly toward your goals.