Strategies for Managing your Career

In the past, when you completed school you got hired by one of the large corporations, and mostly stayed with them until retirement. However, the 21st century workplace is a more dynamic one. There are constant changes every day. This has affected how corporate do business. The employee, after being hired, is expected to develop and learn at own time using own resources. Moreover, they have to deliver outstanding results to keep employed. This calls for different career development approaches for anyone who wants to survive today’s workplace.

• Know Yourself

This is perhaps one of the things that will make you thrive in today’s workplace. This strategy touches on realizing your weaknesses and strengths. This will not only help you in identifying the careers that you could veer to but also on turning your weaknesses to strengths. Many people, whether students, already in careers or looking for jobs have some difficulty in this. This is why a career development Sydney specialist comes in handy. A career specialist will work with you to identify your particular strengths and weakness through face to face meetings and various tests and assessments.

• Set career goals and objectives

You only get to where you want to go if you know where you are heading. Even in careers, you need to know where you want to be. This makes it easier for you in career identification and also recognizing opportunities for growth. Your goals and objectives will also help you identify the best places to work. If your career path for example requires a certain skills set, then you will head to the employment where you will learn these skills even though the salary is not sufficient. It is all about looking at the short and long term goals.

• Identify your passion

For many people, employment is a means to pay the bills. Few people do something that they actually love doing. Those are the ones that really make it at work. This is because to them a job ceases to be a job and becomes a hobby. If you have challenges identifying your passion, it is important to talk to a career development Sydney psychologist. This is a person who through interviews, observations and tests will help you identify things that you are passionate about. As a student, a teacher well known to you can also help with this based on your out of class activities. It is however still important to talk to a career coach on the same.

A student almost getting to the job market, a person re-entering the work force after a break or a seasoned employee looking to develop and grow at work, a career development Sydney specialist such as Career Focus will hold your hand. The specialist will not help with accountability but also help you look at things in a different perspective which go a long way in your career development. So call today for logical career adviser & more information on here http://focusyourcareer.com.au/

Career Counselling: Why it helps to speak with a professional

As a society we are constantly bombarded with sometimes unsolicited advice whether we like it or not.With the rise of social media we are inundated on a daily basis with advice on almost every subject – weight loss, breast feeding, teeth whitening, fashion, cars, medicine and health. Given we are constantly lapping up what feels like a tsunami of information from our surroundingsit is not a surprise that we get stuck with our decision-making. During these times, it is only natural that we seek wisdom from our beloved friends and family who are quick to respond with well-intentioned anecdotes which sometimes confuse us even further (e.g., don’t become a hair dresser, you know what happened to Auntie Lorraine she has RSI in her arm!)

Our need to talk things through with others and collect information to help us make a decision is almost default. It is surprising then, that many people do not think to speak with a career professional (also referred to in the industry as carer consultant, career advisor, career psychologist and career counsellor) for career decisions. I mean really, if you are going to invest 3+ years at uni for a degree (and rack up a huge government fee debt of 20K+) wouldn’t you want to check in with someone before committing to that pathway? Or if you were torn between two options for example vet nursing and personal training, wouldn’t you want to speak with a professional for peace of mind, instead of relying on your cousin’s anecdotal advice about her local vet nurse or basing a decision on a conversation you overhead on a bus? (Yes, this actually happens). Just some food for thought.

When you think about the amount of time we spend working, or even the time (and money!) we invest in getting qualified for certain careers, it seems counter intuitive that professional advice is not commonly sought to facilitate such an important life decision. It is certainly possible that many are unaware career counselling exists, let alone what it provides in terms of career development. Even clients who have been explicitly referred to me from other professionals have outright asked what career counselling is. Once explained, clients have expressed sheer delight and surprise, stating that they had been aware of such a valuable service.

Career counselling – so what is it?

Career counselling is about:

• The facilitation of career decision-making through a confidential and professional platform using counselling frameworks based on research
• Working through decision-making barriers
• Placing careful consideration on the unique circumstances of clients
• Raising self-awareness which includes helping clients uncover meaning, working towards an understanding of how work fits into their life, identifying connections and themes in previous decision making and experiences
• Exploring and expanding on study and work options
• Ensuring clients are well informed about study and job options
• Practical support with job/course applications and interview coaching
• Providing clients with concrete steps empowering them to take action
• Helping clients learn about and accept change as part of decision-making
• Teaching decision-making skills which clients can replicatein future decisions.

What career counselling IS NOT

• About diagnosing or treating mental health concerns. Working through career related stressors or barriers can alleviate certain mental health symptoms, but career counselling does not claim to provide clinical treatment
• ‘Just’ advising – Yes, career counselling involves advising and the provision of information but it is more focussed on the process of facilitating decision-making through counselling techniques and frameworks.

The benefits

The benefits of career counselling are undeniable. I have worked with many clients who have referred to it as ‘magic’. The process itself is not quite so elusive and there is no crystal ball or fortune telling involved. It is however, a process. A process which provides each client with the respectful ear of a professional and someone to help them work through the complex interplay between work and life by asking the right questions along the way.

How to find a career development professional

A basic search online (with keywords such as career advisor Sydney, career consultant, career advisor, career psychologist, and career psychologist Sydney) will reveal a number of career development professionals. The career development field is a mixed bag which includes professionals from varied backgrounds (e., business, engineering, teaching etc) who have made their own career transitions into career development roles. The counselling field overall in Australia is not a regulated, and although there is a professional counselling association, there is no regulatory body which governs qualification requirements for people who work under the ‘counsellor’ title (this is distinct to psychologists who work as counsellors, as the psychology field is regulated).

Before looking for a career development professional, consider exactly what you require and evaluate your needs against the professionals approach and background (including qualifications if you are interested in this – probably most important if you are seeking career counselling). It is important you find a career professional you ‘gel with’ and feel comfortable talking to so it is a good idea to call up and have a quick chat about your situation. This way you can get a vibe about how well you could work with the professional as well as a better understanding about how they can potentially help you.

If you are at a crossroads with your study or work, can you afford not to speak with a career development professional? What are you waiting for?