Imagine that you’re lost on a long journey, without a GPS map. Worse, you don’t even know the exact name of the place you want to go to. What do you do? You roll down your window and ask a passerby for directions. That passerby turns out to be an expert on the routes of that area and not only understands exactly where you want to go, but also tells you the best possible route to your destination along with information on the ways and turns that you should avoid. What could possibly be more helpful!
A Career Counsellor plays a role similar to that of the street guide, the passerby, with regards to your career. He/she first assesses your personality and understands what you are driven towards, consciously or subconsciously. On the basis of his/her understanding and your interest, the Career Counsellor tells you the possible destinations you might be aiming at or might want to go to. Along with that, he/she also guides you as to what are the best possible routes you should take in your career to reach those destinations/goals.
Essentially, the work of a Career Counsellor can be broken down into the 3 parts as mentioned below.
Administers a Psychometric Test
The Career Counsellor first tries to understand and assess your personality, including your interests, desires, motivations, strengths and weaknesses. Most Career Counsellors conduct Psychometric Tests to do this.
Psychometric Tests are conducted to develop an understanding of your personality. They not only help the Career Counsellor gain an insight into your personality but also you help you understand yourself on a deeper level in a concise form.
The objective of these tests is to identify your personality type, your dominant personality traits along with your strengths and weaknesses. They measure your interests, skills, aptitude, and attitude. They help unravel hidden attributes in you and give a deeper understanding of the more obvious ones. Additionally, psychometric tests help in identifying how you would react in different situations and function in different work environments.
The results of the Psychometric Test are used by the Career Counsellor to see which careers suit you i.e. which careers highlight and utilize your strengths rather than focusing on your weaknesses.
Suggests Careers that are Ideal for You
To excel in any career/job in this world, you will need certain skills, attributes and traits that are vital for that particular career. These can differ greatly from career/job to another. For example, to become a Sportsperson, you would require a lot of physical strength and sports skills, whereas to become an Engineer, you would require a lot of academic intelligence and technical knowledge. This is the primary reason behind a career option being suitable for some and not for others.
After studying the result of the Psychometric Test, the Career Counsellor gains an understanding of your personality, interests, strengths and weaknesses. On the basis of your assessment, he/she matches your attributes with careers that require similar attributes.
In case you have any careers or jobs in mind, the Career Counsellor guides you regarding how compatible you are with these choices. You might end up becoming a genius painter but a terrible engineer, or your might become a great scientist but a very bad manager. You might excel in a small company, but not be able to shine in a company with a thousand employees.
The Career Counsellor suggests career options that might open up new avenues to you, or reinforce your faith towards a particular field. Through the results of these tests, the Career Counsellor will help you make important decisions like:
*Should I take Science, Arts or Commerce?
*Should I become an Architect or an Engineer? Artist or Archeologist? Marketing Professional or Chartered Accountant?
*Should I join College A or College B?
*Should I take up this job or apply elsewhere?
*Should I change my job?
*Should I consider a Career Change? Am I in the wrong Career?
Defines a Path for you to Achieve your Goals
A Career Counsellor’s job doesn’t end after he/she suggests what careers and jobs are ideal for you and how compatible you are with your current career decisions.
A very crucial aspect of a Career Counsellor’s job is to create a bridge between where you are and where you wish to be, i.e. show you the way by which you can pursue careers/jobs that are ideal for you as of now or how you can add skills and attributes to your personality so as to become ideal for the careers/jobs you wish to pursue.
For example, as a student in the 10th class, the Career Counsellor will tell you which subjects to focus on and how to achieve the minimum number of marks required for the stream/career you want to pursue, or to pursue the career/stream that is ideal for you.
The Career Counsellor will help a Class 12th student by advising him/her to take up certain entrance exams, coaching classes, internships etc. so as to be able to join your dream college or consider more options.
As a college student, a Career Counsellor will guide you by advising you as to take up certain internships, extracurricular activities, focus on particular courses, ways to network, etc. through which you will become an ideal candidate for the career you wish to pursue or the career that is correct for you.
For a working professional, a Career Counsellor will provide insights regarding whether you should make a career change or not, how you can make the career change (if ideal), ways to network, ways to handle your response to success and failure, what jobs you should or should not take up and how to gain more out of your current job.
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