Published by Vaishnavi Desai on 28 November 2023
Content Strategist | Editorial Team Member
Vaishnavi Desai has extensive experience writing content across a variety of domains for over three years. Leveraging her background in Psychology, she's committed to empowering individuals in their career journeys at SetMyCareer through insightful storytelling.
This article provides a detailed view of career counselling, its benefits, identifying its importance, and how it can help adults grappling with planning for their ideal career path.
Career counselling is a key to navigating professional uncertainties. Many adults (freshers, seasoned professionals, or senior leaders) often struggle with aligning their passion with their jobs and find themselves at a career crossroads. A career counsellor can help you utilize your skills on the right career path. Think you’re in need of a career counsellor? Read on to find out.
“I just don’t feel at peace with my work life”
“I am not sure if I am in the right job domain”
“Should I take up a course to enhance my skills?”
“I’m not aware of my interests and passion, what do I do?”If you too, found yourself thinking about these questions, you’re not alone. You might just need aid from career counselling!
Choosing a career and flourishing in it is no easy task. This process takes time and consideration. In fact, if you are an adult starting out your dream job or are in the middle of your career — it’s crucial and unavoidable for you to align your passion with your profession — and career counselling can help you with it.
With the help of a career counsellor, you can make an informed decision. It guides you towards a career path that not only ensures professional success but contributes to a happy and balanced life. Career counselling facilitates a journey of self-discovery, unveiling individual values, strengths, and passions — allowing young adults to harmonize their career goals with their authentic selves.
Career counselling is a process for individuals navigating the complexities of career choices, and goes beyond merely choosing or changing professions.
Rooted in empirical evidence and scientific approach, career counselling supports individuals in making informed decisions about their future, fostering self-discovery, and formulating strategies to achieve their goals.
Career counselling is a dynamic blend of therapy and coaching — offered by professionals with diverse backgrounds. Whether assisting a college graduate unsure about their job search or supporting an individual considering a career switch; career counselling is a versatile process.
It acts as a compass, helping individuals navigate the twists and turns of career planning, ensuring they align their aspirations with their authentic selves. A series of studies have highlighted a notable correlation: individuals struggling with job dissatisfaction exhibit heightened psychological distress and an increased susceptibility to mental health issues like insomnia, depression, or anxiety. In contrast, those content with their work report diminished psychological concerns and an augmented sense of overall happiness in life.
This underscores the significance of not just surviving but thriving in one's career and job search. In such cases, a career counsellor emerges as a valuable ally in navigating this terrain, offering pivotal assistance for individuals to flourish professionally and personally.
Remember to familiarize yourselves with understanding what career counselling is and what it is not.
Career Counselling Is Not…
Other than self-discovery, tapping into your passion, and aligning your skills with your dream job; career counselling offers numerous benefits, some of which are listed below:
On a Personal Front:
A career counsellor can help you explore your interests, passion, and skills. This can be done through a variety of psychometric assessments and one-on-one counselling sessions that help you identify these areas. Once these areas are identified, the career counsellor can help you develop a plan to pursue your goals and find the job that’s right for you.
A career counsellor comes in handy when helping you realize the areas that you might be lacking — be it a lack of technical or soft skills, unable to navigate the job market, unable to find the right job, or not cracking the interview. The career counsellor also provides guidance and support throughout the process to ensure that you are on track and making progress.
Addressing personal issues such as stressors, mental health concerns, interpersonal challenges, etc can directly influence cognitive functions, emotional resilience, and decision-making processes. Effective career counselling employs evidence-based approaches to identify and mitigate personal issues that might impede optimal work performance.
A career counsellor helps you navigate life’s challenges and blend them seamlessly with your work, so either of the components doesn't get affected. A career counsellor or a career coach understands each aspect of your personal life and helps you with effective strategies to not let it hamper your work life and become an overall happier, healthier individual.
On a Professional Front:
Career counselling empowers you to make informed decisions by offering insights into diverse career options, outlining their respective advantages and disadvantages, and guiding the necessary steps for each path. It aids in self-discovery, highlighting personal strengths and weaknesses in relation to various career trajectories.
Career counselling helps you align job roles with personal preferences and contributes to a phenomenon called person-environment fit — where individuals thrive when there's harmony between their characteristics (personality, skills, passion) and the demands of their roles and the very aspect of the job industry/ domain.
Through the career counselling process, you can gain insights into your strengths and weaknesses, set attainable career goals, and devise actionable plans for success. It involves a long-term career exploration plan, job search strategies, refining your resume and CV, honing interview preparation skills, and addressing job-related questions.
Whether you’re just starting out, are a seasoned professional looking for a career transition, or someone who’s preparing to step into a leadership role — career counselling can help in every phase of your career. During career transitions, counsellors play a pivotal role in guiding through career exploration, recognizing transferable skills, and strategizing the transition plan.
The following signs may mean that getting a career counsellor is a viable next step for you:
Uncertainty about your current path is a clear sign that career counselling could bring clarity. Maybe you envisioned a different career trajectory, or perhaps your passions have evolved. Career counselling helps unravel these doubts, providing insights and guiding you toward a more fulfilling professional journey.
In the quiet moments of self-reflection, if you find your thoughts lingering on passions and purpose, it's a whisper from within. It's not just about a job; it's about crafting a career that resonates with the essence of who you are and what truly ignites your soul. Let career counselling transform these contemplations into a tangible map for a purpose-driven career.
Approaching a significant career leap triggers a mix of anticipation and uncertainty. During this pivotal moment, career counselling can help you with tailored insights and strategies provided by experts to help transform this leap into a well-calculated move, fostering confidence in your journey toward success.
When your career path appears foggy, and you find yourself pondering your passions and purpose — career counselling becomes the illuminating guide. Career counselling provides you with research-backed and scientific insights, one-on-one counselling, and a detailed roadmap for overall career success.
Embarking on the journey of career counselling is a transformative experience for adults, offering a multitude of benefits. Here's a glimpse of what you can expect during and after this personalized process:
| In-depth self-discovery | Psychometric assessments reveal your strengths, values, and interests for a profound self-understanding. |
| A safe space for discussions | Your concerns, goals, and uncertainties are addressed with the utmost confidentiality in a career counselling session. |
| Targeted career clarity | Gain valuable insights into diverse career options tailored to align perfectly with your unique skills and passions. |
| Strategic goal setting | Work on setting realistic and achievable career goals with experienced career counsellors to create a roadmap. |
| Skill enhancement | Identify, refine, and enhance your skill set, ensuring alignment with your chosen career path and market demands. |
| Holistic work-life balance | Explore strategies to maintain a healthy balance between your professional pursuits and personal well-being. |
| Continuous career growth | Equip yourself with tools and insights for ongoing career development for success in a dynamic work landscape. |
So you see, almost every stage of your career requires dedicated and personalized counselling or mentoring. Career counsellors can help you identify career roadblocks equip you with the strategies to tackle them and chart a roadmap for exponential career growth. Career counsellors are here to help you identify your hidden strengths and talents, and if you too feel you need career counselling from SetMyCareer experts, feel free to reach out to us.
In an era where deadlines and obligations often intertwine with personal aspirations, achieving a harmonious work-life balance has become a paramount concern.
Read More
In today's fast-paced world, career development has become an essential aspect of every individual's professional career journey.
Read More
In today's fast-paced world, career development has become an essential aspect of every individual's professional career journey. It is the process of managing and planning one's career to achieve professional and personal goals.
Read MoreNo. 14/595, 1st Floor, Nanjappa Reddy Layout, Koramangala 8th Block, Bangalore 560095
