Tag: #careercounseling

Need for Career Counselling

Career counseling is a type of advice-giving and support provided by career counselors to their clients, to help the clients manage their journey through life, learning and work changes (career). This includes career exploration, making career choices, managing career changes, lifelong career development and dealing with other career-related issues. There is no agreed definition of career counseling worldwide, mainly due to conceptual, cultural and linguistic differences. However, the terminology of ‘career counseling’ typically denotes a professional intervention which is conducted either one-on-one or in a small group. Career counseling is related to other types of counseling (e.g. marriage or clinical counseling). What unites all types of professional counseling is the role of practitioners, who combine giving advice on their topic of expertise with counseling techniques that support clients in making complex decisions and facing difficult situations.

Counseling is a collaborative effort between the counselor and client. Professional counselors help clients identify goals and potential solutions to problems which cause emotional turmoil; seek to improve communication and coping skills; strengthen self-esteem; and promote behavior change and optimal mental health. Counseling provided by trained professionals can make a profound impact on the lives of individuals, families and communities. This service helps people navigate difficult life situations, such as the death of a loved one, divorce, natural disasters, school stress and the loss of a job. In a career counseling session, the counselor will help a person explore skills and strengths, consider education levels and give advice about continuing education, and determine interests and personality type. Counselors may also administer an IQ test or an aptitude test.

Empirical research attests the effectiveness of career counseling. Professional career counselors can support people with career-related challenges. Through their expertise in career development and labor markets, they can put a person’s qualifications, experience, strengths and weakness in a broad perspective while also considering their desired salary, personal hobbies and interests, location, job market and educational possibilities. Through their counseling and teaching abilities, career counselors can additionally support people in gaining a better understanding of what really matters for them personally, how they can plan their careers autonomously, or help them in making tough decisions and getting through times of crisis. Finally, career counselors are often capable of supporting their clients in finding suitable placements/ jobs, in working out conflicts with their employers, or finding the support of other helpful services. It is due to these various benefits of career counseling that policy makers in many countries publicly fund guidance services. For example, the European Union understands career guidance and counseling as an instrument to effectively combat social exclusion and increase citizens’ employability.

One of the major challenges associated with career counseling is encouraging participants to engage in the process. For example, in the UK 70% of people under 14 say they have had no careers advice while 45% of people over 14 have had no or very poor/limited advice. In a related issue some client groups tend to reject the interventions made by professional career counselors preferring to rely on the advice of peers or superiors within their own profession. Jackson et al. found that 44% of doctors in training felt that senior members of their own profession were best placed to give careers advice. Furthermore, it is recognised that the giving of career advice is something that is widely spread through a range of formal and informal roles. In addition to career counselors it is also common for psychologists, teachers, managers, trainers and Human Resources (HR) specialists to give formal support in career choices. Similarly it is also common for people to seek informal support from friends and family around their career choices and to bypass career professionals altogether. In the 2010s, increasingly people rely on career web portals to seek advice on resume writing and handling interviews and to do research on various professions and companies. It has also possible to get a vocational assessment done online.

Assessment tools used in career counseling to help clients make realistic career decisions. These tools generally fall into three categories: interest inventories, personality inventories, and aptitude tests.

Interest inventories are usually based on the premise that if you have similar interests to people in an occupation who like their job, you will probably like that occupation also. Thus, interest inventories may suggest occupations that the client has not thought of and which have a good chance of being something that the client will be happy with. The most common interest inventory is a measure of vocational interests across six domains: Realistic, Investigative, Artistic, Social, Enterprising, Conventional. People often report a mixture of these domains, usually with one predominant domain.

Aptitude tests can predict with good odds whether a particular person will be able to be successful in a particular occupation. For example, a student who wants to be a physicist is unlikely to succeed if he cannot do the math. An aptitude test will tell him if he is likely to do well in advanced math, which is necessary for physics. There are also aptitude tests which can predict success or failure in many different occupations.

Personality inventories are sometimes used to help people with career choice. The use of these inventories for this purpose is questionable, because in any occupation there are people with many different personalities. A popular personality inventory is the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator. It is based on Carl Jung’s theory of personality, but Jung never approved it. According to Jung most people fall in the middle of each scale, but the MBTI ignores this and puts everyone in a type category. For example, according to the MBTI, everyone is either an extrovert or an introvert. According to Jung, most people are somewhere in between, and people at the extremes are rare. The validity of the MBTI for career choice is highly questionable.

Steps to finding the Right Career for You

While it will likely change over time, focusing on a certain career path can help inform your decisions about your professional growth as you gain skills and experience. It’s important to reflect on your interests, skills and career goals as you make certain life choices such as which school to apply for, which entry-level job is right for you, whether to get a post-graduate degree or specialized certification and more.

In this article, I will focus on how to identify your key skills and interests, match those qualities to a potential job field and start a career.

1- WRITE DOWN CAREER GOALS

Before selecting a career, start with self-reflection by asking and answering certain questions. Active reflection helps narrows your choices into something more specific.

Consider asking yourself:

  • What do I want from my career?
  • What are my core values?
  • What activities do I most enjoy, professionally or in my free time?
  • What are my interests?
  • What are my strengths and aptitudes? Soft skills? Hard skills?
  • Do I want to specialize in certain technical skills or take on management roles?

Once you answer questions like these (and any others that are important to you), you can better research potential careers paths. It’s also important to revisit your career goals as you grow personally and professionally to ensure your goals remain achievable and aligned with your interests.

2- Set one short term & one long term goal

Once you have narrowed down your options, consider establishing milestones for your career. Research where other people in your field are at five or ten years into their career, and make note of the job titles they have. Decide what title or advancements you want to have at these future points. Then research what you can do to reach those goals. You may need to undergo training programs, take on specific responsibilities or hold prerequisite positions.

By establishing career goals five or ten years in the future, you can plan based on what progress you should expect every year. Schedule time regularly to reflect on your career and goals.

3- Identify your Personality Type

A personality type is a set of personality traits that can be grouped together. There are multiple methods for discovering your personality type, many of which focus on your responses to different situations. Different personality types may naturally gravitate toward different interests and develop different strengths, including careers.

Different tests list common career choices for each personality type. If you take a variety of tests and one or two careers appear across multiple tests, that specific career is likely worth researching.

4- Did you enjoy your previous job/internship?

Your job satisfaction in previous roles can also help guide your career choices. Identify trends in your previous positions, such as focusing on a specific technical skill. Also, review your job history to identify positions that you felt fulfilled in.

5- Educate yourself with the Job requirements – skills, knowledge, interests,etc

Many jobs have specific education requirements for applicants and new hires, such as obtaining a high school diploma, completing a bachelor’s degree program or having a master’s degree. Some positions also require applicants to have their degrees in a specific field related to the position.

Review the education requirements for jobs you are interested in, and apply for jobs that accept your current level of education or research additionally degrees or certifications you may need.

6- Work on gaining expertise in the skills you already possess

Make a list of your current skills, certifications and areas of expertise. Also ask for feedback about your technical, interpersonal and people management skills from coworkers and colleagues. This evaluation can help you find careers that match what you are best at.

7- If you can choose your interest as your career,what will it be?

Depending on your personality, you may have interests that lend themselves to different careers. Examine your hobbies, past volunteer experiences and interests to identify activities or fields you enjoy. While this information is outside of a professional context, creating a list of activities you like can help you focus a career search. For example, you may enjoy a career in cybersecurity if you enjoy logic puzzles, or you may enjoy a traveling sales role if you like meeting new people.

Use this knowledge to apply for short-term positions or volunteer opportunities to explore new career options. This first-hand experience allows you to test your suitability for a career. If you are currently in school or have a job, consider taking a course or certification program that is required for a field that interests you. This experience can help you determine if the career’s skills and content are something you enjoy.

8- Consider your salary needs

Depending on your lifestyle, you may require a certain salary. Find average salaries by job title, company and location on salaries. This can be a good starting point for determining how much money you may have when first starting out, as well as your earning potential after you’ve gained a certain amount of time and experience. While salary certainly does not equal an engaging, satisfying job, it is an important factor to consider when mapping out your career path.

WHAT ARE THE OPTIONS FOR STUDENTS POST COMPLETING THEIR GRADUATION IN AUSTRALIA

Australian educational culture is very rich and has really high standards. Some of their universities are globally recognised. If any student is getting a graduation degree from any university in Australia it will be popular and well recognised among companies in Australia and in other countries too. This can definitely be an advantage for the students to secure a job. However, students often get confused about what should they do post completing their graduation in Australia. Here are few options for the students which they can do after their graduation.


Students who want to study further after achieving their graduation degree to gain higher qualification, they can start the Masters course. While starting post graduation programme, students need to get connected with the alumni groups for guidance because in the alumni group some can share their experience regarding works, employments, any new courses or social events, which can be extremely helpful for other students. Higher degrees or courses in Australia are highly competitive and to clear the entrance exams conducted by the universities, high standard of English language is a must. There are few categories in the post graduate qualifications offered by Australian universities, such as, diploma courses which involves two years of study and Masters degree and Doctoral degree or phD. Any kind of Doctoral degree requires three to four years of study. Doctoral degree is the most valuable and most desirable degree. For the students who are opting for Masters degree, there are three types of Masters degree –
1) Coursework masters – after completing bachelor degree students can go for this course which requires project work and research.
2) Research masters – students who have completed their bachelors can apply for this course which consists of researching and making thesis.
3) Profesional masters – students who are done with their graduation and have any sorts of work experience can go for this course which is a work based project. It requires professional experience.

These are few options for the students who want to study further after completing their graduation.



There are many fields to explore for the students who want to work after they complete their graduation. Newly grads can also try their hands in those fields, they are passionate about. Agriculture, tourism, mining and manufacturing these are the most strong industries in Australia. So, it is advised to the students to surely try in these fields. Students who are willing to work immediately after graduating should definitely join few courses and trainings for getting jobs in Australia. This will help them to secure a job successfully. To work in Australia after studies the students need to be very careful with their course selection. Most of the Australian companies and the employers do not run behind the name of the top class universities. So, students who have not graduated from renowned universities need not to worry. It is not always needed to chase behind the best college or university, instead they should focus more on the course they are choosing for themselves. The course should be profitable for them for a long run. An excellent communication skill specially in English language is required to get any job in Australia. The candidate should communicate clearly and effectively without hesitation. The professional skills of the candidate is extremely important to fetch a job. If the candidate has professional experience in his/her domain and have a proper portfolio to show them, that can be extremely helpful. Students who are planning to get a job in Australia after completing graduation, it is advised to them to apply for Australian PR or citizenship if they do not have it already. It is really hard to find the companies who hire the candidates without a permanent citizenship.



There are numerous options for studying further and for start working in Australia. It totally depends upon the students what they want to do after completing their graduation. Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, Canberra these are the few cities which are extremely student friendly. In Australia and even in other countries millennials are always in a cut throat completion both in academic fields and professional fields. So, the students have to be confident and stay focused in their lives whichever they want to do after graduating.

Importance of Career Counseling

After important milestones in education all folks faces this question ‘what next’ after class 10th, after class 12th and after graduation. Career counseling can help altogether the main milestones in one’s career. Firstly, to make a decision a stream and subject combinations, to make a decision the graduation course, and then, to make a decision the post graduation and career option

In school a helpless 16 year old is faced with the selection of varied streams – Humanities, Science with mathematics, science with biology and Commerce, and therefore the only career guidance he has is the opinion of his parents, his teacher’s judgment based on his marks and the comments of his friends and neighbors. A class 11th -12th student together with his subject combinations is flooded with agencies providing various entrance preparation and colleges luring his / her attention. What help he has parents, teachers and admission counselors whose only job is to put the scholar in college and course where they’re going to get commission. A graduate who is doing the course because the oldsters wants him/ her to try to to it or he wasn’t sure of the other and thus is doing the course is also confused about career choices.

We strive to form a progressive world today, where technologies are booming there are many opportunities with various fields where one can make a far better career so guidance provides guidance to an individual to possess a transparent glimpse on what to pursue and the way much duration it takes to finish the course and costs .In today’s world there are also multiple career choices starting from medicine to mass communications, engineering to event management, marine biology to information technology, culinary arts to music.

Choosing a field of study that’s not really suited to your interests or skills could prove disastrous. And that’s where career counseling comes in.

How career counseling works?

Career Counseling involves scientifically developed aptitude tests and personality tests that helps a career counselor give the simplest suited career advice to the scholar supported his report of his aptitude and personality. Human capacities are infinite and may never be measured, nor are we to gauge of what one can do. Every person has unique characteristics, for everybody has his or her own strengths and weaknesses. The key is to identify these unique qualities is through Psychometric Test and career counseling.

What does career counseling offer?

Making an Informed Choice to Choose a Career

Career counseling sessions helps the students to know the pros and cons of the different streams, courses and educational options and the career path it offers, thus the students can make an informed choice, and obtain a career assessment that helps avoid the danger of change in career path later in life. The importance of pinpointing the work cut out for every person can only be gauged when one sees the agony of utmost job misfits. So a career counseling and guidance is needed to help organize ones thoughts and ideas on career related decisions. It can boost the morale and confidence and provides new directions to the scholars which can be beneficial for the entire society. Career counseling helps students discover their true potential and interest in various subjects so as to assist them choose the proper career. Several institutes, including schools and colleges, today offer guidance through a series of aptitude and IQ tests. The tests usually have multiple-choice questions, which don’t got to be prepared for in any way.

Guidance to students

Career counseling is that the guidance given to a student on the road he/she should fancy achieve his/her goals. The advice and counseling provided is predicated on three deciding factors — personality, aptitude and interest.

No confusions

Friends and family can fairly often provide incorrect guidance because their parameters of judging a career choice might differ. A counselor is objective while giving guidance, with no considerations aside from aptitude and interest.

Job Satisfaction

Choosing a career that matches one’s aptitude and personality itself translates into professional success and recognition . The main aim of guidance is to assist students choose a field that’s in tune with their skills and their job expectations. Thus, with the assistance of guidance , most candidates find yourself choosing the proper career, and perform their utmost , which ultimately helps them succeed.

Though not many faculties in India give guidance to students, if your school doesn’t provide you professional counselors, you’ll always seek the assistance of independent counselors. It is always better to hunt professional guidance instead of choose something that the entire herd goes for.

Challenges Associated with Career Counseling

Encouraging Parents and students to take part in counseling is very difficult as people still have a perception that it is time-consuming.

For example in India, there are still 60% of individuals who don’t take career advice 70% of individuals under 14 say they need had no careers advice while 45% of people over 14 have had no or very poor/limited advice.

Over the previous couple of years, there has been a rise within the number of scholars choosing courses aside from engineering. While this is often a positive sign, there’s no doubting the very fact that engineering still remains a dominant choice of scholars pursuing higher studies.

People in India still have a perception that Government service is a secure career so they hesitate to take part in counseling sessions.
Financial problems often provide a drawback in students career even if he/she is good in studies students they visit the career fairs but fails for admissions due to lack of money.