Employment counsellor

An employment counsellor, also known as a career development professional, advises, coaches, provides information to, and supports people who are planning, seeking and managing their life/work direction.

Duties

Career development professionals help clients of all ages:

select education and training programs
balance work and other life roles
navigate career transitions and stages
enhance career satisfaction
find employment or self-employment opportunities, write résumés, develop portfolios and prepare for interviews.

Working with clients individually or in groups, career development professionals may:

help people develop a better appreciation of their unique characteristics and how those characteristics relate to career choices
use various assessment tools to help clients identify their interests, values, beliefs, lifestyle preferences, aptitudes and abilities, and relate them to the world of work
help clients identify educational requirements and develop training plans
facilitate career management and career decision-making workshops
work with clients who have disabilities, language and cultural differences, or other special needs that affect their employment prospects
help clients deal with barriers to achieving their career plans
help employed clients plan career laddering within organizations, cope successfully with job dissatisfaction, or make occupational or job changes
provide current labour market information to help clients make realistic occupational or employment decisions
market clients to potential employers and help clients find job or work experience placements
assist clients with implementing effective employment search strategies, writing résumés, and developing career portfolios and interview skills
plan and implement career and employment-related programs
refer clients to appropriate services to address their particular needs
work co-operatively with community groups and agencies, businesses and other organizations involved in providing career planning resources
use computers to write reports and proposals, and research information on the Internet
perform related administrative tasks such as keeping records.

Working conditions

Career development professionals may work in a variety of settings but usually work in offices where they can conduct private interviews with clients and in classrooms or boardrooms where they conduct group sessions. Depending on the organization, their hours of work may include some evening and weekend work.

Personal characteristics

Career development professionals need the following characteristics:

a genuine interest in and respect for people from all walks of life
patience, understanding and the ability to listen non-judgementally
excellent oral and written communication skills and presentation skills
objectivity and tact
the ability to motivate and inspire clients
the ability to facilitate communication in groups of eight to 20 people
good organizational and planning skills
the ability to work effectively with other professionals and community agencies.

They should enjoy consulting with people, compiling information and working with clients to develop innovative solutions to problems.

Educational requirements

Most career development professionals have post-secondary education in a related discipline such as psychology, education, social work or human resources development. Increasingly, employers are looking for applicants who have a certificate, diploma or degree in career development, or an equivalent combination of education and experience. One of the certifications that is available is the National Certified Counselor (NCC) credential.

References

External links

National Employment Counseling Association (U.S.A.)
National Career Development Association (U.S.A.)

Employment

Classifications	Casual Contingent Full-time Part-time Self-employed Independent contractor Temporary Tenure Wage labour

Hiring	Application Background check Business networking Contract Cover letter Curriculum Vitæ (CV) Drug testing e-recruitment Employment counsellor Executive search Induction programme Job fair Job fraud Job hunting Job interview Labour brokering Overqualification Onboarding Personality-Job Fit Theory Person-environment fit Probation Reference Résumé Simultaneous recruiting of new graduates Underemployment Work-at-home scheme

Roles	Co-op Employee Employer Internship Job Numerary Permanent Permatemp Supernumerary Supervisor Volunteer

Worker class	Blue-collar Gold-collar Green-collar Grey-collar Pink-collar White-collar

Career and training	Apprenticeship Avocation Career assessment Career counseling Career development Coaching Creative class Education Continuing education Continuing professional development E-learning Employability Further education Graduate school Induction training Initial Professional Development Knowledge worker Licensure Lifelong learning Practice-based professional learning Professional association Professional certification Professional development Reflective practice Retraining Vocational education Vocational school Vocational university Mentorship Occupational Outlook Handbook Profession Tradesman Vocation

Attendance	Break Career break Furlough Gap year Leave of absence Long service leave No call, no show Sabbatical Sick leave Time clock

Schedules	35-hour workweek Eight-hour day Flextime Four-day week Overtime Retroactive overtime Shift work Telecommuting Working time Workweek and weekend

Wages and salaries	Income bracket Income tax Living wage Maximum wage National average salary World Europe Minimum wage Canada Hong Kong Europe USA Progressive wage Singapore Overtime rate Paid time off Performance-related pay Salary Salary cap Working poor

Benefits	Annual leave Casual Friday Day care Disability insurance Health insurance Life insurance Parental leave Pension Sick leave Take-home vehicle

Safety and health	Epilepsy and employment Human factors and ergonomics Industrial noise Protective clothing Occupational burnout Occupational disease Occupational exposure limit Occupational health psychology Occupational injury Occupational stress Repetitive strain injury Sick building syndrome Work accident Occupational fatality Workers' compensation Workplace phobia Workplace wellness

Equality	Affirmative action Equal pay for women

Infractions	Corporate abuse Accounting scandals Corporate behaviour Corporate crime Control fraud Corporate scandals Discrimination Dress code Employee handbook Employee monitoring Evaluation Labour law Sexual harassment Sleeping while on duty Wage theft Whistleblower Workplace bullying Workplace harassment Workplace incivility

Willingness	Civil conscription Conscription Dead-end job Extreme careerism Job satisfaction Organizational commitment McJob Refusal of work Slavery Bonded labor Human trafficking Labor camp Penal labour Peonage Truck system Unfree labour Wage slavery Workaholic Work aversion Work ethic Work–life balance Downshifting Slow living

Termination	At-will employment Dismissal Banishment room Constructive dismissal Wrongful dismissal Employee exit management Exit interview Layoff Notice period Pink slip Resignation Letter of resignation Restructuring Retirement Mandatory retirement Retirement age Severance package Golden handshake Golden parachute Turnover

Unemployment	Barriers to Employment Depression Great Depression Long Depression Discouraged worker Frictional unemployment Full employment Graduate unemployment Jobless recovery Phillips curve Recession Great Recession Great Recession job losses List of recessions Recession-proof job Types of unemployment Unemployment Convention Unemployment benefits Unemployment extension Unemployment insurance Unemployment rates Employment rates Employment-to-population ratio Reserve army of labour Structural unemployment Technological unemployment Wage curve Youth unemployment

See also templates Aspects of corporations Aspects of jobs Aspects of occupations Aspects of organizations Aspects of workplaces Corporate titles Organized labor