Study this Careers Counselling By Distance Learning as a start to a great new career!
Finding the right career is not so simple any more. There are many options available and people do not always stick to the same career through their whole life. This has led to an increase in careers counsellors in paid employment and working for themselves. If you want to open up your career options, then answer this question –
Do you want to be a Career Counsellor?
Career Counselling is much more than just finding people work.
Among other things, Careers Counselling may involve helping people:
- discover their goals and motivations
- connect with their values, and what job satisfaction means to them
- identify the best job for their skills and interests
- determine their strengths and weaknesses, identifying areas where they may require development
- discuss their financial situation to help find solutions
- find a better or more appropriate job for their situation
- achieve job satisfaction through appropriate choices
- plan and cope with career changes
- better adapt to the workplace
- improve their potential for advancement in the workplace
- identify new career possibilities when circumstances change.
Career counselling provides you with many different opportunities. You may wish to specialise with a particular demographic, for example University students, mothers re-entering the workforce, people going through a mid-life crisis, high level corporate people looking for a more meaningful career… the list is endless – the important question here is, where do your interests lie?
Potential job opportunities:
- Work for yourself
- Use your skills in an HR position
- Work in an employment agency
- Work for an education facility
- Become a consultant for large organisations
Become a Careers Counsellor
In the past careers were a simple process – people would study or learn a skill, then get a job at the bottom of an organisation and spend their life in the same career, moving up in the organisation until retirement.
These days, there are so many opportunities available to us. This can lead to a considerable amount of confusion, and numerous career changes over a lifetime.
As a Career Counsellor, it is your job to guide people to find the career of their dreams so they can live fulfilled and happy lives – sound good?? Find out more…
How Does an Employer Choose Staff?
A good careers counsellor or employment officer should understand how employers go about choosing their staff.
Every employer is different, in that different criteria are given different priorities, by different employers. For a job seeker to have the best chance of employment, they need to understand the full range of criteria that might be considered, and do their utmost to present themselves in a positive light with respect to every one of those criteria.
How Employers might Select Temporary Workers, Casual Workers or Contractors
There are different types of workers who may be required in small businesses who are not fulltime or permanent employees. There are advantages to having some non-permanent staff. For instance, they may only be needed for several hours per week e.g. a cleaner, or it may be cheaper to employ a contractor for a particular project rather than keep them on fulltime. Of course, it can mean that you have to put a lot of time and effort into finding new temporary staff or contractors. For some businesses it is as well to have a framework of permanent staff who can train temporary staff and contractors where needed.
As with recruiting permanent staff, for many positions an interview will be required. You might be looking at a person to work for you temporarily in a variety of capacities such as:
- On a one-off basis (e.g. fixed length contract for a project)
- Carrying out some repair work on your website
- Doing regular updates on your website
- Helping with relocation of a business
- A cleaner
- A gardener
- A delivery driver
Some of these positions may be regular or semi-permanent e.g. the same day a week, or over a period of time. Others may be more sporadic. You may require a consultant to do work as required on a regular basis, such as a marketing advisor, who you pay as a freelancer once a month.
Regardless of the need, to attract suitable candidates takes some pre-planning. If you leave your recruitment until the last minute then you will only be filling a position when the time comes from a relatively smaller pool of applicants. If you think ahead, you can begin looking for potential recruits before they are needed and approach them when you are ready. If you are prepared to spend time sourcing the right personnel they may well hold off on taking other conflicting positions if they know there is likelihood of employment with you. It does also mean that you need to offer competitive rates of remuneration so you have to be aware of what others in your industry are paying.
Assessing Individual Qualities
When it comes to interviewing, you’ll need to be familiar with the personal qualities that may be required. These will vary in accordance with the particular role. For instance, for some positions a smart appearance may be paramount. If the individual is to front the public and represent the organisation or business directly then they will need to be presentable. If they are working for the company from home, this may not be so important. For any position it is worth drawing up a list of required qualities and a list of preferred or desirable qualities. For example, if a receptionist is sought a list may look something like this:
- Required Qualities
- Punctuality
- Well-presented
- Well-spoken
- Good communication skills
- Politeness
Desirable Qualities
- Ability to work independently
- Openness to learn new tasks
- Able to work flexible hours
- Good working memory
- Knowledge of other languages
- Multicultural awareness
There may be other preferences relating to the industry and who the receptionist is likely to be dealing with. Other qualities might be things which you can help to nurture through on-the-job training. In addition to personal qualities, skills and qualifications may need assessing.
Assessing Skills and Qualifications
To review requirements in terms of qualifications you need to look at the actual job role and skills required. For instance, continuing with the position of receptionist:
- Ability to type
- Ability to type x number of words per minute
- Knowledge of computers
- Awareness of how to use email
- Familiarity with particular computer software
- Knowledge of invoicing
- Office skills
- Bookkeeping skills
- Certificates, diplomas or other qualifications
For each qualification or skill, references may be required or documents to prove they have been acquired. Previous experience may be verified through consulting referees or contacting past employers.
When recruiting for a position an employer or manager must comply with employment practices as established through national or local government policies. That is recruitment and selection must be equitable. Employers are not able to discriminate on the grounds of race, age, religion, skin colour, sex or gender. It is also not fair to discriminate against a person on account of them having a disability if it does not affect their ability to undertake the role they are being sought for.
Other precautions when employing non-permanent staff include ensuring you have appropriate security measures in place for property and items of value to the company, including access to accounts, to avoid any potential losses. Adequate and suitable insurance may also be needed to compensate for any work related injuries or disputes
Course Content & Structure:
Core Modules
- Careers Counselling
- Counselling Skills
- Life Coaching
Elective Modules – You will be required to choose three modules from the list below
- Business Studies I
- Counselling Skills II
- Introduction to Psychology
- Counselling Techniques
- Professional Practice in Counselling
- Professional Supervision
- Business Coaching
To gain the certificate, you must submit all assignments and complete an examination at the end of each module, so six in total. Exams can be taken at a time and location to suit you.
Each of these modules can also be studied as a standalone course if you prefer.
How Does an Employer Choose Staff?
A good careers counsellor or employment officer should understand how employers go about choosing their staff.
Every employer is different, in that different criteria are given different priorities, by different employers. For a job seeker to have the best chance of employment, they need to understand the full range of criteria that might be considered, and do their utmost to present themselves in a positive light with respect to every one of those criteria.
How Employers might Select Temporary Workers, Casual Workers or Contractors
There are different types of workers who may be required in small businesses who are not fulltime or permanent employees. There are advantages to having some non-permanent staff. For instance, they may only be needed for several hours per week e.g. a cleaner, or it may be cheaper to employ a contractor for a particular project rather than keep them on fulltime. Of course, it can mean that you have to put a lot of time and effort into finding new temporary staff or contractors. For some businesses it is as well to have a framework of permanent staff who can train temporary staff and contractors where needed.
As with recruiting permanent staff, for many positions an interview will be required. You might be looking at a person to work for you temporarily in a variety of capacities such as:
- On a one-off basis (e.g. fixed length contract for a project)
- Carrying out some repair work on your website
- Doing regular updates on your website
- Helping with relocation of a business
- A cleaner
- A gardener
- A delivery driver
Some of these positions may be regular or semi-permanent e.g. the same day a week, or over a period of time. Others may be more sporadic. You may require a consultant to do work as required on a regular basis, such as a marketing advisor, who you pay as a freelancer once a month.
Regardless of the need, to attract suitable candidates takes some pre-planning. If you leave your recruitment until the last minute then you will only be filling a position when the time comes from a relatively smaller pool of applicants. If you think ahead, you can begin looking for potential recruits before they are needed and approach them when you are ready. If you are prepared to spend time sourcing the right personnel they may well hold off on taking other conflicting positions if they know there is likelihood of employment with you. It does also mean that you need to offer competitive rates of remuneration so you have to be aware of what others in your industry are paying.
Assessing Individual Qualities
When it comes to interviewing, you’ll need to be familiar with the personal qualities that may be required. These will vary in accordance with the particular role. For instance, for some positions a smart appearance may be paramount. If the individual is to front the public and represent the organisation or business directly then they will need to be presentable. If they are working for the company from home, this may not be so important. For any position it is worth drawing up a list of required qualities and a list of preferred or desirable qualities. For example, if a receptionist is sought a list may look something like this:
- Required Qualities
- Punctuality
- Well-presented
- Well-spoken
- Good communication skills
- Politeness
Desirable Qualities
- Ability to work independently
- Openness to learn new tasks
- Able to work flexible hours
- Good working memory
- Knowledge of other languages
- Multicultural awareness
There may be other preferences relating to the industry and who the receptionist is likely to be dealing with. Other qualities might be things which you can help to nurture through on-the-job training. In addition to personal qualities, skills and qualifications may need assessing.
Assessing Skills and Qualifications
To review requirements in terms of qualifications you need to look at the actual job role and skills required. For instance, continuing with the position of receptionist:
- Ability to type
- Ability to type x number of words per minute
- Knowledge of computers
- Awareness of how to use email
- Familiarity with particular computer software
- Knowledge of invoicing
- Office skills
- Bookkeeping skills
- Certificates, diplomas or other qualifications
For each qualification or skill, references may be required or documents to prove they have been acquired. Previous experience may be verified through consulting referees or contacting past employers.
When recruiting for a position an employer or manager must comply with employment practices as established through national or local government policies. That is recruitment and selection must be equitable. Employers are not able to discriminate on the grounds of race, age, religion, skin colour, sex or gender. It is also not fair to discriminate against a person on account of them having a disability if it does not affect their ability to undertake the role they are being sought for.
Other precautions when employing non-permanent staff include ensuring you have appropriate security measures in place for property and items of value to the company, including access to accounts, to avoid any potential losses. Adequate and suitable insurance may also be needed to compensate for any work related injuries or disputes