Career Counseling Services - Any Suggestions?

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  ycon on 25/02/2015 - 15:49

  Career Counselling is a great idea. I've heard fantastic things about them, but mainly from people who've worked in an industry for a few years and not liked what they've been doing. Have a chat to them first, and make sure it's for suitable for somebody in your position.

  Don't think of it as only finding the skills to get a job- but also for something bigger. It's also a way to try to find job that actually fulfills you (and doesn't just sit you at a desk getting paid).

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    ProjectZero on 25/02/2015 - 16:03

    Yeah, honestly, I'm not sure what kind of role I would like to go for at this stage. I used to want to go into Org psych but I don't think that is for me anymore.

    Had a chat with a possible counseling service before but the cost a bit too steep for me and was hoping there would be somewhere with it being slightly cheaper. It is an investment, but the initial investment is a little higher than I can afford at this since I have a mortgage.

    He talked about perhaps getting some psych evaluation to see what kind of career would be suited for me.

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      2ndeffort on 25/02/2015 - 16:29

      Seriously…Myers Briggs, Emotional Profiling, Prometric Testing…I've done loads of these. Kind of useful but you need to know something about what you want to do. I'm not aware of any test/service where somebody will identify that you need to be a Lion Tamer in a Vegas Cirque de Soleil show! Best you will get is a general indication that you prefer a creative environment or that you would work best as a member of a team etc. Do you really need to pay loads to find that out?

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        ProjectZero on 25/02/2015 - 16:34

        Exactly, I don't really want to pay out of my butt to do a bunch of testing to get some vague results. I do have a general idea of what I would like to do but having said that. Doing these test may also help narrow down the career paths I am interested in.

        As I said in my OP, I don't even know what my current skills are relevant to the jobs I am looking for. Perhaps doing these test will clarify it a bit.

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  2ndeffort on 25/02/2015 - 16:26

  +1

  Honestly, several years ago I was thinking about a change. I went along to a prominent professional version of one of these counselling organisations. After a couple of interviews I was advised that they had decided to accept me and help me…the cost was going to be about $12K although they had some payment plans etc arranged if I couldn't pay upfront.

  I cant remember if I knocked anybody over as I sprinted out of the place!

  I can see the value in having some career advice and I am sure there are knowledgeable and genuine folks out there but be very careful. Generally many of the 'headhunters' or 'flesh peddlers' or 'HR resourcing Consultants' work on a commission basis. They put you forward and you win the job, they get 15% ish of whatever your annual salary is as a commission. They are obviously incentivised to work harder with high value and highly saleable prospects versus low chance or low value prospects.

  The lower end of the game they normally trawl a number of databases looking for keywords to find good prospects. I know a few that I have worked with in the past both as a potential prospect and as a customer. Like any Business deal, a win-win situation goes a long way to developing a good relationship. Are you on LinkedIn? If not get a profile there ASAP. How well connected are you? Do you know people in organisations that could recommend you for a job?

  You dont need a great CV, you need a good CV. I am not sure that paying a packet for a CV is worth it, I have won senior exec roles with CV's I knocked up at home on MS Word on the home PC. Relevance and demonstrated performance are what you need to convey. If I am an employer why would I take a chance on you? What have you done and what can you demonstrate to lower the risk that i would be hiring a DUD? SHow your achievements and make sure it is very relevant to the advertised position.

  I too have an HR Degree that I have never used, received it back in the late 90's. I also have an MBA but despite having no direct qualifications in the fields, I have been working at senior exec level roles in Engineering and BD/Sales for the last 13 or so years. Think of yourself as a product and ask why a potential employer would 'buy' you. Whay are you a compelling prospect for them versus wherever else they could spend their $$$.

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    ProjectZero on 25/02/2015 - 17:55

    You dont need a great CV, you need a good CV. I am not sure that paying a packet for a CV is worth it, I have won senior exec roles with CV's I knocked up at home on MS Word on the home PC. Relevance and demonstrated performance are what you need to convey.

    I wholeheartedly agree, however, finding relevant performance from my current role is my current downfall. I can not for the life of me figure out what would be relevant to the roles that I have tried to apply for, this is of course a weakness and needs to be addressed.

    I also lack the experience in writing up CV and cover letters. In my entire life, the current role I have is the one I got straight out of uni 4 years ago. As such, I've never written alot of CV until recently. TBH, I'd gladly pay to have someone with experience to seat down and go through it once with me.

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      plmko on 25/02/2015 - 18:02

      Many universities, such as Melb Uni, have counselling services such as check your CV, up 5 years post graduation. Maybe start with that.

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        ProjectZero on 25/02/2015 - 21:21

        Hmmm… might go Mac Uni and check it out then… not too sure if they will still do it cause I think I'm borderlining 5 years at this point i think.

        -edit-

        Doesn't seem to be a go, the careerhub thing seems to be locked out for current students and recent grads.

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  srhardy on 26/02/2015 - 08:10

  My saying is as follows;

  those that can do
  those that cant teach
  those that shouldn't tell others what to do
  but only the truly incompetent get promoted out of positions where they can do real damage!

  …and that explains how your boss got their job!

  SteveH

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    ProjectZero on 26/02/2015 - 09:18

    +2

    Lol… i thought there was an addition to it as well…

    and those who can't teach… teach gym…

    can't remember what movie I heard that in.

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      OpayuOnam on 26/02/2015 - 10:56

      +1

      School of Rock… wow it's been 12 years!

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  Eca1 on 26/02/2015 - 09:04

  +1

  Hi, there are some psychologists who specialise in this field, but they will cost. Suggest you look for some books on CV writing and finding a job etc. Try ebooks on Amazon, your local library or just do a Google search. These might throw up an idea or two.
  Ask the advice of people who are doing what you would like to do. Ring them up. If you want to get into org psych call the Australian Psychological Society and see if someone there would meet you and offer advice. Contact their College of Org Psychs and see if you could send an email to their members. Look up the APS Psychexchange job ads each week. There are heaps of very interesting vacancies each week posted on the EthicalJobs website. If you can, volunteer to get experience. EG the City of Hume will place people in volunteer roles as close as possible to their intended careers. Some of the bargain websites eg Our Deal, Living Social etc have deals for CV help for a very low cost from time to time. I haven't tried them so don't know how good they are. maybe Centrelink has an advisory service?
  Some of these ideas might be a help. Best wishes. I hope you find a suitable job soon.

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    ProjectZero on 26/02/2015 - 09:22

    Thanks mate, might look into some CV things first. Never thought about volunteer roles as I always thought it was always charity work…

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      Eca1 on 28/02/2015 - 10:52

      You Tube has some useful videos on applying for a job too!
      As much as you can, net work, net work and network. Strongly advise to talk with people currently in the role you seek.

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        ProjectZero on 02/03/2015 - 08:57

        Hmm… never thought of checking Youtube.

        Might give that a look, thanks!

        Also, I've heard of people saying to talk to people in the role you seek… but I never really understood that, I mean I have friends that do Marketing and I've spoken to them and it seems their job is pretty interesting and sounds like it would suit me but that's all I've gathered from it.

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  2ndeffort on 27/02/2015 - 11:27

  I have probably been working in sales for too long but if you are open-minded and creative there are always ways to draw relevance to a new field from the experience you already have. Just because you might not have loads of experience in the new career field there would be some relevance from what you have already done. You need to build a bridge and show that relevance to a potential new employer via your CV.

  My teenage son is trying to get a part-time job now. He had a short term job in a fish and chip shop. My son doesnt want to mention this job in his resume because he doesnt see any relevance to jobs he is now applying for. Obviously he doesnt have a lot of experience so I tell him he cant afford to not mention the fish and chip shop job. I tell him that he should be mentioning things like handling money, taking customer orders, dealing with the public. No need to mention that the owner stopped calling you to come in favour of the son of a friend that could speak greek (apparently the language used by the staff in the shop).

  There would be things you have done in your previous jobs that hare highly relevant to a new vocation, you need to take an inventory and compare what you have and what they need/want in the new career. Unless you are looking to move into something very well defined such as a surgeon or fireman etc, many jobs are pretty vague in terms of the skills they need. Draw up your skills inventory and caompare what you have and what they need. Be creative and tyr to find a way to show how your skills and achievements are relevant to the new vocation.

  Consider a 'transition job'. I had a friend that worked for a while in 'consulting', ostensibly because through consulting he could get some experience in a new field. After a year or 2 he quit the consulting firm and moved into a career in his new field using his consulting experience and credentials. As somebody that has sold consultants to big companies, let me tell you we can be very creative at finding ways to get marginally qiualified people 'off the bench' and into new roles with customers, many of which expand the experience of those folks.

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  Wallyt99 on 23/03/2015 - 20:26

  +1

  Perhaps buy 'what colour is your parachute?' its a good book to help people just like you.

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    ProjectZero on 24/03/2015 - 11:38

    Thanks will have a look into that. =)