Careers consultants (also known as careers coaches) provide guidance to people making decisions about their career. They are different from the careers advisers you may have come across at university or through a local authority or charity: they generally work with clients who have experience in the world of work rather than those just starting out.
They use their specialist skills in coaching and advice to guide people aiming for a promotion, those wanting to change career direction and those who need to find a new role.
Typical duties include:
- assessing clients' personal characteristics, skills and interests via one-to-one interviews, psychometric and personality tests and workshops
- providing advice and recommendations based on interviews and test results
- offering practical assistance with job seeking, applications/CVs, interviews and career management
- supporting people going through redundancy (this area of work is also known as ‘outplacement’)
- writing action plans, reports and careers literature
- marketing and promoting their services.