Career and Employment Counselors

Counselors should have skills in conducting individual and group sessions to identify career goals; administering and interpreting tests that assess abilities and interests and identify career options; assisting in developing resumes and individualized career plans; and teaching job-hunting strategies. Employers look for individuals who have good listening, speaking, and people skills, because these counselors must be able to communicate with and show empathy with many different types of people, sometimes in difficult situations, including job stress, job loss, and career transition. The best candidates for counseling jobs are sociable, flexible, and cooperative by nature, show self-control and tolerance for stress, take individual initiative and leadership roles, and are honest and dependable in their dealings with others.

In order to succeed as a career counselor, you must have a good background in education, training, employment trends, the current labor market, and career resources. You should be able to provide your clients with information about job tasks, functions, salaries, requirements, and the future outlook of broad occupational fields.

Knowledge of testing techniques and measures of aptitude, achievement, interests, values, and personality is required. The ability to evaluate job performance and individual effectiveness is helpful. You must also have management and administrative skills.