How can a career counselor help me?

Career counselors are experts in professional development, so they are the ideal people to help us in any aspect related to it: from the vocational choice to the rethinking of goals, going, of course, through the job search. They usually have specific training in Educational Guidance and a basic training in Psychology, Pedagogy or Psychopedagogy or other social sciences such as Sociology.

We must be clear that the main role of the counselor, as its name suggests, it is guide, guide. That is, we should not go to him thinking that he will do the work for us, that we can forget to send resumes and sit and wait for him to call us with the job offer of our dreams. Quite the opposite. We will have to work on our projects - a lot! - but we will be able to do it in the right direction, saving time and effort thanks to your indications and guidelines..

If this discourages you, consider it in the following way: when you go to the doctor because you suffer from an ailment, it does not cure you instantly, but it gives you some guidelines so that you get better, which can range from taking a medication for a few days which could involve minimal effort) to having to make changes in habits and lifestyles that can be real odysseys.

That is, we we are active subjects in our own orientation process. We take the compass that they offer us but we have to take care of learning to use it and walking in the direction we want.

Career guidance can help me:

• Get to know myself better: my interests, my aptitudes, my abilities, my weaknesses, etc..
• Clarify my vocation: what do I want to dedicate myself to?.
• Learn to plan.
• Learn to make decisions.
• Develop a job search plan.
• Know the current labor market situation (local, national and international).
• Know the training offer.
• Integrate the professional project into the life project, contributing to personal development.
• Facing transition stages: training → labor market; employment → unemployment; employment → retirement.

The ultimate goal of career guidance is for the targeted person to become self-sufficient, giving them the necessary tools and strategies so that they can self-guide themselves in the future..

We should not confuse professional orientation with the orientation that takes place in schools, which, on the other hand, is the best known. This type of guidance is aimed at children and adolescents and, although common aspects are worked with professional guidance such as vocational guidance, it focuses mainly on learning problems, special educational needs, curricular adaptations, etc..

Where can I get career guidance?

In Spain there are various organizations and entities in which we can request, mostly free of charge, the accompaniment of a counselor on our way to achieve some professional achievement. Among them it is worth highlighting:

• The Public Employment Service (SEPE): Perhaps it is the best-known orientation service in our country, since they usually give an appointment with orientation when applying for a job application, especially if we want to enroll in specific programs such as Youth Guarantee (for those under 30 years of age).

• • Universities: each university usually has a counseling center or service and some also have a counselor per faculty. They focus mainly on job search guidance, as well as on the management of internships in companies and mobility programs.

• Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs): Those whose tasks are related to the promotion of employment (such as the Spanish Red Cross or Ecos do Sur) usually have professional orientation programs, although to be able to access one of them, certain characteristics must be met, for example: not having higher education, being unemployed for a long time, being an immigrant, etc. depending on the type of organization and program.

• Employment agencies: are entities that work in collaboration with the SEPE acting as intermediaries between companies looking for workers and workers looking for a job.

• In other entities such as Town councils, Unions or Professional Associations we can also find professional guidance services.

Now that you know how career guidance can help you and where to find guidance counselors, don't hesitate to request support on your way to success!!