Today, many young people still have a hard time deciding which career path to pursue. They usually have a problem with this because their interests and skills don’t match. Either the teen’s parents or whoever will be financially supporting his college education wants him to take a course that, unfortunately, he doesn’t like or isn’t interested in.
In such cases, teens can benefit greatly from talking to and seeking the advice of professional counselors. These counselors specialize in helping to point clients, especially young ones, in the right direction to find the right career path for them. They will assess their clients through certain tests and interviews to get an idea of where their talents or interests lie. After getting the results, they will make the appropriate career suggestions based on the answers the client gave during the tests and interviews.
However, the right career counselor to go to should not only be proficient at taking tests and handling interviews. He or she must have certain key qualities and traits which should include the following:
A genuine interest in others and in helping them. A good career counselor must have the drive and energy to accompany people through their best and worst moments. He or she must be fully present when listening to their clients’ stories, no matter how difficult or long. Keep in mind that a good career counselor should always have a sustained commitment to facilitating person-to-person connection and positive transformation.
Good listening skills. Effective listening is a key skill that any counselor must have. A good career counselor must not only listen to what is said, but also how it is said, why it is said, and what it means in the context of a particular client. The ideal career counselor should also be able to listen “behind the lines,” for things the client doesn’t say. This is because what a client leaves out of a session can speak just as clearly as what is communicated out loud. In addition, a good counselor must know how to listen without judging or evaluating.
Authenticity and accessibility. Lastly, a counselor must not only be accessible to their clients in order to gain their trust, but they must also be genuine and empathetic when listening and communicating with clients. The best career counselor must be adept at developing a genuine empathic connection with each client so that the counseling process can move forward and the counselor-client relationship can become stronger and more effective.
Read more helpful career counseling articles here.