Our Approach to Career Counseling and Coaching

We help people untangle the complex and nuanced questions they are sitting with, develop a decision criteria for evaluating their next steps, and as your co-pilot, offer a space to reflect and move more concretely and confidently towards professional satisfaction. We take a customized approach towards our clients; while clients have similarities, there are also unique factors that need to be addressed such as what’s meaningful for you, your responsibilities outside of work, your physical, emotional, and spiritual well-being, and your financial situation, to name a few.

We listen deeply to you and your experience, as you are the expert in your own life. Our approach is collaborative, educational, and experiential. We believe ethically that it is critical to stay up to date on how applicant tracking systems work, the economic landscape for different industries and fields, and overall best practices in career development. You are the driver of the process and as career coaches, we are your co-pilot to help figure out the path of the GPS of where you are going. We work best with motivated humans who are willing to show up and reflect on who they want to be in the world.

Career Counseling and Career Coaching FAQ’s

Is it worth it to see a Career Counselor or a Career Coach?

Many people are unhappy or unfulfilled  in their jobs because they are not sure if they’re in the right place. 1,680. That’s the number of hours in ONE year …if you work 35 hours per week, 48 weeks.

That’s quite a chunk of your life. How do you want to spend it? Think of your daily investment of time, energy, and money into work. It makes sense to meet with a trained professional who can help you zoom out and make sure you are making the most of your working hours in service to your overall wellbeing.

1. Benefits include:

   • The opportunity to think about the contribution you want to make with your work, not just a job

   • A greater awareness of potential work fits or career paths that increase your daily satisfaction

   • Connecting your values, interests, and skills to additional work options

   • Setting realistic goals and support to achieve them as you think along the longer professional path

How do I find the right career counselor?

This is an investment of your time, energy, and money, and it’s important to find the right fit. First, evaluate: 

1. Training, credentials, and experience

2. Verify experience - is it in helping people like you? 

3. Previous client reviews - what can you learn from others who have worked with this person?

Here’s some questions to ask to see if you feel comfortable with the professional:

• What is your career guidance philosophy? 

• How do you determine a good outcome for clients?

• What other questions should I ask that I haven’t asked? 

What do career counselors do? 

We help you understand which roles, environments, and tasks are a good fit for you. We help people explore the question “What else is out there?” and better develop a career path, leaving clients feeling more satisfied with their professional lives. 

What’s the difference between a career coach and a career counselor?

Please know that neither a career counselor or a career coach will jump to “fix” your issue and tell you what job to pursue.  We provide you with information and support to understand how you fit into various options and make decisions based on the other variables in your life both now and the future. 

Career Counselor Training: Often a Master of Arts degree in Counseling (which entails studies and practice on working with diverse individuals from various life background experiences, special training in how to listen, understand adult development, counseling theories, best practices, and various frameworks of implementation). In addition, career counselors take additional coursework in career counseling and may pursue additional training or certifications in career development. 

Career Coach Training: There are certified coaching programs which specialize in helping people in their career advancement. Not all career coaches seek education and training; some use their prior professional experience in Human Resources, recruiting, hiring, resume writing, etc. as a platform for their career coaching services. 

Certifications: Career development training to better understand how one’s personal attributes (interests, values, life stage, skills, natural aptitudes, personality, and strengths) come to align in the world of work. Certifications also provide information about the different industries in demand and the training, skills, and education that go along each pathway, resume development, interviewing techniques, and network building; helping clients build those skills for themselves.

Coaching Philosophy: Career coaching is not like sports coaching where the coach is the expert - instructing the players on how and when to make a move. Career coaches meet their clients where they are and not where they think they should be. Coaches ask powerful questions to help you understand your situation better, and create awareness to think critically of how you are perceiving your circumstances, identify other “right ways,” or “perfect outcomes,” and engage you in opportunities for small mindset shifts that can add up to create a larger impact in your life. 

Get help from a career counselor / career coach

We know what it’s like to be in a job that is not a good fit, leaving you feeling confused, stressed, or stuck. We can help you sort out your questions, figure out your criteria to make decisions to move forward, and map out a plan for next steps. The purpose of coaching is for you to achieve a new perspective on your situation from which you have clarity on how to move forward towards beneficial outcomes.

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