What is a Careers Consultant?

Have you considered making an appointment with a Careers Consultant but didn't get round to it? Are you unsure if it will be helpful? Are you nervous about having a plan or being well prepared? We talked to Rebecca Clacy-Jones about her role as a Careers Consultant at the University, and how she and her colleagues can help guide you, whatever your circumstances or your starting point.

Image
Careers Consultant

The Careers Service mission statement talks about inspiring and empowering students and graduates to define their vision of success and make informed decisions about their career – and I really agree with that.

Encouraging active career management is really important to me, and it was a key motivator for my decision to study career development and move into higher education after working in recruitment, HR and project management.

It’s quite easy to think about our career stretching out in front of us like a ladder where we increasingly get better at a specific job, but the reality for most people is a career full of twists and turns, some expected and some surprising. Developing the ability to reflect on what has happened in the past, on your skills and strengths, and on the opportunities that are available in the outside world early in your career means that you can take action to adapt to changes in the labour market and with technology and to develop meaningful careers and lives.

It’s quite easy to think about our career stretching out in front of us like a ladder where we increasingly get better at a specific job, but the reality for most people is a career full of twists and turns, some expected and some surprising.

What to expect

Our graduate coaching appointments enable us to work intensively with graduates so that they can make the progress that they need. I would typically start an appointment with a new graduate with a check in, to understand what their biggest concerns are and what they want to achieve during our conversation, and then we work together to agree a plan for the session.

Graduates might book an appointment because they are feeling lost, and unsure of the best way forward, so we might spend time reviewing their experiences so far, at university, but also thinking about part time jobs, work experience, volunteering and hobbies. Sometimes I might support the student to identify patterns in what they have enjoyed or succeeded in, and to explore ideas for their next steps by thinking about sectors and jobs which might suit them.

Graduates also book appointments to review their CV or an application form, to prepare for an interview, to put together a longer term career plan, or because they want to talk though a job offer or their current job with someone independent.

During any appointment, I encourage the graduate to set and records goals and actions for themselves and I make sure they have the tools and resources to complete them. Actions might include specific activities for self-reflection, conducting research into jobs, sectors or companies, networking, writing a CV, or preparing for an interview. If appropriate, we can arrange follow up meetings to check in on the progress they have made against their goals and to continue the conversation.

Sometimes I might support the student to identify patterns in what they have enjoyed or succeeded in, and to explore ideas for their next steps by thinking about sectors and jobs which might suit them.

It is about the individual

Simply put,  we make sure new graduates get the best and most relevant information and advice by taking the time to understand each individuals concerns and tailoring our response to meet your needs. As a Careers Service, we have a wealth of knowledge about job sectors and industries, and regularly meet with employers, industry bodies and sector advisory groups, and are avid consumers of labour market information (we frequently call this LMI) so we can and do share this expertise.

Often though, the most useful part of what we do is sign post graduates to where they can get the specific information that they need. This might involve using specific job boards or resources, but is also likely to include using or building a network: forming relationships with others, attending events and asking questions so you can understand trends, developments and skill requirements within organisations.

Preparation

The Careers Service has a whole range of resources and activities which you can accesses through the website, so starting there makes sense. The Graduate Toolkits are really useful – they can help you to clarify your thinking, whether you are uncertain about what you want from a career or you know exactly what you want but need some help to get there. Using some of the practical activities within the toolkits can help you focus so the time you spend in an appointment is productive.

For example, if you follow the top tips guide to interviews and watch some of our session recordings, then you will have an overview of interview types and question answering techniques, so that when you meet a Careers Consultant for a practice interview session, you can focus on putting what you have learnt into action, and get personalised feedback.

Making a difference

When graduates say things like ‘I hadn’t considered that as an option’ or ‘It does seem simple from that angle’ or even ‘I didn’t know I could do that’ I feel I have made a difference to the way that someone feels about themselves or their options. A few recent examples that stand out:

A final year student booked an appointment because they had applied for ‘hundreds of jobs’ without success, and they were feeling frustrated and a bit miserable. When we started talking it was clear that they were feeling uncertain about what they wanted to do and when I looked at a recent unsuccessful application, I could see that the uncertainty was visible in the CV and cover letter. I helped the student to review their career goals and to really think about the skills they wanted to use and the values that were important to them. I gave some suggestions on ways to tailor their CV to each application, and to start proactively networking in the industry they were passionate about – and it paid off – they were invited to interview and ultimately offered a job.

During an interview preparation session recently, I was able to share with a graduate, that often the casual parts of the interview process – ‘meet the team’, or ‘a quick chat about the role’ can also be part of the interview process. The graduate got back in touch a few weeks later to say that when the HR manager called to offer them the job, they specifically said how impressed the rest of the team were when they met her after the official interview and that had been what made her stand out against other candidates.

When we started talking it was clear that they were feeling uncertain about what they wanted to do and when I looked at a recent unsuccessful application, I could see that the uncertainty was visible in the CV and cover letter. I helped the student to review their career goals and to really think about the skills they wanted to use and the values that were important to them.

Make an appointment

If you are interested in talking to Rebecca or one of her colleagues, you can book an appointment now on MyCareerHub.

Book an appointment