What is a careers advisor?
A careers advisor helps people make realistic choices about their education, training and work by providing the right advice, information and guidance. The career advisor role involves assisting clients in making decisions about their future and reaching their full potential.
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The role is about building relationships with your clients, with the goal of empowering them to make strong choices. Working to improve self-awareness and suggesting areas for development will encourage the setting of positive and achievable objectives. As well as one-to-one sessions, there’s also the possibility of delivering group workshops.
What skills does a careers advisor need?
- Strong communication, observational and listening skills
- The ability to motivate and build a rapport with people
- A flexible and adaptable approach to work
- An empathetic, non-judgmental and ethical approach
- The ability to work autonomously and manage your own caseload
- Team working skills and the capability to work under pressure
- Organisational and problem-solving skills
- Familiarity with technology
- The ability to build a productive working relationship with your client in a short space of time
- A non-judgmental attitude and the ability to connect with people from diverse backgrounds
- The ability to motivate and inspire
- An understanding of your own beliefs that may influence your responses
- Knowledge of confidentiality
- Excellent organisational skills to manage clients and associated paperwork
- Networking skills for widening your client base and gaining contacts within the coaching industry.
What qualifications do you need to become a careers advisor?
There are two main different ways to qualify as a careers advisor:
- Undertake a specialist postgraduate degree
- Train on the job in the workplace
Graduates with degrees in any subject can apply for a specialist postgraduate degree. The Career Development Institute (CDI) provide details of supported training available, please see link below.
How to become a careers advisor?
You can gain experience while studying for your postgraduate degree at The University of Law Business School. We can help you prepare for your future career from day one by developing advising skills and expertise that you can put into practice immediately. You will have access to various services such as networking events, workshops, development webinars, thought leadership content and careers resources.
Useful links
For more information on jobs and what to expect from this career, please visit some of the most widely used sites for careers support.
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