Have you ever realized that work takes up a third of your life?
Some people seem to be born with a vocation. However, most of us drift into jobs, fall into careers, sometimes happily, sometimes not. I don’t know whether you got career advice when you were at school, but I remember my school careers service very clearly. It consisted of a few damp books in a rusty caravan. People had always fascinated me and how their minds tick. I looked into the Penguin A-Z of Careers under ”Psychology”, which said I needed 3 Science A levels to do a degree. As I was studying 3 languages that was the end of that!
About twenty years later, I bumped into someone who was working as an Open University tutor. Luckily, she told me that I could indeed study psychology without science A levels. And that was the beginning of a new career.
Psychology led me into Human Resources. While working as an HR Officer, I realized how many people were unhappy in their working lives. I went on to study for a Masters in Counselling, intending to become a Career Counsellor, as I realized (finally!) that this was my passion.
My experience working in recruitment meant that I developed some inside knowledge about how and why some candidates are picked for jobs while others are not. Competition is stiff for high-level professional jobs, and my first task was to sift through hundreds of applications, selecting a shortlist of candidates for interview. My efficiency depended on being able to scan a CV and decide “yes” or “no” in less than about 30 seconds. Needless to say, only the outstanding ones got through!
When I meet a client, the first thing I do is listen. People often don’t know what they need beyond getting a job! Some clients don’t know what they would like to do or have difficulty communicating their transferable skills. Other people may have unexpectantly been made redundant and need help in coming to terms with the situation and finding a new career.
I could be working on anything from exploring and discovering someone’s passions to getting them to understand their achievements and build up their confidence. Others may suddenly be faced with a job interview and panic that they haven’t had an interview for years, or indeed ever!
Career counseling is a collaborative process. I am there to help my client find their way, not just to find them a job. Work takes up a great deal of our time, so don’t we owe it to ourselves to do something we love? Successful career outcomes depend on your ability to reflect deeply on who you are and what you want to do. I have done just that myself, managing to turn my life around and find a job I love to do. I would love to help you do it too!
You can learn more about how Blue Sky Reflections can help you at:
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