I need help finding a NYC career counselor
June 19, 2011 8:16 AM Subscribe
I am seeking a career counselor in New York City and am wary of the hyper "life coach" type counselors or the ones who guarantee unrealistic results. I simply need help planning my next move and dealing with a huge gap in my resume due to the economic downturn and my decision not to move away from NYC. I am in the government/non-profit field and have an M.P.A. Any suggestions? Many thanks!
What do you want to get out of seeing a career counselor that you can't get on your own? Most career counselors will tell you that you need to come up with an elevator pitch and then go network with people. That's not really advice that you need to pay for.
It is possible that, in conjunction with your concerns about your career path, you have some anxiety or depression, or whatnot. But those are issues that a career counselor is ill-equipped to help you deal with. And if those are the real reasons underlying your questions, then I would see a conventional therapist.
On the other hand, if the question you have is strictly limited to "How do I network?" or something along those lines, then a career counselor can be of some limited use, assuming he or she can provide you with concrete steps on how to do this.
But, really, I tend to think most career counselors are unnecessary for most people.
posted by dfriedman at 9:15 AM on June 19, 2011 [1 favorite]
It is possible that, in conjunction with your concerns about your career path, you have some anxiety or depression, or whatnot. But those are issues that a career counselor is ill-equipped to help you deal with. And if those are the real reasons underlying your questions, then I would see a conventional therapist.
On the other hand, if the question you have is strictly limited to "How do I network?" or something along those lines, then a career counselor can be of some limited use, assuming he or she can provide you with concrete steps on how to do this.
But, really, I tend to think most career counselors are unnecessary for most people.
posted by dfriedman at 9:15 AM on June 19, 2011 [1 favorite]
Disclosure: I'm a career counselor at a university.
If you attended university, have you checked to see if your university can see you as an alum? usually it's low cost, or at my institution, we do a set number of appointments for free.
And I'll say it: I think many people don't have a good career support interaction, often because the career counselors" or "career coaches" or "life coaches" over-promise or don't set realistic expectations, or the person seeking assistance sort of has unreasonable expectations of what they'd like this person to be able to do for them. In general, it helps to have a conversation very early on about what each side expects/can do.
But if you're going to go this route, and you were my sibling, and I really, really cared about you, here's what I'd tell you. Career counseling is a balance of:
1. Content knowledge: I know the field that you want to enter/advance in.
2. Skill set: I know self assessment/career exploration, as well as job search strategies (how to help someone tailor application materials and interview and negotiate a job offer well in that specific career path).
3. Connections: I have a track record of working with people in these specific fields, and can make useful, informed suggestions about how people have broken into into and succeed in the field. If you ask a question I can't answer, I have contacts in the field who can give me insight.
4. Style: The way I work/ teach is compatible with how you learn or what you want to focus on.
And when career counseling goes bad, it's because one of those four things is off.
For example, "content": I have a colleague, who is a pretty awesome career counselor, but only if you're going into engineering, or are going into the biotech field. So he can help you self assess your interests and strengths, but can only offer really useful advice about people/articles/books/professional associations/companies/job titles, etc. in engineering and biotech. But if you like public health, as soon as you discover what that you're a good fit for public health, he has nothing useful to share with you. Because he doesn't know the field.
Or "style": Some career/life folks looooveeee to help people discover their values/interests, etc. - the self assessment. Others like helping people explore and decide on a career choice. Others are all about helping people who have already decided what career path they want, but need to present themselves well in application materials and negotiate a strong compensation package. But it's hard to find counselors who are really triple threats: really like, and are skilled and knowledgable in all three. I think the problem with folks in my field, from career counselor to life coaches or whatever, is that we aren't clear with clients about what combo of the three a client will spend most of their time on (because it's what we like to do the most).
For example, I usually spend about 25% of our time helping folks figure out what they want to do, but the other 75% is on where they can do it, and how to present themselves as a compelling candidate. So I'm not really enthusiastic about self assessment, but really into career exploration and job search strategies - but only the very specific career paths. But some counselors/life coaches, etc., really, really like spending time 'helping you figure out what you want to do", and become less useful when it comes to figuring out how to do it - once again, usually because they don't know your field. So they are all about the 'self assessment/discover your passion, etc.'. When clients come in for that in my office, I send them to my colleague who really enjoys that.
Anyway, I think if you have any inkling of what you want to do, and are really in job search strategies mode - call around, read bios, and only choose folks who have a track record of working with people who are going where you are going. (for example, consulting). If you don't have an an idea, and really want to do self assessment and career exploration, then work with someone who has a track records of working with people with a similar background to yours. Ask them what type of careers they've worked with, and avoid people who say, "all careers". Ask how many appointments, and the average length of time they work with a client, and avoid people who say, "well, it really depends on the issue" or can't answer the question.
Ask if you can speak with 1-2 former clients, and verify everything the career counselor said. How much time did they spend on self assessment and career exploration vs. job search skills to move into the new career path? How involved are they? Do the just say, "you need to do some informational interviews?" or do they ask you about your previous experience, and how useful you found it to assess if you're asking the right questions for the information you need now? Do they debrief you after an informational interview to see how it went? Also, do they 'offer' to rewrite your resume, or do they teach you the principles and explain to you why it's strong in this particular field so you can transform your own resume in the future? In short, are they 'coaching' you to their own obsolescence, or are you just 'following their advice' which will make you reliant upon them for longer? Based on what you've mentioned, you probably really shouldn't be meeting with a counselor for more than 8-15 appointments, tops, assuming you were on th slow track for self assessment, career exploration and job search strategies. Even if you don't have a job by the end of the 15 appointments, you're probably at the 'you know everything, you just need to keep doing it until something clicks' stage. Call around to at least two people to get an average of costs per appointment/for services. And before you say yes, figure out how long it would take you to figure this out yourself, and decide if it's worth it. For example, say it's $125 per appointment, and you're looking at 10 appointments. That's $1250. Based on what they said they'd cover, it might take you 40 hours to learn it yourself reading books, doing info interviews, etc. Say you pay yourself $25 an hour. That would only cost you $1000. Should you do it? Maybe not.
One of the things I love(d) about my financial planners is that the focus was on teaching me the financial basics, not on just using their services. They explained things again and again, and answered all of my questions with an eye on making sure I understood the skills needed to manage my own finances if I wanted to. And about 9 appointments and lots of reading on my side later, I could. Your career counselor should be doing the same. I think they shouldn't be mechanics - they shouldn't be doing it all for you, they should be teaching you a skill so you can make a career move and organize a successful job search yourself next time.
Anyway, type in 'career counselor ny into google, and it will probably get you started in finding people, if no one recommends someone. If someone did - be sure to get details on what this person did and didn't do, as well as who their clientele is.
Good luck!
TL;DR: Find counselors who work with people with your academic training/professional background, or those who have a track record with clients going into the field you want to go into. Make sure they have a style that works with yours. Confirm everything they say with their references. Make sure they focus on teaching you the skills you need so you can do this yourself next time. No more than 8-15 appointments before you can separate with them, even if you don't have a job, because you've learned all you can from them, at least until you are negotiating your compensation.
posted by anitanita at 5:42 PM on June 19, 2011 [4 favorites]
If you attended university, have you checked to see if your university can see you as an alum? usually it's low cost, or at my institution, we do a set number of appointments for free.
And I'll say it: I think many people don't have a good career support interaction, often because the career counselors" or "career coaches" or "life coaches" over-promise or don't set realistic expectations, or the person seeking assistance sort of has unreasonable expectations of what they'd like this person to be able to do for them. In general, it helps to have a conversation very early on about what each side expects/can do.
But if you're going to go this route, and you were my sibling, and I really, really cared about you, here's what I'd tell you. Career counseling is a balance of:
1. Content knowledge: I know the field that you want to enter/advance in.
2. Skill set: I know self assessment/career exploration, as well as job search strategies (how to help someone tailor application materials and interview and negotiate a job offer well in that specific career path).
3. Connections: I have a track record of working with people in these specific fields, and can make useful, informed suggestions about how people have broken into into and succeed in the field. If you ask a question I can't answer, I have contacts in the field who can give me insight.
4. Style: The way I work/ teach is compatible with how you learn or what you want to focus on.
And when career counseling goes bad, it's because one of those four things is off.
For example, "content": I have a colleague, who is a pretty awesome career counselor, but only if you're going into engineering, or are going into the biotech field. So he can help you self assess your interests and strengths, but can only offer really useful advice about people/articles/books/professional associations/companies/job titles, etc. in engineering and biotech. But if you like public health, as soon as you discover what that you're a good fit for public health, he has nothing useful to share with you. Because he doesn't know the field.
Or "style": Some career/life folks looooveeee to help people discover their values/interests, etc. - the self assessment. Others like helping people explore and decide on a career choice. Others are all about helping people who have already decided what career path they want, but need to present themselves well in application materials and negotiate a strong compensation package. But it's hard to find counselors who are really triple threats: really like, and are skilled and knowledgable in all three. I think the problem with folks in my field, from career counselor to life coaches or whatever, is that we aren't clear with clients about what combo of the three a client will spend most of their time on (because it's what we like to do the most).
For example, I usually spend about 25% of our time helping folks figure out what they want to do, but the other 75% is on where they can do it, and how to present themselves as a compelling candidate. So I'm not really enthusiastic about self assessment, but really into career exploration and job search strategies - but only the very specific career paths. But some counselors/life coaches, etc., really, really like spending time 'helping you figure out what you want to do", and become less useful when it comes to figuring out how to do it - once again, usually because they don't know your field. So they are all about the 'self assessment/discover your passion, etc.'. When clients come in for that in my office, I send them to my colleague who really enjoys that.
Anyway, I think if you have any inkling of what you want to do, and are really in job search strategies mode - call around, read bios, and only choose folks who have a track record of working with people who are going where you are going. (for example, consulting). If you don't have an an idea, and really want to do self assessment and career exploration, then work with someone who has a track records of working with people with a similar background to yours. Ask them what type of careers they've worked with, and avoid people who say, "all careers". Ask how many appointments, and the average length of time they work with a client, and avoid people who say, "well, it really depends on the issue" or can't answer the question.
Ask if you can speak with 1-2 former clients, and verify everything the career counselor said. How much time did they spend on self assessment and career exploration vs. job search skills to move into the new career path? How involved are they? Do the just say, "you need to do some informational interviews?" or do they ask you about your previous experience, and how useful you found it to assess if you're asking the right questions for the information you need now? Do they debrief you after an informational interview to see how it went? Also, do they 'offer' to rewrite your resume, or do they teach you the principles and explain to you why it's strong in this particular field so you can transform your own resume in the future? In short, are they 'coaching' you to their own obsolescence, or are you just 'following their advice' which will make you reliant upon them for longer? Based on what you've mentioned, you probably really shouldn't be meeting with a counselor for more than 8-15 appointments, tops, assuming you were on th slow track for self assessment, career exploration and job search strategies. Even if you don't have a job by the end of the 15 appointments, you're probably at the 'you know everything, you just need to keep doing it until something clicks' stage. Call around to at least two people to get an average of costs per appointment/for services. And before you say yes, figure out how long it would take you to figure this out yourself, and decide if it's worth it. For example, say it's $125 per appointment, and you're looking at 10 appointments. That's $1250. Based on what they said they'd cover, it might take you 40 hours to learn it yourself reading books, doing info interviews, etc. Say you pay yourself $25 an hour. That would only cost you $1000. Should you do it? Maybe not.
One of the things I love(d) about my financial planners is that the focus was on teaching me the financial basics, not on just using their services. They explained things again and again, and answered all of my questions with an eye on making sure I understood the skills needed to manage my own finances if I wanted to. And about 9 appointments and lots of reading on my side later, I could. Your career counselor should be doing the same. I think they shouldn't be mechanics - they shouldn't be doing it all for you, they should be teaching you a skill so you can make a career move and organize a successful job search yourself next time.
Anyway, type in 'career counselor ny into google, and it will probably get you started in finding people, if no one recommends someone. If someone did - be sure to get details on what this person did and didn't do, as well as who their clientele is.
Good luck!
TL;DR: Find counselors who work with people with your academic training/professional background, or those who have a track record with clients going into the field you want to go into. Make sure they have a style that works with yours. Confirm everything they say with their references. Make sure they focus on teaching you the skills you need so you can do this yourself next time. No more than 8-15 appointments before you can separate with them, even if you don't have a job, because you've learned all you can from them, at least until you are negotiating your compensation.
posted by anitanita at 5:42 PM on June 19, 2011 [4 favorites]
The 5 O'Clock Club - they do the return to the US job market training for the Peace Corps & everything I learned from that workshop I still use. No new agey stuff, all pretty solid.
posted by green_flash at 8:45 PM on June 19, 2011
posted by green_flash at 8:45 PM on June 19, 2011
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by gjc at 8:38 AM on June 19, 2011