Career Counsellor

In today’s modern economy there are literally thousands of careers to choose from. With all that choice people are often left confused, frustrated and in need of career counselling. A career counsellor works with people of all ages who are unsure of where their career is heading. This job involves elements of personality testing, goal and interest assessment and counselling. If you enjoy helping people find their path in life this could be the rewarding work at home job you’ve been looking for.

Before The Start-Up – Let’s Not Get Ahead Of Ourselves

Depending on where you live you might need to be registered career counsellor before practicing, certain states in the U.S definitely require registration. More importantly you’ll need to be a brilliant people person, experience in other fields of counselling is helpful.

The Start-Up

To start-up you’ll first need to create a professional counselling area in your home. If you plan on being mobile and consulting on location this won’t be necessary. As with any form of counselling making your clients feel comfortable is essential. Make sure your office has a door that can be closed and is in quiet area of your home. Once you’ve created your counselling area you’ll need a computer to run personality assessment software and a T.V to show educational videos on specific career fields. You’ll also need a printer to print student’s results as well as a phone and answering machine to handle calls while you’re with a client.

Most career counsellors use a combination of personality testing and interviews to advise their clients. Once you have identified a person’s personality type the biggest challenge is matching their personality to a career that suits them.

Making It Work

Consider offering related services such as resume writing or a resource library including DVDs and books on popular career fields. You could also considering signing up for affiliate programs with local educational institutions. Part of your job will be mapping the process of starting and succeeding at a career. Educational intuitions affiliates receive a commission every time they produce a lead that results in a new student, this could potentially be a lucrative side business.

To guarantee a constant income stream you should cater to both individual and corporate clients. Once you have established a name for yourself and gained experience there is potentially plenty of business to be had in the corporate sector. In an effort to aid their employees large companies often hire career counsellors before large retrenchments. As you’ll be counselling people about to lose their jobs a particularly sensitive touch is required for this type of job. Offering motivational DVDs and books for sale and rent might be a great addition to your services too.

Marketing

Market your services in local newspapers, The Yellow Pages, at local high schools and in human resource publications. Consider developing a website to market your services online. Remember information wants to be free, offer an assortment of free advice along with a list of your services.

Don’t Forget

Career counsellors charge between $40 and $300 (USD) per hour depending on their clientele. You might find it difficult to cut people off when their time is up but its essential you stick the agreed upon session time. Offering free advice and tips on your website is a great idea, offering free counselling because you’ve gone over time isn’t.