Career Counselling

Career moves are determined by several factors. Firstly there is an inherent need in each person to grow and seek lucrative offers. This also signifies the need to gain more recognition and improve self esteem. All job profiles require decorum and it is essential for a person to hone their skills continuously. This can be done by opportunity or also getting a new area to prove oneself.

The customary time of probation is a time given by the employer to let the employee gain a formidable position in his profile. This is a time to prove and adjusts to the routine pre-set up. The need to prove makes an individual to look into areas where there is a scope to suggest improvement and also take on the area to improvise. This is beneficial to self and very much essential for the growth of an organization.

And yet many times we find ourselves at crossroads in our career. They are been self seeking goals, values, hard work and waiting and yet we feel that the matter about career is confusing. Job hopping is another demerit or comes up from intense insecurity. With fluctuating job market, the skills present in an individual need to be further enhanced.

A counsellor is a person who has the psychological understanding of the environment you are functioning and the current job market. He or she gives you an impartial view point of the things that need to be worked out. This is important as the counsellor may evaluate your current positive findings and also suggests areas for improvement. Going to a counsellor is almost like a remedy to the current situation, though the individual has to work out a feasible solution.

A counsellor evaluates your corporate skills and also suggests personality improvement which enhances your all around development. The counsellor hyphenates the doubts and solutions and the final result is a confident ‘You’. It is important to maintain a diary or schedule your meeting with the career counsellor in such a way that there are no other matters in your mind while a session is going on. Ensure a pragmatic approach to display your concerns with a career counsellor.

Career development is a gradual process. It takes time, effort, perseverance and planning. But the concept of career development begins with self development. If you can’t develop yourself, there is no question of your career developing at a desired pace. Charity begins at home and in this case, with self. Let’s read some of the tips that will help you in the process of self-development.

Realize that learning is a never ending process. Don’t confuse learning with education because latter is a time bound process but learning can go forever. A good learner is always into reading. Reading habit can cultivate your personality and will enrich your skills and knowledge.

We all are aware of comfort zone. It refers to a place or area of work where we have made ourselves very comfortable and we subsequently we stop putting efforts into new development. We continue to bask in the previous glory and this causes us to conceive a feeling of indifference. So get out of that comfort zone and start exploring and taking new challenges.

There is a no harm in giving to others what you have got. If you have been lucky enough to acquire good knowledge and skills, you can always share it with a bunch of students or other kids in a club or NGO. This will help you tremendously, both in terms of mental as well as educational sense. Teaching others will make you feel more enriched.

One of the great methods of adding some value to our development process is through attending workshops, seminars or conferences. Attending some relevant workshops will add further value to our skills and it also gives us a great opportunity of acquainting with new people and making new relationships. These relationships go a long way in the process of self-development. One should never hesitate while investing for self-enhancement. Following these suggestions will go a long way in the process of self development and later on career development.

Many of you must be having loads of questions regarding how to go for career advancement and how to grow professionally. Yes, the significance of question is understandable in the light of cut-throat competition faced by all the professionals. To succeed in professional sphere, one must continue to acquire new skills and gain credibility based on his performance. Getting ahead in the work arena will require certain planning and subsequently concrete steps from you. The moot point is that, there is no dearth of talented and skilled professionals yet not all of them witness professional growth in equal measure.

Asking questions from self is the best way forward to get relevant answers. Observing other successful professionals is also important because that will give you critical idea about how best to promote your career forward. At last, you always have the choice of consulting a qualified career counsellor and get useful suggestions. Remember, a career counsellor can guide and help you in best possible way keeping in mind your profession, education and experience level.  

A career counsellor will help you in assessing your work performance and requirements of the job. It is also suggested to keep in mind expectations from you by your seniors. Writing down crucial details always helps in understanding nitty-gritty of any problem. There is always a room to improve your performance.

It is at all times advisable to prioritise your skills. For example, you can first focus on skills that you need to work upon. Skills also act as value addition and prove to be of immense importance while you climb up the ladder of professional growth. You can also work upon self-improvement strategies like your work schedule, work habits, communication skills and communication skills etc. For that, you can decide to join a personality development class or join some relevant course. Last but not the least, always remember those who have clear goals and know how to reach there will always have an advantage in life.

A significant number of career coaching institutes have flourished in recent times. These institutes’ advice students on making appropriate career choices. Usually, choices are based on number of diverse facts. It is not just about taking the plunge into a profession that seems lucrative or where X, Y or Z has done good. This is about finding your own interest and aptitude and then making the right career choices. One of the most popular methods of determining appropriate career is career tests.

There are no fixed methods behind these tests. Several parameters are used by different organizations in designing career tests. Typing just few keywords in search engines will provide you with plethora of career tests. These tests are of different types and it is not really possible to present any standard benchmark of career tests. The ultimate purpose of career tests is to help you in figuring out which career would be the most successful and satisfying for you.

There are basically three types of career tests. Rest all the types are either offshoots or blends of these tests. First one is Skill or Aptitude tests that will make you aware about your performance using present skill set. Second one is Interest tests which are all about disclosing types of work matching with your true interests. The last one is Personality tests. As the name suggests, it tells you about your personality and how it compares to others. It also displays your approach towards work.

Different types of career tests use separate methods of algorithm. So when you provide answers to the questions asked, they are matched with the database of careers. Types of questions differ from test to test. The thing that you need to keep in mind is, no career test will give you the magic answer. Take these tests as a method to know more about yourself and the careers that might work for you. Serious soul searching will be required by you to come up with the most suited career choice.

There is no dearth of career choices. Gone are the days when we used to think of just few courses that every second or third student of our batch was dying for. Thanks to factors like internet, economic expansion, liberalisation, technical and communication revolution and rising purchasing power of middle class people, more and more new avenues are opening up. Some of these new career choices did not even exist few years back. Students are vying for new courses because of obvious benefits; less competition and a head start over potential competitors. New generation is also willing to follow its passion and not just tread down the beaten track. They say, if you truly love our job, money and success will automatically follow. So, it’s always suggested to go for what your heart and mind desires instead of falling prey to the herd mentality.

Looking at some of the new and unusual career choices are;

• Actuarial Science
• Agricultural Engineering
• Food Technology
• Art Restoration
• Physical Education
• Plant pathology
• Ceramic technology
• Counseling
• Dairy Technology
• Earth Sciences
• Edible Oils Technology
• Pharmacovigilance
• Plastic Industry
• Fire Engineering
• Footwear Technology
• Foreign Trade
• Museology
• Nanotechnology
• Forensic Science
• Social work
• Speech Therapy
• Forestry
• Horticulture and floriculture
• Fisheries
• Flour Milling
• Hospital Management
• Hydrography
• Jewellery Design
• Jute Technology
• Leather Technology
• Tourist Guide
• Traditional Medicines
• Market Research
• Meteorology
• Occupational Therapy
• Para medical
• Poultry farming
• Psephology
• Radio Jockey
• Video Jockey
• Detective Services
• Disaster Management
• Rubber Technology
• Sign Language
• Silk
• Sports
• Tea Management
• Packaging
• Paint Application Technology
• Technical writing
• Translating
• Transcribing

A career will be achievable only when there will be a career goal. Without the presence of this term ‘goal’, it becomes seemingly difficult to reach the heights of success. That’s why it becomes pretty necessary to have some goals regarding your career and then make planned and calculated moves towards achieving it. Many career counsellors equate concept of setting career goals to making a road map of one’s future. They always suggest developing clarity in your mind regarding where you want to go and what path you need to take to get there.

You must have heard the concept of ‘self-assessment’ from career counsellors. This term holds great significance because it will also act as foundation stone for your entire career. You must be aware of your values, interests and skill sets. Keeping in mind these things, now you can comfortably figure out a career that makes best use of your personality. You must be aware of your desires and ambitions. We all aim at certain designations and positions. We all have a certain perception regarding how we see ourselves few years down the line. The more you ignore these basic issues, difficult will it become for you to achieve your desired career.

You will also need to thoroughly analyse your working interests and capabilities. Like for example, whether you are comfortable working under deadlines or you like to do it alone or in group etc. Role of career counsellor becomes very important in figuring out such things. He can exactly guide you the way you want it. He will also make you aware of new insights regarding your own personality. Based on skill tests and aptitude tests, he will tell you about suitable career for you. The last step could be of deciding short term and long term goals along with your planned course of action.

Masters in business administration commonly referred to as MBA is opted by wide majority of students after completing their graduation studies. Current trends demand post graduate degree to get into any major industry. MBA in India is rapidly growing. More and more students are opting for the same primarily because of the good career options and industry placements that it provides. There are so many colleges that offer MBA degree that a student is often confused as to which school he should select and how should he prepare for the entrance exams for the same. It is for this that MBA career counseling is required.

Here, trained experts suggest colleges to you based on your career choice, your aptitude and your interests. Not just that they also give you relevant information about the admission procedures to these colleges and how should one apply to the same. MBA coaching centers like the IMS and Career Launcher have dedicated counselors that help the student in selecting the top ten colleges of their choice that they should aim at out of more than thousand colleges that offer various kinds of MBA programs.

Moreover there are many schools that offer different specializations in MBA that one may be unaware of. Career counselors guide students and inform them about such specialized courses. MBA is usually a two year full time course (there are other part time and distance learning courses also) which means that a student needs effective counselor that can guide him/her towards his career goal. All those students who wish to pursue their MBA should go for career counseling.

Every career counselor gives you certain tests to know your strengths and weaknesses, to know your interest levels and to learn about the way you think and your brain functions. Aptitude and ability tests are designed to assess your logical reasoning ability or thinking performance and capacity. Generally they consist of multiple choice questions and these tests are administered under exam conditions. Aptitude tests are strictly timed and a typical test might allow 25 minutes for 30 or so questions. The results of your tests will be compared to that of a control group so that one is able to make correct judgments about your abilities.

Aptitude tests are conducted online or on a paper. Most centers now have online testing as the results of the same can be immediately available. Online aptitude testing can also be taken at home. These tests are also known as speed tests or power tests as they basically test how fast can your brain answer. Power tests tend to be used more at the professional or managerial level. The questions in aptitude tests are relatively straight forward so the challenge here is the time limit as you have to not just answer correctly but do that in a very limited time frame.

Aptitude tests usually consist of the following: verbal reasoning, numerical reasoning,   abstract reasoning, spatial reasoning, mechanical reasoning, data checking and word sampling. Here are some tips to help you with your aptitude tests:   Find out from the counselor what type of questions can be expected, go with a calm frame of mind to answer the questions with concentration, look at a sample paper if possible, go through one paper of each type and see how you get on, practice some online papers if you can.

It is very important to know whether you need a career counselor. Ok, let’s assume you are already working with an established company and in a way, you are pretty settled. Yet, something is missing. What exactly is missing, you don’t know but you wish that there could be someone who could tell you honestly about your true calling. So, you think of a professional counselor but at the same time you are also apprehensive whether you are right in your decision to consult a career counselor. Agreed, that a professional counselor will charge you some money but then also give a thought to possible changes consultation can bring in your life.

First you need to ask yourself whether you feel satisfied, happy and fulfilled in your current job? If the answer is no then it will be a smart decision to consult a counselor. The most basic rule of achieving professional success is finding your true calling or in other words, finding the right niche. Your current situation is such because you have already assumed that it will remain so but there is a great possibility of you doing far better in a job that you truly love.

I will try listing out certain situations and if you find yourself in any of these then you should ideally consult a professional counselor.

We can begin with the possibility that, you don’t really feel like talking about your job with people in your life. If someone asks you how’s your job and you tend to reply, leave it mate. Well, that’s an alarming sign.

It’s more than few years that you are into your current job and now you realize this is as far as you could achieve in this particular career. May be you never really had a career plan and you just flew with the wind.

There is this strong feeling inside you that I need a change but words like what, why and how continue puzzling you. There is no clear sense of direction yet you feel that you need a change.

You are always aware of new job opportunities and people often consult you about new job sites. Ever wondered why you of all, are always aware of job ads and new opportunities?

Plenty of possibilities mentioned above! Now, you be honest with yourself and check whether any of the above has any similarity with your life. If yes, then well, you have got your answer. Remember, consulting a career counselor will never hurt you rather it can always make you aware of new insights.

With the growing importance and growing complexity in education and career building in India, there was a strong need for career counseling centers where students can freely talk to the counselors and take help regarding any query that they have. In the past few years there have been many counseling centers that have sprung up in the city. Some of these centers are private while some of them are sponsored. Career counseling is still not given as much importance in the country as it is given abroad. Parents are still not open to the idea of counseling and feel that they know what their child should be. However, this is slowly changing. Children should be free to choose the career they want to pursue and parents may be totally uninformed about that career. This is where these centers are of tremendous help. There are many counselors that work at these centers. Some of these centers provide help at a subsidized rate for those who cannot afford counseling fees. Some of the career counseling centers in Mumbai, India are:

Sinara Education & Career Consultants Pvt Ltd  – 24 B Woodlands Apartment, Opp Vama Showroom, Kempscorner Bridge, Pedder Rd, Cumballa Hill, Mumbai – 400026 +(91)-(22)-67306162

Growth Centre India Pvt Ltd   – 5th Flr,Gagangiri Complex, Near Ambedkar Udyan, 18th Road, Chembur East, Mumbai – 400071 +(91)-(22)-67306043

Career Launcher, Dadar, Mumbai

NIIT, Churchgate, Mumbai

Shree Manav Seva Sangh, Dadar East, Mumbai-400014

Mr. Savio DSilva’s career counselling center “CareerScope”, Mumbai, India

Ascend Psychology, 412,Orbit Industrial Estate, Opp Tangent Furniture Near 5d Restaurant, Off Link Rd, Malad West, Mumbai – 400064 +(91)-(22)-61426472

Kirticorp  03 Shashank Co Op Housing Society, Near Star City, 444 Manmala Tank Road, Mahim, Mumbai – 400016 +(91)-(22)-67305054

National Institute Of Communication Skills  03,Krishna Villa 1482, VTC Ground, Sector-30, Ulhasnagar No 1, Thane – 421001

Hero Mind Mine Educational & Career Services – 32/125,Laxmi Vijay,Laxmi Industrial Estate, Near Fame Adlabs Cinema, New Link Road, Andheri West, Mumbai – 400053 +(91)-(22)-61620553