How To Become A Career Advisor Consultant In India

[Career advisor consultants are also known as career coaches and career counsellors, they provide guidance to students and working professionals who need help in choosing or upskilling in their respective fields of interest.]

Let me begin with sharing my personal story. I was a post graduate teacher before I decided to take a break from work at the age of 30. Seven years down the line, I felt a need to revive my career.

Though I was actively blogging and saw good success writing content, I wanted to get back to a full time career. However, I wasn’t sure if I should get back to teaching or up skill myself. We had also moved to a new city. I began by speaking to my friends, former students.

My father was of the opinion that I will need to up skill myself, and my husband suggested I should foray into entrepreneurship. Since I had always been interested in counselling psychology and had experience teaching higher secondary students, I chose to get certified a career advisor. 

I enrolled for the Global Career Counsellor course from Univariety + UCLA Extension and also got a study abroad certification – Certified Career Counsellor For International Studies (CCCIS) from Edumilestones.

The reason I began with sharing my personal story is because I believe if I can do it, so can others. Having chosen to become a career advisor to students and professionals, I want to help women take the plunge to change careers, especially those who are in doubt and seeking a change in their work life.

How to become a career advisor consultant?

The very first step to become a career advisor/consultant is to understand what it is and what it takes to become an advisor. 

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Career counselling is the process of helping students and professionals understand themselves and help them find their true potential based on scientific methodology. 

Career advisors evaluate the capabilities, interests and personality of the candidate. Based on the analysis, they guide students and professionals for the most suitable career option and provide a complete career roadmap, guiding them through a series of consultations with an execution plan.

Being a career advisor is not simple, and it requires specific skills in a person. One needs to have knowledge about the various career paths, futuristic career paths, non-conventional careers, career options and career opportunities. That brings us to: 

Who can become a career advisor consultant?

A career advisor needs specialized expertise to become a capable counsellor. A person with academic background of psychology, teaching, engineering, medicine, HR, social sciences amongst some others can explore a career as a career consultant.

Though an education in the subject of psychology or a master’s degree is not a requirement to become a career advisor, a smart way to upscale your career game would be through gaining specific certification in career counselling. There are a variety of courses available online or offline.

If one has experience in teaching and training, human resource management; a career in career counselling would be ideal if looking for a change. 

What it takes to be a career advisor consultant?

• Excellent communication and observation skills 

• Ability to research and be abreast with the latest updates across various fields

• Active listening skills 

• Ability to build good relations 

• Strong mentally and emotionally 

• Ability to analyse psychometric tests

Who can get career counselling?

Career counselling is not limited to school or college students only. Even working professionals require guidance for career advisors/consultants. Career guidance is required by professionals at different stages of their career. 

Career counselling offers the opportunity to work with school students, parents, graduates, young professionals, and even mid-career professionals looking for a switch.

Students can approach a career advisor for advice beginning from which subject to choose, which stream of study is best suited for them to planning their career path. 

Professionals can seek professional career advice to figure out their next career move. They can seek guidance if looking for a change in career or even for advancement in their career. So a fresher and also a professional with 15 year experience could be your client. 

In conclusion

Restarting my career at the age of 40 was the most empowering experience of my life. It was difficult to re-start my career as a woman after a long sabbatical of a decade.

When I interviewed at schools for a post of post-grad teacher, I was offered teaching opportunities in primary classes and not higher secondary classes.

Also, I was offered less salary compared to other existing teachers because I didn’t have the required number of years of experience to teach Grade 11 and 12 students, though I had a master’s degree and a degree in education.

But these experiences made me a better career advisor. Having personally gone through some difficult times questioning my abilities, I knew if I had taken guidance from a career advisor, it would have saved me a lot of mental stress. 

I share these experiences with my students and especially my women clients. Also, from experience, I can certainly say that women are more comfortable seeking career advice from women rather than men.

So according to me, if you are a woman who has the skills required to become a career advisor or someone who has years of experience and want to share your learnings to help other women; becoming a career advisor would be a rewarding career option. 

Image source: Triloks from Getty Images Signature, free on Canva Pro

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