Among the many opportunities that a young graduate in work psychology can choose, there is one that is little talked about during the university course. The occupation I’m talking about is career counseling. When it comes to the job of career counsellor or guidance counselor most people think of the guidance counselor you meet in high school when you have to choose what you’re going to do after graduation. It is this guidance counselor that we are talking about here, however, there are many aspects of this profession that are much less well known to the general public and that we will address.
First of all, let’s talk about the role of the guidance counsellor. The guidance counselor must help the person in charge to clarify his skills, his abilities but also his wishes, his desires. All this must be done taking into account the state of the labour market and with a detailed knowledge of the various possible occupations. In the best case this accompaniment extends over a period of 6 to 12 months depending on the needs of the accompanied person. It is therefore a long follow-up which is not surprising when we know how difficult it is to conduct a life review in order to choose what will occupy our time for several years.
The need to take stock in life does not just happen to high school students who are about to pass the baccalaureate, which is why the guidance counselor can intervene throughout life for a high school student as well as for a student or a future pensioner. Getting help for guidance may be necessary several times in the life of an individual during a reconversion for example or following a dismissal. Some even use guidance counsellors simply to take stock of their careers and not to change jobs.
The guidance counselor works in different structures depending on the public he accompanies. He can work in information and guidance centres for middle and high school students. He may also work in the University Information and Guidance Service for a student audience. Finally, in the case of the adult public, the career counselor can be an employee of the company if the latter has the budget and the desire (he will sometimes be renamed professional mobility counselor) or practising through a professional development consulting firm that the employee will have gone to find himself or that the company will have found for him. Depending on the audience the guidance counselor accompanies, the stakes are different and the way to support varies, but in any case it is a personalized support to help an individual in a moment of transition that is often very destabilizing.
Bibliography :
- https://www.orientation-pour-tous.fr/etudier-se-former/s-orienter-dans-la-formation-continue/article/conseil-en-evolution-professionnelle-cep
- https://www.futura-sciences.com/sciences/questions-reponses/orientation-scolaire-consulter-conseiller-orientation-13384/
- https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conseiller_en_orientation