I have done a fair amount of academic advising during my lifetime and yet I continue to be surprised when I ask a student about their major and why they chose it. More often than I would expect, students do not have a great deal of knowledge about what they could do in the world of work with their major or what the work they are preparing for is really like. Some of the clients I work with in my counseling practice have the same kind of response when I ask why they chose the major they selected.
So, when I am working with my clients who are looking at making a career change, in addition to doing a self-assessment, I encourage them to do some research on the work they plan to pursue or are considering. I believe it is vitally important if you are considering a job or career change, to consider how much you know about the kind of work you choose to pursue - preferably before you begin to prepare for it. There is a reference book published from the government called the Dictionary of Occupational Titles (DOT). The DOT contains brief descriptions on approximately 20,000 jobs. Obviously, that is more jobs than any one needs to know about, but it would probably be good to be pretty comfortable with the amount of information you have about the kind of work you are planning to pursue - especially if it requires continuing your education or obtaining other training. Another publication I refer clients to is the Occupational Outlook Handbook (OOH). It has only a few hundred occupational clusters, but much more information than the DOT on each of those clusters. Since it comes from the Department of Labor, it does include some national salary figures, as well as brief descriptions of the work, companies who employee people to do that kind of work, and more.
Both of those books are generally available only in the Reference section of the library, but both are now also online. You can access the information from the DOT through O*NET at http://www.onetcenter.org/. The online version of the OOH is available from the Bureau of Labor Statistics at http://www.bls.gov/. How much information you want to have depends on you, but it is good to have some sense of general requirements for the position and demands of the job, as well as availability, average salary, whether or not jobs are fairly available within your travel distance, and if the demand for that type of work is increasing, decreasing, or remaining stable. Much of that information could be found by doing research - reading books or online at one of many sites with job information.
I also encourage my clients to do some informational interviews where they talk to people who are doing the kind of work they would like to do. If it is possible to visit a person's place of work, that is even better, but at least having an opportunity to get a sense of the job from someone else's standpoint could be helpful - and getting viewpoints from a few different people would be even better to have. You would tap some of your networking resources to set up interviews, but look for the next blog entry for more on informational interviews.
By comparing what you know about you with what you know about the world of work, you can look for areas of overlap and are more likely to be able to plan for a new career direction (or first career direction) that will be a good fit for you. With actual information related to your decision, you do not have to make so much of a guess, but would have some basis for making decisions about your career direction.
Mary Ann Davis is a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) in private practice providing coaching and counseling for life's transitions; including career change or job search, as well as loss of job, retirement planning, coping with an empty nest, and other life planning issues. She is certified as a Master Career Counselor (MCC) by the National Career Development Association, a Life/Work Counselor (L/WC) by the National Employment Counseling Association; and is a Distance Credentialed Counselor. Please visit her web site at http://www.yourcareerplan.com/ for more information.
To contact Mary Ann, please call (513) 665-4444 x3 and leave a personal and confidential message or send an email to YourCareerPlan@cinci.rr.com.
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
Thursday, September 30, 2010
Could Career Coaching Benefit You? (part 5)
This entry is the final post in this series. In addition to the various ways that a career coach could benefit you that I already discussed, a coach is someone you can talk to about other issues that relate to your career decision, or inability to make a decision. They can discuss potential obstacles in your path and help you identify ways to overcome them.
Consider these questions:
1. Are you planning to or would consider relocating?
2. If you have a spouse/partner is he/she currently working and willing to relocate?
3. If you have already begun a job search, are you OK with the pace of your activities in your search? Or have previous job searches gone about as you had anticipated?
4. Do you have a disability that would not effect your work performance, are you confident about how disclosure of it might impact your search?
If you have read the entire series and answered the questions posed in each, you may see that there are many ways a career coach could benefit you. For almost all of the questions, if your answer was "YES", then you are pretty confident and should be able to manage your job search on your own. Although, you may still want to talk with a career coach or counselor about a specific aspect of your search.
If your answer was "NO" to many of the questions, it may be that you could benefit from the assistance of a career coach (or a career counselor). A professional can help you address issues or concerns you have about making a change and help you sort through fact from fiction abut today's world of work.
Mary Ann Davis is a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) in private practice providing coaching and counseling or life's transitions; including career change or job search, as well as loss of job, retirement planning, coping with an empty nest, and other life planning issues. She is certified as a Master Career Counselor by the National Career Development Association; a Life/Work Counselor by the National Employment Counseling Association; and is a Distance Credentialed Counselor. Please visit her web site at www.YourCareerPlan.com for more information.
To contact Mary Ann, please call (513) 665-4444 x3 and leave a personal and confidential message or send an email to YourCarerPlan@cinci.rr.com.
Consider these questions:
1. Are you planning to or would consider relocating?
2. If you have a spouse/partner is he/she currently working and willing to relocate?
3. If you have already begun a job search, are you OK with the pace of your activities in your search? Or have previous job searches gone about as you had anticipated?
4. Do you have a disability that would not effect your work performance, are you confident about how disclosure of it might impact your search?
If you have read the entire series and answered the questions posed in each, you may see that there are many ways a career coach could benefit you. For almost all of the questions, if your answer was "YES", then you are pretty confident and should be able to manage your job search on your own. Although, you may still want to talk with a career coach or counselor about a specific aspect of your search.
If your answer was "NO" to many of the questions, it may be that you could benefit from the assistance of a career coach (or a career counselor). A professional can help you address issues or concerns you have about making a change and help you sort through fact from fiction abut today's world of work.
Mary Ann Davis is a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) in private practice providing coaching and counseling or life's transitions; including career change or job search, as well as loss of job, retirement planning, coping with an empty nest, and other life planning issues. She is certified as a Master Career Counselor by the National Career Development Association; a Life/Work Counselor by the National Employment Counseling Association; and is a Distance Credentialed Counselor. Please visit her web site at www.YourCareerPlan.com for more information.
To contact Mary Ann, please call (513) 665-4444 x3 and leave a personal and confidential message or send an email to YourCarerPlan@cinci.rr.com.
Monday, September 13, 2010
Could Career Coaching Benefit You? (part 3)
In part 2 of this series, I talked about the basic written materials you will need for a job search. Obviously, those materials should be designed to attract the attention of a potential employer. Although it is a good idea to check your newspaper and identify an on-line site or two where you may want to post your resume, you will not want to depend on those advertisements for the majority of your job search efforts. In today's market, the large majority of jobs that are filled are not advertised, so you must supplement that search with your own marketing campaign.
You will want to identify organizations that have your target position(s) or may need someone with your qualifications and background. Much of that research is conducted by talking to people that you know and other people they know. Your career coach can help you prepare to conduct informational interviews and to prepare for an active marketing campaign.
Obviously, you must still be prepared to handle the job interview process as a professional. If it has been a while since you conducted a job search, you may be a little concerned about how you will perform in an interview. These days, many initial screenings are conducted via telephone and more in-person interviews are conducted in a small group, not just one-on-one interviews. So, although you will need to prepare your written documents, you should also be prepared for the interview process.
Consider these questions:
1. Are you able to speak clearly and present a professional appearance?
2. Are you able to talk about yourself and your accomplishments without
sounding as though you are being boastful?
3. Are you comfortable and able to maintain your "cool" during stressful
interviews and group interviews?
4. Are you comfortable with your negotiating skills?
Again, your career coach can provide assistance and guidance as you market your skills/background and prepare for interviews. S/he can also talk with you about what might be a reasonable request in negotiating.
Check back for continuing entries on this topic.
Mary Ann Davis is a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) in private practice providing coaching and counseling for life's transitions; including career change or job search, as well as loss of job, retirement planning, coping with an empty nest, and other life planning issues. She is certified as a Master Career Counselor by the National Career Development Association; a Life/Work Counselor by the National Employment Counseling Association; and is a Distance Credentialed Counselor. Please visit her web site at www.YourCareerPlan.com for more information.
To contact Mary Ann, please call (513) 665-4444 x3 and leave a personal and confidential message or send an email to YourCareerPlan@cinci.rr.com.
You will want to identify organizations that have your target position(s) or may need someone with your qualifications and background. Much of that research is conducted by talking to people that you know and other people they know. Your career coach can help you prepare to conduct informational interviews and to prepare for an active marketing campaign.
Obviously, you must still be prepared to handle the job interview process as a professional. If it has been a while since you conducted a job search, you may be a little concerned about how you will perform in an interview. These days, many initial screenings are conducted via telephone and more in-person interviews are conducted in a small group, not just one-on-one interviews. So, although you will need to prepare your written documents, you should also be prepared for the interview process.
Consider these questions:
1. Are you able to speak clearly and present a professional appearance?
2. Are you able to talk about yourself and your accomplishments without
sounding as though you are being boastful?
3. Are you comfortable and able to maintain your "cool" during stressful
interviews and group interviews?
4. Are you comfortable with your negotiating skills?
Again, your career coach can provide assistance and guidance as you market your skills/background and prepare for interviews. S/he can also talk with you about what might be a reasonable request in negotiating.
Check back for continuing entries on this topic.
Mary Ann Davis is a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) in private practice providing coaching and counseling for life's transitions; including career change or job search, as well as loss of job, retirement planning, coping with an empty nest, and other life planning issues. She is certified as a Master Career Counselor by the National Career Development Association; a Life/Work Counselor by the National Employment Counseling Association; and is a Distance Credentialed Counselor. Please visit her web site at www.YourCareerPlan.com for more information.
To contact Mary Ann, please call (513) 665-4444 x3 and leave a personal and confidential message or send an email to YourCareerPlan@cinci.rr.com.
Could Career Coaching Benefit You? (part 4)
This is the fourth segment of a series, Could Career Coaching Benefit You? One area of a job search that many people don't think about is their references. Many employers still ask for references from job candidates and it is important that you have professional references to provide. A career coach can help you identify people to serve as your references, if needed, and help you communicate with them so they will be of most value in your search. They can also share suggestions for ways in which you should "take care of" your references.
In today's job search, your references could be a very significant part of your background. It goes beyond asking a co-worker or your former supervisor to serve as a reference. Ask yourself these questions:
1. Are your references the RIGHT professionals for you to use?
2. Do you and your references understand their role in your search?
3. Do you know how to improve the performance of your references when
they are talking about you to a potential employer?
4. Can you make the reference-checking process easier for your references?
A coach can also help you adjust to your pending (or current) transition and assist you through the decision-making process to select your next direction. S/he can also assist you to determine the feasibility of your new goal(s) and help you develop a plan to achieve them. Consider these questions:
1. Are you considering making a change in your profession, career path or industry?
2. Have you identified your transferable skills?
3. Are you concerned that you might be 'stuck' in your current industry or profession?
4. Do you know if you have the skills needed for your desired direction?
Having appropriate professional references will add to your overall marketability, but you must help prepare them to take on that task. Once you determine the direction in which you would like to take your career, then you can decide which individuals will be the best references to use for the search. Your career coach can help you with the preparations for your search and can provide support, encouragement, perhaps information as you work through your decisions.
Check back for the final segment in this series on career coaching.
Mary Ann Davis is a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) in private practice providing coaching and counseling for life's transitions; including career change or job search, as well as loss of job, retirement planning, coping with an empty nest, and other life planning issues. She is certified as a Master Career Counselor by the National Career Development Association; a Life/Work Counselor by the National Employment Counseling Association; and is a Distance Credentialed Counselor. Please visit her web site at www.YourCareerPlan.com for more information.
To contact Mary Ann, please call (513) 665-4444 x3 and leave a personal and confidential message or send an email to YourCareerPlan@cinci.rr.com.
In today's job search, your references could be a very significant part of your background. It goes beyond asking a co-worker or your former supervisor to serve as a reference. Ask yourself these questions:
1. Are your references the RIGHT professionals for you to use?
2. Do you and your references understand their role in your search?
3. Do you know how to improve the performance of your references when
they are talking about you to a potential employer?
4. Can you make the reference-checking process easier for your references?
A coach can also help you adjust to your pending (or current) transition and assist you through the decision-making process to select your next direction. S/he can also assist you to determine the feasibility of your new goal(s) and help you develop a plan to achieve them. Consider these questions:
1. Are you considering making a change in your profession, career path or industry?
2. Have you identified your transferable skills?
3. Are you concerned that you might be 'stuck' in your current industry or profession?
4. Do you know if you have the skills needed for your desired direction?
Having appropriate professional references will add to your overall marketability, but you must help prepare them to take on that task. Once you determine the direction in which you would like to take your career, then you can decide which individuals will be the best references to use for the search. Your career coach can help you with the preparations for your search and can provide support, encouragement, perhaps information as you work through your decisions.
Check back for the final segment in this series on career coaching.
Mary Ann Davis is a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) in private practice providing coaching and counseling for life's transitions; including career change or job search, as well as loss of job, retirement planning, coping with an empty nest, and other life planning issues. She is certified as a Master Career Counselor by the National Career Development Association; a Life/Work Counselor by the National Employment Counseling Association; and is a Distance Credentialed Counselor. Please visit her web site at www.YourCareerPlan.com for more information.
To contact Mary Ann, please call (513) 665-4444 x3 and leave a personal and confidential message or send an email to YourCareerPlan@cinci.rr.com.
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Could Career Coaching Benefit You? (part 2)
This post is the second in a short series of entries about career coaching. When many people think about what a career couch might do, they think about help with preparing for interviews. That is one area where you may or may not need a lot of assistance. Some people are just more comfortable with communication than others. If it has been years since you conducted a job search, you may find it very helpful o discuss today's interviewing processes and typical or frequently asked questions.
But before you get to the interviewing stage, you will need a basic resume, cover letter, and other letters. There are individuals who will create a resume for you, for a fee. A career coach generally will be able to review your written documents and may recommend changes to enhance your presentation. Also, having another person review your documents is always a good thing, as you may have missed a typo or other error.
Additionally, you may need to consider these questions:
1. Do you already have a current, up-to-date resume?
2. Do you know how to create a cover letter that generates interest in you?
3. Do you know how to revise your resume to fit different situations/positions?
4. Do you know how to market yourself to organizations that have not advertised a position?
If not, it may be that you could benefit from some of the services offered by a career coach. This topic will be continued in the next entry.
Mary Ann Davis is a Licensed professional Counselor (LPC) in private practice providing coaching and counseling for life's transitions; including career change or job search, as well as loss of job, retirement planning, coping with an empty nest, and other life planning issues. She is certified as a Master Career Counselor by the National Career Development Association; a Life/Work Counselor by the National Employment Counseling Association; and is a Distance Credentialed Counselor. Please visit her web site at www.YourCareerPlan.com for more information.
To contact Mary Ann, please call (513) 665-4444 x3 and leave a personal and confidential message or send an email to YourcareerPlan@cinci.rr.com.
But before you get to the interviewing stage, you will need a basic resume, cover letter, and other letters. There are individuals who will create a resume for you, for a fee. A career coach generally will be able to review your written documents and may recommend changes to enhance your presentation. Also, having another person review your documents is always a good thing, as you may have missed a typo or other error.
Additionally, you may need to consider these questions:
1. Do you already have a current, up-to-date resume?
2. Do you know how to create a cover letter that generates interest in you?
3. Do you know how to revise your resume to fit different situations/positions?
4. Do you know how to market yourself to organizations that have not advertised a position?
If not, it may be that you could benefit from some of the services offered by a career coach. This topic will be continued in the next entry.
Mary Ann Davis is a Licensed professional Counselor (LPC) in private practice providing coaching and counseling for life's transitions; including career change or job search, as well as loss of job, retirement planning, coping with an empty nest, and other life planning issues. She is certified as a Master Career Counselor by the National Career Development Association; a Life/Work Counselor by the National Employment Counseling Association; and is a Distance Credentialed Counselor. Please visit her web site at www.YourCareerPlan.com for more information.
To contact Mary Ann, please call (513) 665-4444 x3 and leave a personal and confidential message or send an email to YourcareerPlan@cinci.rr.com.
Sunday, July 25, 2010
Could Career Coaching Benefit You (part 1)
Career coaching is a relatively new field. There have been other types of coaches for years and you can probably think of some of the more famous ones, but in the last few years, there has been a niche created for career coaches. If you are considering conducting a job search or need some input regarding managing your career, you may benefit from the services provided by a career coach.
This is the first in a four-part series of entries regarding the benefits of career coaching. As with other kinds of services, the extent of assistance provided to you by a career coach may vary, but in general, they can assist you with identifying who you are, clarifying your goals, and determining the fit between them. Some of the activities a coach may assist you with include gaining a better understanding of your skills, values and interests; identifying and researching occupations and industries of interest to you; and helping you determine the kinds of work activities that do and do not appeal to you or fit with your qualifications.
Additionally, the following questions may help you decide if you could benefit from some help:
1. Do you know "who" you are - professionally?
2. Are you clear about your career objectives?
3. Do your skills and qualifications match your objectives?
4. Do you know the industries in which you are interested and will be focusing your search?
Your career coach can also help you to develop a job search plan and the tools you will need to carry it out. Marketing is a very large part of a successful job search today and a coach can help you select the best marketing strategies to use. A coach can also be very valuable in helping you prepare for networking; which is also vital in today's job search.
Additionally, the following questions may help you decide if you could benefit from some help:
1. Do you understand that the job search process is similar to the sales process?
2. Do yo understand that YOU are the product you are selling and that you must effectively merchandise and promote that product?
3. Do you know how best to optimize your networking contacts and results?
4. Do you know which job advertisements to respond to and which to ignore?
Your career coach can help you determine your best job search strategy and the possible benefits of the various marketing strategies.
Check back for the continuing entries on this topic.
Mary Ann Davis is a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) in private practice providing coaching and counseling for life's transitions; including career change or job search, as well as loss of job, retirement planning, coping with an empty nest, and other life planning issues. She is certified as a Master Career Counselor by the National Career Development Association; a Life/Work Counselor by the National Employment Counseling Association; and is a Distance Credentialed Counselor. Please visit her web site at www.YourCareerPlan.com for more information.
To contact Mary Ann, please call (513) 665-4444 x3 and leave a personal and confidential message or send an email to YourCareerPlan@cinci.rr.com.
This is the first in a four-part series of entries regarding the benefits of career coaching. As with other kinds of services, the extent of assistance provided to you by a career coach may vary, but in general, they can assist you with identifying who you are, clarifying your goals, and determining the fit between them. Some of the activities a coach may assist you with include gaining a better understanding of your skills, values and interests; identifying and researching occupations and industries of interest to you; and helping you determine the kinds of work activities that do and do not appeal to you or fit with your qualifications.
Additionally, the following questions may help you decide if you could benefit from some help:
1. Do you know "who" you are - professionally?
2. Are you clear about your career objectives?
3. Do your skills and qualifications match your objectives?
4. Do you know the industries in which you are interested and will be focusing your search?
Your career coach can also help you to develop a job search plan and the tools you will need to carry it out. Marketing is a very large part of a successful job search today and a coach can help you select the best marketing strategies to use. A coach can also be very valuable in helping you prepare for networking; which is also vital in today's job search.
Additionally, the following questions may help you decide if you could benefit from some help:
1. Do you understand that the job search process is similar to the sales process?
2. Do yo understand that YOU are the product you are selling and that you must effectively merchandise and promote that product?
3. Do you know how best to optimize your networking contacts and results?
4. Do you know which job advertisements to respond to and which to ignore?
Your career coach can help you determine your best job search strategy and the possible benefits of the various marketing strategies.
Check back for the continuing entries on this topic.
Mary Ann Davis is a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) in private practice providing coaching and counseling for life's transitions; including career change or job search, as well as loss of job, retirement planning, coping with an empty nest, and other life planning issues. She is certified as a Master Career Counselor by the National Career Development Association; a Life/Work Counselor by the National Employment Counseling Association; and is a Distance Credentialed Counselor. Please visit her web site at www.YourCareerPlan.com for more information.
To contact Mary Ann, please call (513) 665-4444 x3 and leave a personal and confidential message or send an email to YourCareerPlan@cinci.rr.com.
Tuesday, July 6, 2010
Identifying Your Transferable Skills
In the last post I talked about writing stories that demonstrate your transferable skills. Those stories, or information within them, may help you in responding to questions from a potential employer during an employment interview. Several people have suggested that, although they have stories they have written, or could write, they are not sure about how to identify which of their skills would be considered transferable. In general, transferable skills are those that, although they were learned and/or developed in one particular setting/work situation, they are also applicable to other work situations or settings or for other purposes.
With the growth of the Internet, there is a great deal of information available fairly readily, that used to require more digging to uncover. One option is to do a search and just type in your computer application search box, "transferable skills'. It should return a list of sites that have information related to various skills. Some have lists of the "preferred" skills or the ones most frequently sought after by employers. A few sites that I believe are worthwhile to visit include Ohio Learns, the University of Southern California Office of Student Affairs, and the University of Toledo.
Ohio Learns includes a Self Assessment: Transferable Skills Survey in their Student Services tab. Although my guess is it is intended for people who are looking into educational opportunities, it likely could also be used in your employment assessment. You could go to their home page at www.Ohiolearns.org and find the assessment or you could enter through www.ohiolearns.org/get_a_plan. Scroll down the page to the list of "Tools" and select the 'Self-Assessment Surveys'. The skills survey allows you to determine your level of ability - none, enough to get by, some, or strong ability - in five broad skill areas. After you respond to the survey, your feedback includes the two or three top skill areas you identified. Their site also includes an Interest Survey and Values Survey.
The University of Southern California Career Planning & Placement Center has a page with brief descriptions of 9 broad transferable skill areas. It can be found at http://careers.usc.edu/docs/handouts/Transferable_Skills.pdf.
The University of Toledo Career Services office has a checklist of more specific transferable skills with brief descriptions of each. That can be found at www.utoledo.edu/utlc/career/pdfs/transferable_skills_checklist.pdf.
Whether you check out one of these pages, find another site, or use/create your own list, I believe it is important and helpful to identify your transferable skills. It does not matter so much where you learned or developed a particular skill. So your list may include some work-related skills and some skills used in volunteer activities, or skills you have developed in your home or community activities. The key here is to identify the skills you possess that could be used in other situations.
Knowing your transferable skills can be a clue to your next career if you are considering a change. And if you are in the midst of, or plan to make a career change, I believe it is vital to be able to identify and share those skills that would be needed in your next work situation. Not only should you be prepared to discuss some of your transferable skills in a job interview, it could also be a boost to your self-esteem to review your skills - especially during those times when you are not feeling particularly needed or valued.
Mary Ann Davis is a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) in private practice providing coaching and counseling for life's transitions; including career change or job search, as well as loss of job, retirement planning, coping with an empty nest, and other life planning issues. She is certified as a Master Career Counselor (MCC) by the National Career Development Association; a Life/Work Counselor (L/WC) by the National Employment Counseling Association; and is a Distance Credentialed Counselor (DCC). Please visit her web site at www.YourCareerPlan.com for more information.
To contact Mary Ann, please call (513) 665-4444 x3 and leave a personal and confidential message or send an email to YourCareerPlan@cinci.rr.com.
With the growth of the Internet, there is a great deal of information available fairly readily, that used to require more digging to uncover. One option is to do a search and just type in your computer application search box, "transferable skills'. It should return a list of sites that have information related to various skills. Some have lists of the "preferred" skills or the ones most frequently sought after by employers. A few sites that I believe are worthwhile to visit include Ohio Learns, the University of Southern California Office of Student Affairs, and the University of Toledo.
Ohio Learns includes a Self Assessment: Transferable Skills Survey in their Student Services tab. Although my guess is it is intended for people who are looking into educational opportunities, it likely could also be used in your employment assessment. You could go to their home page at www.Ohiolearns.org and find the assessment or you could enter through www.ohiolearns.org/get_a_plan. Scroll down the page to the list of "Tools" and select the 'Self-Assessment Surveys'. The skills survey allows you to determine your level of ability - none, enough to get by, some, or strong ability - in five broad skill areas. After you respond to the survey, your feedback includes the two or three top skill areas you identified. Their site also includes an Interest Survey and Values Survey.
The University of Southern California Career Planning & Placement Center has a page with brief descriptions of 9 broad transferable skill areas. It can be found at http://careers.usc.edu/docs/handouts/Transferable_Skills.pdf.
The University of Toledo Career Services office has a checklist of more specific transferable skills with brief descriptions of each. That can be found at www.utoledo.edu/utlc/career/pdfs/transferable_skills_checklist.pdf.
Whether you check out one of these pages, find another site, or use/create your own list, I believe it is important and helpful to identify your transferable skills. It does not matter so much where you learned or developed a particular skill. So your list may include some work-related skills and some skills used in volunteer activities, or skills you have developed in your home or community activities. The key here is to identify the skills you possess that could be used in other situations.
Knowing your transferable skills can be a clue to your next career if you are considering a change. And if you are in the midst of, or plan to make a career change, I believe it is vital to be able to identify and share those skills that would be needed in your next work situation. Not only should you be prepared to discuss some of your transferable skills in a job interview, it could also be a boost to your self-esteem to review your skills - especially during those times when you are not feeling particularly needed or valued.
Mary Ann Davis is a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) in private practice providing coaching and counseling for life's transitions; including career change or job search, as well as loss of job, retirement planning, coping with an empty nest, and other life planning issues. She is certified as a Master Career Counselor (MCC) by the National Career Development Association; a Life/Work Counselor (L/WC) by the National Employment Counseling Association; and is a Distance Credentialed Counselor (DCC). Please visit her web site at www.YourCareerPlan.com for more information.
To contact Mary Ann, please call (513) 665-4444 x3 and leave a personal and confidential message or send an email to YourCareerPlan@cinci.rr.com.
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