Finding Career Fulfillment

Creighton Career Counseling Programmes

Finding Career Fulfillment

Stage 1: Know Yourself
Stage 2: Explore Ideas and Opportunities
Stage 3: Make a Career Decision
How the Programme Works

Many people risk the danger of making a rash decision about their future work, without doing the crucial preparatory work of Stages 1 and 2.
Stage 1 prepares you to make more focused plans for your future, and ensures the groundwork to produce better CVs and interview results. Stage 2 gives you the ideas and targets designed to motivate you to succeed. You will achieve success at Stage 3 with a combination of CCS exercises and personal reflection and research. In Stage 4 Boost your Job Search we help you to make your goals happen with some sound coaching on CV and interview preparation, job search strategy and networking.

Stage 1: Know Yourself

This is the fundamental preparation which should be undertaken prior to making a decision about your career and personal development. It enables you to address the questions ‘who am I?’ and ‘what do I want?’ It may include the use of tests, questionnaires and self-appraisal exercises to help you address your:

• Transferable Skills (what am I good at?)
• Interests (what am I motivated to do?)
• Values (what is most important to me?)
• Personality (what work roles and environments would suit me?)
• Career Drivers’ (what are my key career needs?)
• ‘Past Positives’ (what activities & environments enable me to thrive and be at my best?)

Further exercises will enable you to clarify these results, leading to the creation of a ‘Job Template’, a summary of those key elements you must have in your work life.

Stage 2: Explore Ideas and Opportunities

With the increased clarity and confidence which Stage 1 can provide, you will be in the best possible frame of mind to think about and brainstorm ideas for your future. These could be about:

• ways to improve your prospects
• how to develop your potential
• alternative roles
• different work environments
• new or complementary careers

During the meeting with your Career Counsellor, you will first ensure that your Job Template (what you must have in a job) is as accurate and specific as possible – so that you can pass the employer test – in other words, be able to answer clearly a prospective employer’s question: “So what is it you are wanting from a job?”
Stage 2 can also help you develop a clearer vision for your future .

Stage 3: Make a Career Decision

We will give you exercises to help you assess the suitability of different options, and decide on the ‘best fit’. We will also help you to set realistic goals and devise small and relevant action steps to achieve them.
After your ‘ideas’ meeting, you will need to read materials and talk to employers and contacts who know about your areas of interest. CCS can give you details of relevant websites and other relevant sources of information. We have an extensive knowledge of relevant web based material and will give you concrete information to take away, where possible. This may include further information on diverse careers, training courses and grant-giving bodies.
During Stage 3 we will work with you to develop realistic Action Plans. You will also have gained a decision-making toolkit to use again and again.

How the Programme Works

Introductory Discussions

We always invite you to talk through your situation with one of our Career Counsellors so we can decide on the most appropriate programme to suit your needs.

Stage 1

Written preparation

Stage 2

Consultation: Exploring (approx 1.5 hours)

• Exploring your career, education and training to-date
• Reviewing other life issues relevant to your career development
• Agreeing general objectives for career counselling, for example:
  • do I need a change of career or just a different employer?
  • what are my strengths and weaknesses for those occupations which interest me?
• Agreeing any specific objectives for career counselling, for example:
  • would I be happier in a larger or smaller organisation or unit?
  • would I fit better into a commercial or not-for-profit organisation?
  • would my strengths and qualities indicate a more generalist managerial, or specialist /technical, role?
  • how suited am I for running my own business?
  • am I more a ‘number one’ or ‘number two’?
  • how can I better use my creativity?
  • what kind of work activities would I enjoy more?
• Agreeing written self-appraisal exercisesand questionnaires(most completed in your own time)

Stage 3

Questionnaires and Assigments undertaken between the meetings (allow up to 6 hours)

Stage 4

Consultation: Review (up to 2 hours)

• Discussion of self-appraisal exercises and questionnaires(tape recorded, if desired). Our experience shows that using tapes is most helpful in enabling you to reflect on the discussion, the results and possible implications of exercises and questionnaires. The tape is, of course, yours to use as you wish. You might, for example, want to share it with a partner or friend
• Exploration of your strengths, weaknesses and development needs
• Agreeing ‘home assignments’ to aid your further reflection

Stage 5

Consultation: Planning and Action (about 1.5 hours)
Could include the following:

• summarising your ‘Job Template’ - key elements for job satisfaction
• identifying career and personal development opportunities and ideas
• ‘reality testing’ : an initial consideration of resources and obstacles
• agreeing ‘Action Plan ‘, including deadlines, if appropriate
• identifying areas to research further, and ways to achieve this

Stage 6

Progress Review (up to 1.5 hours)
This meeting can be taken up to six months after Meeting 4, without extra charge.
This could include:

• Reviewing your action plan(s)
• staying resilient
• making a decision
  
  • maintaining your progress
  • identifying new action steps