So…what do you do?

An essay on being a career consultant.

Have you ever asked yourself, “what is a career consultant?” Have you ever wondered what a career consultant does or how they can help you? Don’t worry you’re not alone, I get asked this all the time. After the third person at a recent networking event asked me to repeat what I do, I realized that career consulting wasn’t an occupation that everyone was familiar with.

My role as a career consultant is very unique, so let me introduce myself a little bit:

• 2014 Virginia Tech Graduate in Business (aka people) Management.
• My entire professional career (including internships) has been exclusively in the workplace industry
• I do not work on commission
• I do know a lot of people across the country, and am always open to meet new people!
• I cannot pull a rabbit out of a hat
• I CAN help you be prepared for the career opportunity of a lifetime
• I CAN help you move from having a job to building a career
• And I can help you manage your career over time

Career consultants LOVE people, or at least I do. Their job is to assist individuals not only in navigating their career search but to really understand each person as an individual and be a champion for them throughout the length of their careers. The best time for a career consultant to be of assistance to you is before you know that you want a new job. I know, I know, you aren’t a mind reader, this isn’t even possible! But what if you had someone who already knew you, knew what was important to you professionally, and who could be keeping tabs for you at all times? You can, and that person is a career consultant! My job is not a ‘one and done, see you later’ type of job. Of course we hope you are happy at your current firm, but things happen, life happens, and sometimes changes need to be made. Having a career consultant, whose job is to stay on top of the current marketplace, at your fingertips is extremely valuable to you as a professional.

Who can work with a career consultant? Everyone! Who should work with a career consultant? The list goes on and on but here a few scenarios where you should have a career consultant:

• Passive candidate – You are a passive candidate if you are gainfully employed and happy. A career consultant is that Facebook friend you check in with once a year, not someone you see frequently but maybe one day will meet up with if the time is right. (Imagine if you decided it was time to look for a new job, reached out to your old friend Katie, and ta-da, she has the perfect opportunity in mind for you! And I said I couldn’t pull a rabbit out of a hat ;).)
• Active candidate – You are an active candidate if you are out of a job or know that it is time to leave your current job. Step one – call a career consultant ASAP! Even better: come in prepared with a list of firms that you are interested in and contacts you might be thinking of reaching out to.

Why do we do what we do you ask? Because we love people and hope to make a positive impact on the built environment. We get paid by our clients to be their eyes and ears in the marketplace, connecting them with the top talent in our industry.

So what do I do? I am a workplace industry researcher and writer, I am a cheerleader, and most importantly your biggest advocate!

The best part about all of this? For you, there is no cost associated with working with me. 🙂 

Drop me a line at ks@designforce.me – I’d love to hear from you!