Career Professional Practices

Module Objective
These competency statements are for those professionals interested to work in the field of career
management. Professional competency statements guide the minimum competencies necessary to
perform effectively as a career professional. It serves as a checklist for persons willing to acquire or
enhance their skills in career management.

PG PROGRAMME FOR CERTIFIED CAREER PROFESSIONAL

NATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR CAREER EDUCATION
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Career Professional Practices
Career Management
Career Management is defined as the lifelong process of managing learning, work, leisure, and
transitions to move toward a personally determined and evolving preferred future.

Career management is much more than the jobs you pursue - it is how you want to live your life.

There are several noteworthy elements in this definition:

Lifelong – career management is not summed up in a single decision. A simplistic view of career
management would have a young person decide what to “be” and what education to pursue to
achieve that. The real story, however, generally involves multiple chapters, with distinct goals, tasks,
outcomes and transitions across the lifespan.

Managing – career development will happen whether it is managed or not. The question is the
extent to which you want to influence your career direction versus leaving it to chance. Current
levels of youth unemployment and underemployment and job dissatisfaction in the workplace are
due to chance.

Learning, work and transitions – career management consists of learning (formal and informal),
work (paid and unpaid) and transitions.

Personally determined – career management is about intentionality. Done well, it ensures that the
decisions we make about learning and work are grounded in knowledge of self (personal interests,
attitude, abilities and skills), and knowledge of educational/labour market realities (conditions,
finances, prospects, entry requirements, progression and pathways).

Evolving preferred future – career management recognises that both we and our labour market
change over time. What we want and what is possible are not static. Whether we are employed
with one company, or pursue entrepreneurial ventures, we will need to adjust and adapt, re-
conceive and re-create our careers.

What do Career Professionals do?

Career Professionals work with people of all ages to help them to manage their learning, work,
leisure and transitions. The goal of career services is to help people to pursue learning and to find
work which is personally meaningful and to learn how to manage transitions in today’s ever-evolving
labour market.

Career services may be found in many different places: school guidance centres, colleges/university
career centres, social-NGO agencies, government service centres, workplaces and/or through private
career service firms and independent practitioners.

Career Professionals have the skills, knowledge, and experience required to assist a person’s
ability to create a meaningful life.

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Standards and Guidelines for Career Professionals

The Standards & Guidelines outline a specific set of competencies required for Career Professionals
based upon job practices. The three competency clusters are:

Core Competencies: Professional behaviours, interpersonal competence, career development

knowledge and needs analysis.

Areas of Specialisation: Assessment, facilitated learning, career counselling, information, resource

and work management.

Skills and Knowledge: Work search strategies, group facilitation and community capacity building.

The main goal of the Standards and Guidelines for Career Management initiative is to spell out the
competencies that professionals need to deliver comprehensive career education services to clients
across the lifespan. Taken as a whole, the Standards and Guidelines map out the knowledge, skills,
and attitudes that professionals need to deliver quality career management services to clients.

Core Competencies

Core Competencies are the skills, knowledge and attitudes common to all Career Professionals,
regardless of their employment setting.

1. Career professionals need to demonstrate certain attitudes. They need to be:

(a) insightful
(b) honest
(c) open-minded
(d) results-oriented

2. People working as Career Professionals need to have certain skills like:

(a) Maintain activity logs of client interactions and progress
(b) conduct assessment, analyse results and draw inferences
(c) collect, authenticate and use information
(d) convey information clearly when speaking and writing

3. People working as Career Professionals need to have certain knowledge:

(a) career development models and theories
(b) the change process, transition stages, and career cycles
(c) components of the career planning process
(d) world of occupations and higher learning centres.

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Professional Competencies

Why is this competency important?

 to provide a practical guide for professional behaviour for those who provide direct service
 to assist the Career Professional in making thoughtful decisions when resolving ethical
dilemmas

To demonstrate this competency, Career Professionals must follow the Code of Ethics, Standards
and Guidelines for Career Management as presented in Appendix A.

C1 Demonstrate professional attributes

Why is this competency important?

 to help Career Professionals create and maintain a high level of credibility

 to help Career Professionals act as a role model
 to help Career Professionals ensure consistency of service to all clients
 to enable Career Professionals to work with a variety of people with diverse needs and
backgrounds
 to show respect to others
 to act responsibly
 to offer quality service to clients

To demonstrate this competency, Career Professionals must be:

(a) accurate: deliver information as dictated by assessment tools

(b) adaptable: adjust to new ways of doing things, react positively to change
(c) assertive: direct, honest, and appropriate self-expression
(d) attentive: listen to others
(e) collaborative: work with clients and colleagues to produce solutions
(f) confident: willing to take calculated risks
(g) conscious of their values, beliefs, strengths, biases and limitations: make clear distinctions
between their values and those of others to avoid projection
(h) consistent: maintain congruency between practice and theory, provide high-quality service
to all clients
(i) curious: seek information
(j) determined: work through difficult situations
(k) empathetic: respond to the feelings, attitudes, values and concerns of others
(l) empowering: act as a facilitator, be non-directive
(m) genuine: respond sincerely to others
(n) honest: express their opinions truthfully and appropriately
(o) innovative: develop imaginative solutions, present new ways of thinking and/or behaving
(p) insightful: identify the relationship between key issues, be aware of their values
(q) motivating: empower and encourage people to believe in their abilities to make changes
successfully
(r) non-judgmental

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 (s) open-minded: give due consideration to different perspectives and new information,
examine new trends before making judgements, value diversity
(t) optimistic: promote hope and a positive outlook, provide encouragement
(u) outcome-oriented: facilitate problem-solving; generate options with clients and offer
choices
(v) patient
(w) positive: present strengths of the situation and people
(x) proactive: anticipate the future, e.g. plan for future events, trends, problems and
opportunities; act as an agent for productive change; interpret trends and global thinking
(y) respectful of the diversity of clients, colleagues, communities and cultures
(z) responsible: follow through with commitments; recognize professional boundaries
(i) self-motivated: work without supervision; take independent action within the
parameters of the workplace; rise to challenges
(ii) self-reflective: evaluate their own beliefs, philosophies and actions
(iii) sensitive to cultural, regional and geographical differences
(iv) supportive e.g. satisfying others’ need for information, believing in people’s abilities
to make changes successfully
(v) trustworthy

Notes

 It is important to recognize that Career Professionals are human and have strengths in some
areas more than others.
 The development of these competencies is an on-going process.

C2 Develop relationships with other professionals

Why is this competency important?

 to broaden experience
 to realise and respect the boundaries and limitations of their roles
 to keep up-to-date in the field and share ideas and techniques that positively impact clients
 to work co-operatively with colleagues, other agency staff, employers, society, etc.
 to enhance the working environment
 to plan for my professional development.

To demonstrate this competency, Career Professionals must:

(a) create a climate of trust, e.g.

- work to meet both their own needs and the needs of others
- consult with colleagues regularly, formally or informally
- give others opportunities to participate in decision making
(b) share knowledge and skills, e.g.
- act as or seek a mentor or coach
- take time to observe, discuss and share the work of others
- exercise skill and care in providing guidance and constructive feedback
(c) network locally, regionally, nationally and internationally, e.g.

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 - attend information sessions
- participate in professional conferences, seminars, workshops, career fairs and
community events
- develop relationships with other community agencies
- share resources and information.

C3 Demonstrate a commitment to lifelong learning

Why is this competency important?

 to continue professional development

 to focus on own career path
 to act as a role model
 to maintain a work/life balance
 to retain current and relevant knowledge and skills
 to improve services to clients.

To demonstrate this competency, Career Professionals must establish a personal and/or

professional plan:

 assess how practices, behaviours and areas could be improved:

- engage in self-reflection/assessment
- request and accept clients’/colleagues’ feedback
 include specific career and personal development activities, e.g.
- read current resources and journals
- learn from clients and colleagues in other cultures
- participate in formal training/in-service, professional conferences
- join professional associations
- learn from colleagues.

C4 Keep up-to-date with technology

Why is this competency important?

 to increase access for clients to services and information

 to remain current and relevant in practice and services offered
 to help clients use relevant computer resources and tools

To demonstrate this competency, Career Professionals must review and select computer-based
resources, tools and Internet services and determine how the systems and services can be used to
the clients’ advantage

C5 Deliver Career Management Services

Why is this competency important?

 to assist self and clients in analysing situations, identifying and developing alternatives and
establishing a plan of action

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  to develop a collaborative relationship with clients

To demonstrate this competency, Career Professionals must:

(a) develop a solution-focused orientation:

 frame problems as:
- opportunities for learning and personal growth for self-improvement
- opportunities to understand that time, energy and commitment are required to solve
problems
 believe that the skills for problem-solving can be acquired
 use a broad approach, encompassing and client-driven
(b) use a solution-focused framework, e.g.
 define and analyse the issue or concern
 set goals
 select the alternative(s) to be applied and implement the alternative(s)
 evaluate the effectiveness of the alternative(s)
 repeat the steps in the solution-focused framework as necessary
(c) respect diverse client approaches to developing solutions
(d) explore with clients the impacts of diversity on their career lives in a way that respects their
reality and worldview

Notes

 When working with a client, the client’s readiness must be assessed.

 It is critical to take the time to carefully analyse the issues or concerns before jumping into
the process of generating solutions.

C6 Collect, analyse and use information

Why is this competency important?

 to identify trends and opportunities

 to remain up-to-date in the career development field
 to be able to maintain and retrieve information effectively
 to assist clients

To demonstrate this competency, Career Professionals must:

(a) identify the information needed, considering:

 services provided
 clients’ needs
 current events that impact the labour market, society, clients and their futures
(b) identify sources of information in various formats
(c) collect and compile the information
- analyse the information and evaluate its accuracy, relevance and quality
(d) organise the relevant data into a useful format for further work and to draw conclusions
(e) take appropriate action, e.g. make recommendations

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Notes

 An understanding of basic statistics is particularly important to effectively interpret labour

market information.
 A Career Professional may need to develop information management strategies to deal with
information overload and filter contradictory information.

C7 Use planning and time management skills

Why is this competency important?

 to be efficient and effective in fulfilling responsibilities to clients, colleagues, employers and

self
 to understand own limitations and boundaries

To demonstrate this competency, Career Professionals must:

(a) establish goals

(b) prioritise the goals, considering their importance to the mission/purpose and values
(c) outline the objectives to be achieved for each goal
(d) identify the tasks that need to be completed to meet each objective:
 rank the tasks according to importance and urgency
 identify tasks that can be carried out simultaneously
 determine the amount of time each task will take
(e) create timelines
(f) monitor progress:
 review and update timelines regularly
 identify incomplete tasks and make adjustments as required
 ensure deadlines are met
(g) review goals and objectives regularly remain flexible

Notes

 The extent to which all tasks can be regularly completed may be somewhat dependent on
the work environment.
 Planning and time management are not always sequential processes.

C8 Follow career management procedures

Why is this competency important?

 to allow for program evaluation and accountability

 to work as a team in the client’s best interests
 to get client feedback
 to co-ordinate services that may enhance the employability of the client, where more than
one service provider is involved
 to follow the client’s progress
 to assist in ensuring accountability

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  to identify how co-ordination and co-operation may be further enhanced due to program/
service inter-relatedness and inter-dependence at the intra- and inter-agency levels

To demonstrate this competency, Career Professionals must:

(a) follow organisational procedures adapted to the context of work

(b) prepare a case study file:
 make files comprehensible and accessible to other professionals involved in cases
 update as required
(c) assist clients in understanding services provided by the Council
(d) consult with experienced advisors to clarify career management responsibilities
 present and integrate information
 receive and assess information from peers for the benefit of clients
(e) work on alternative action plans with clients.

Notes

 It is important to be aware of issues surrounding confidentiality as described in the Code of

Ethics and outlined in relevant legislation and policies.

C9 Document client interactions and progress

Why is this competency important?

 to monitor the client’s situation and progress

 to have information that can be easily retrieved for decisions or future needs
 to maintain client confidentiality
 to highlight the importance of documentation in career management.

To demonstrate this competency, Career Professionals must:

(a) identify types of records required, e.g.

 client’s assessment reports
 contact remarks
 client meetings
 résumés/portfolios
(b) complete records and notes/logs as required, e.g. daily, monthly, annually
(c) ensure the recorded information is accurate, complete and objective:
 ensure information is protected and secure
 information should be non-judgmental and behaviour-based
(d) keep the records current
(e) be aware of legal issues associated with record keeping, e.g. freedom of information,
confidentiality, protection of privacy

Notes

 It is a good idea to keep recorded information in chronological order.

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  Clients should be made aware of the record-keeping process and be advised about their
ability to access records.
 Systems need to be in place to facilitate this competency.

C10 Evaluate the service provided to clients

Why is this competency important?

 to improve practice and accountability

 to measure and improve client satisfaction
 to identify new services
 to provide evidence to assist in service promotion
 to identify inequities in service delivery

To demonstrate this competency, Career Professionals must:

(a) promote the use of quality indicators and service standards:

 develop evaluation criteria for all stakeholder groups, if necessary and appropriate
 review services, considering context, objectives, process
- compare current service objectives to feedback from the client
(b) conclude:
 evaluation results
 distinguish qualitative and quantitative information
 follow up as necessary, e.g. revise approach, seek professional development

Notes

 This may be implemented differently in different situations and organisations.

 Service providers should be aware of their ability and responsibility to influence
management practices, policies, procedures etc.

C11 Demonstrate awareness and knowledge about diversity

Why is this competency important?

 to work effectively, appropriately and ethically with a diverse client group

 to appreciate that and accept clients may not share Career Professional personal or
professional perspectives
 to understand that clients are unique individuals and to accept and respect each individual
for who they are
 to provide an inclusive environment when working with clients
 to understand the influence of diversity on career management

To demonstrate this competency, Career Professionals must:

 describe the multiple influences of diversity, including the client’s characteristics and beliefs
that are relevant to their career issues: physical ability, mental ability, disabilities, self-
image/concept, educational background, language, social barriers, spirituality/religion,

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 motivations, aspirations, caste, age, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation/preference, socio-
economic status, culture, etc.
 work and environment context, e.g. roles, expectations, physical environment, employment
history, systemic barriers, the composition of the workforce, equity practices
 how client characteristics and beliefs and work and environment context can interact to
affect: values and beliefs about work and productive roles, career development needs,
employment expectations, economic, social and political issues, learning styles, and
willingness to engage in career-related practices.

Notes

 The continuous acquisition of knowledge and self-awareness is necessary to work with

diverse clients.
 Career Professionals must recognise that their characteristics influence their perceptions of
others.
 Career Professionals must recognise that the importance placed on diversity by clients will
vary across their life contexts and have different implications for their career development.

C12 Demonstrate respect for diversity with all clients

Why is this competency important?

 to work responsibly and respectfully with clients by accepting, understanding and respecting
individual uniqueness
 to ensure pre-judgment and biases are not affecting service delivery
 to identify and work to overcome systemic biases that limit the client’s career development.

To demonstrate this competency, Career Professionals must:

(a) be sensitive to the intra- and interpersonal dynamics of people from diverse populations:
 accept and seek to understand responses that may occur, e.g., body language cues;
contextual influences on clients’ levels of engagement in career practices
(b) respond to the career development needs unique to individuals of diverse populations:
 recognise and consider the issues unique to diverse populations
 recognise and consider the various physical/mental/emotional conditions that may present
barriers:
- determine any assistance or solutions necessary based on individual needs, e.g.,
adaptive technology
 be prepared to adjust service delivery to meet the needs of diverse clients
(c) access appropriate methods or resources to communicate with clients with specific needs
(d) work with colleagues, other professionals and society members including individuals from
diverse backgrounds to:
 promote open and honest feedback
 contribute to the elimination of prejudices
 clearly distinguish between individual and systemic barriers

Notes

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  Career Professionals must view diversity as critical to fully understanding any individual or
group.
 It may not be practical or realistic to work effectively with all clients, e.g. those with
language barriers or emotional barriers. Some individuals need to be referred to an agency
that can assist them more effectively.
 It is expected that Career Professionals will become familiar with the diverse populations
living in their communities. This can be fostered through establishing both informal and
formal relationships with diverse members of communities.

C13 Work with climate and context to enhance communication

Why is this competency important?

 to identify and overcome barriers to communication

 to build rapport and relationships with the audience
 to encourage effective communication

To demonstrate this competency, Career Professionals must:

(a) consider the audience’s needs and expectations

(b) consider the level of language required to suit the audience
(c) consider the impact on the environment
(d) consider the medium to be used, e.g. telephone, face-to-face, written, online
(e) adjust themselves, the environment and the medium to promote comfort, safety, rapport
and access

Notes

 The word “audience” refers to the person or persons receiving the message, e.g. client,
employer, or institution.

C14 Use a framework for verbal communication

Why is this competency important?

 to facilitate an accurate assessment of clients’ needs

 to allow for the transfer of required information
 to promote a co-operative and productive work environment
 to save time and reduce confusion and error
 to validate clients’ own beliefs, values and opinions

To demonstrate this competency, Career Professionals must:

(a) describe the agenda of the session and its importance

(b) state the goals and objectives
(c) refer to a situation, (e.g. experience, video, newspaper clipping) to which the individual can
apply new information
(d) incorporate summary or review during or at the end of a session

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 (e) make transitions explicit to avoid confusing the audience
(f) provide verbal markers of importance:
 use words or phrases to highlight the most important elements of the session, e.g. “The key
aspect of all of this is …”
(g) attend to word use and different ways of communicating that are specific to the cultural
context

Notes

 This can apply to one-on-one or group situations and can be done formally or informally.
 Career Professionals need to be aware of the vast number of skills necessary to facilitate and
communicate proactively.

C15 Use a framework for written communication

Why is this competency important?

 to facilitate an accurate assessment of clients’ needs

 to allow for the transfer of required information
 to save time and reduce confusion and error
 to reduce stress

To demonstrate this competency, Career Professionals must:

(a) identify the purpose of communication:

 set goals to promote an effective and relevant exchange of information
(b) use the medium (e.g. email, newsletters, web site) and style appropriate to the audience:
 clarify the main idea of the communication
 show respect for varying literacy levels
 break the information into parts that are precise and clear
 give examples to illustrate points
(c) organise the information into a meaningful structure
(d) use plain language that is easy to understand
(e) check with the audience to ensure the message is understood, if appropriate

Notes

 Maintaining clear notes and documentation is important

 Career professionals must often pass materials on to other professionals.

C16 Use effective listening skills

Why is this competency important?

 to create a climate of confidence, openness and comfort

 to improve co-operation and teamwork
 to acquire relevant information to facilitate an accurate assessment of clients’ needs
 to encourage clients to contribute to solutions

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  to respect the pace and rhythm of the audience
 to demonstrate respect

To demonstrate this competency, Career Professionals must:

(a) use listening skills, including:

 attending: note verbal and non-verbal behaviours
 paraphrasing: reflect basic messages
 clarifying: focus on discussions, and use self-disclosures when appropriate
 perception checking: determine the accuracy of understanding
 focusing: redirect clients
 questioning: ask open and closed questions, use declarative probes
 reframing: help clients to see alternative perspectives
(b) use reflecting skills:
 reflect feelings: let clients know that they understand how clients feel about the situation
 reflect meaning: ensure that their perception of what is being said is the same as what the
client intends
(c) use summarising skills: pull themes together
(d) use prompts and leads:
 help clients to find answers
 seek consistency between questions and responses

Notes

 Techniques need to be changed to adapt to the client’s learning style.

C17 Clarify and provide feedback

Why is this competency important?

 to develop clients’ abilities to self-assess and to support them in their growth and
development
 to enhance clients’ awareness of their behaviours and their impacts on others
 to support clients’ abilities to understand their situations, behaviours and subsequent needs

To demonstrate this competency, Career Professionals must:

(a) support clients in self-assessing performances and behaviours

(b) provide specific feedback on clients’ performances or behaviours, when appropriate:
 describe clients’ behaviours without adding value judgements
 discuss strengths and areas needing improvement
(c) describe inconsistencies and ask clients to clarify them: use an “I” statement

Notes

 A Career Professional cannot force a client to change.

 Feedback should be provided to promote the client’s agency.

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C18 Establish and maintain collaborative work relationships

Why is this competency important?

 to develop client, colleague and community relationships that facilitate the gathering and
sharing of information
 to maximise trust and understanding so that further communication can be clear, direct and
effective
 to enable one to work effectively with others to create a healthy and productive work
environment
 to promote and market services to clients, employers, institutes and other agencies

To demonstrate this competency, Career Professionals must:

(a) build rapport

(b) give other individuals their undivided attention
(c) establish the purpose of the relationship: mutually determine expectations, needs and goals
(d) facilitate the exchange of information:
 encourage participation
 invite input from other individuals
 promote and market services
(e) be sensitive to the needs and receptiveness of other individuals:
 observe other individuals
 check perceptions
 respond to barriers and defences in a respectful manner

C19 Foster client self-reliance and self-management

Why is this competency important?

 to promote clients’ independence, self-confidence, ideas, awareness of opportunities and

options
 to understand and agree on possible outcomes
 to work out steps needed to implement a decision so clients achieve goals

To demonstrate this competency, Career Professionals must:

(a) use a client-centred approach

(b) establish rapport
(c) educate clients about their roles, responsibilities and choices in the career development
process
(d) generate options with clients and offer choices
(e) guide clients’ acquisition of the necessary attitudes, knowledge and skills to enable them to:
 practice self-appraisal and introspection
 seek information, e.g. identify resources, conduct information-gathering interviews
 investigate information
 evaluate options

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  select the most appropriate options
(f) help clients establish and commit to action plans
(g) conduct periodic reviews of action plans, e.g. meet one-on-one, telephone, email

Notes

 In some cases, it may be necessary for a Career Professional to provide direction to a client
when fostering self-reliance.

C20 Deal with reluctant clients

Why is this competency important?

 to assist clients in learning to manage change in their lives

 to engage clients in the career planning process

To demonstrate this competency, Career Professionals must:

(a) listen to clients, encourage clients to voice their concerns and validate clients’ concerns
(b) determine sources of clients’ reluctance
(c) inform clients of possible benefits of the process
(d) let clients know the options and potential results
(e) seek agreement on plans:
 ask for a commitment to continue:
- if the client agrees, develop a plan
- if an agreement cannot be reached, refer the client to other advisors, as appropriate

Notes

 A Career Professional must understand the difference between a reluctant client and one
who is simply not yet ready to take the career development.
 It is crucial to realise that reluctance may stem from a cultural perception of the role and
value of career development.
 Not all clients will be enthusiastic about engaging in the career development process.
 Recognise that reluctance may not be obvious and that roadblocks may be placed by the
client.
 Career Professionals should realise that inaction is sometimes seen as a benefit by the client,
and the Career Professional will need to help the client examine this.
 It is important to have buy-in on the part of the client for the process to be successful. The
Career Professional should not force a situation when confronted with significant resistance.
 This competency does not apply to abusive clients. A Career Professional will not tolerate an
abusive situation.

C21 Describe how human development models relate to career development

Why is this competency important?

 to establish an informed basis for practice

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  to broaden the understanding of career development

To demonstrate this competency, Career Professionals must:

(a) describe how human development models may relate to career development, which
includes but is not limited to:
 Humanistic e.g. Maslow: individuals’ basic needs must be met before they can move on to
higher levels, e.g. recognise that a client, who is the only income source for a family, may
need to find a temporary job first, and then participate in a longer term, focussed, career
decision-making group.
 Behaviourists e.g. Skinner: use positive reinforcement to encourage desirable behaviour,
e.g. use verbal praise such as “You have been applying yourself to your job search.”
 Developmental e.g. Erickson: people go through various stages and each stage has different
issues to resolve, e.g. adolescents may not have a fully-developed identity.
(b) describe human development models as they relate to your client groups, e.g. cognitive and
emotional development level of clients.

Notes

 These theories are not absolute and serve only as guidelines. Other interpretations and
theories are also valid.

C22 Describe major career development theories

Why is this competency important?

 to provide the context to work with clients

 to understand client behaviours
 to provide a rationale for suggestions, approaches and strategies
 to provide a meaningful information base for your interactions with clients

To demonstrate this competency, Career Professionals must:

Describe major career development theories, which include but are not limited to:

(a) Trait-Factor Theory

 people have well-defined patterns of traits, e.g. interests, values, abilities, personality
characteristics
 jobs can be analysed and factors can be well defined
 different jobs require different sets of traits
 the best career choices are made by matching job factors to people’s traits

(b) Holland’s Career Typology Theory

 personalities tend to fall into six broad categories: 1. realistic, 2. investigative, and 3. Artistic,
4. Social, 5. Enterprising, 6. Conventional.
 work and social environments can also be clustered into six similar populations: people are
more satisfied in an environment that is congruent with their personality type
 personalities tend to be characterised predominantly by three of the six personality factors

© Career Counselling Professional (CCP) Training

  personalities can be matched with similar combinations of work environments: the most
satisfying work situations occur when there is a close match between the personality factors
and the environmental characteristics

(c) Super’s Theory of Life-Span/Life-Space Career Developmental Theory

 people have multiple talents and interests: any individual is qualified for many occupations
 people tend to impose their self-concepts onto their work choices: typically, there is
increased job satisfaction when a person’s self-view includes a view of the working self as
being integrated with the other roles the person engages in.
 career development tends to occur in developmental stages: growth, exploration,
establishment, maintenance, and decline.
 people tend to cycle through the stages when they are involved in career transitions

(d) Krumboltz’s Social Learning Theory of Career Choice

 modelling creates a powerful influence on the career choices that people make:
observational learning stemming from significant role models (e.g. parents, favourite aunts
or uncles, television stars) makes some occupations more attractive than others
 in the process of learning how to understand the world, people develop various beliefs
about the nature of careers and their roles in life:
- these beliefs may or may not be founded in reality
- Krumboltz refers to these beliefs as “self-observational generalizations” (SOGs)
- e.g., “Why to bother to look for work, there are no jobs available anyway.” or “I
never was much good at math and never will be, so I better steer away from any
career that has anything to do with numbers.”

(e) Constructivist Theory/Models of Career Development, e.g. Savickas, Mahoney, Peavy

 there are no fixed meanings in the world: people construct their meanings from the
experiences they have
 two people may be in the same situation, yet have very different perceptions of their
experiences: results from people attaching a different meaning to various elements of a
situation
 career planning is about:
- creating meaning
- gaining clarity on one’s vision
- taking steps to help make the vision a reality

Notes

 Career Professionals can use a combination of theories and philosophies to present a holistic
approach to clients.
 Most theories have more than one central component. Any one of the bullets for each
theory would demonstrate some familiarity with the constructs of the theory.
 No one theory is comprehensive.
 Theories need to be integrated into a Career Professional’s style and follow the clients’
needs.

© Career Counselling Professional (CCP) Training

  The level of detail provided in this section is indicative of the level of knowledge required by
a Career Professional.

C23 Describe how change and transition affect clients moving through the career process

Why is this competency important?

 to help clients adapt to and manage change and transition

 to help clients understand and accept that change and transition are normal parts of life

To demonstrate this competency, Career Professionals must:

(a) describe types of change and transition, e.g.

 school to work
 work to school
 school to post-secondary college/institute
 immigration from one country to another
 employee to self-employed
 employment to unemployment or under-employment
 ageing
 single to married
 married to single
 able-bodied person to a person with a disability
 long-term full-time parenting to reintegration into the workforce
 paid employment to other life roles, e.g. parenthood, volunteer
(b) recognise that change and transition are parts of life:
 identify that there are expected and unexpected changes
 identify that some changes are planned and some are forced
 identify that change occurs at many levels, e.g. personal, societal, economic, political,
cultural
 identify that change and transition can have both positive and negative components
(c) recognise that the role of the Career Professional is to help clients to learn to manage
transitions and to guide clients through career-related changes
 describe how models and theories can encourage clients and assist them in identifying their
change and transition processes

Notes

 Most adult workers will change occupations several times in their career lives.
 Change is often why a client contacts a Career Professional.
 Some clients cannot move through the change process until they understand it.

C24 Describe how life roles and values impact career development

Why is this competency important?

 to understand that making a living is only one component of one’s identity

© Career Counselling Professional (CCP) Training

  to understand that individuals, their values and the environment are interdependent.

To demonstrate this competency, Career Professionals must:

(a) identify life roles and responsibilities that affect career development
(b) describe appropriate intervention options
(c) assist clients with the integration of career development within life roles.

Notes

 While career development has an impact on work, it also impacts other roles assumed by
individuals.

C25 Identify major components of the career management process

Why is this competency important?

 to help clients develop and implement personal career plans that are clear, relevant and
attainable
 to help clients understand that career planning is a life-long process
 to help clients understand how societal trends play a major role in career planning

To demonstrate this competency, Career Professionals must:

Identify the major components of the career planning process, which include, but are not limited to:

(a) needs assessment

(b) self-assessment, e.g. interests, personality, ability, skills, values
(c) opportunity awareness, e.g. training, education, labour market, funding
(d) planning techniques, e.g. research, decision making, action planning, goal setting, work
search
(e) planned to follow up, e.g. re-evaluation plan

Notes

 The Career Professional needs to have an understanding of the implications of barriers and
limitations.
 Although career planning is a life-long process, clients should be made aware that this
process includes short-term and long-term goals.

C26 Identify the major resources and services for career development

Why is this competency important?

 to promote life-long learning

 to address the needs of those clients with unique needs
 to identify service gaps in the community

To demonstrate this competency, Career Professionals must:

© Career Counselling Professional (CCP) Training

 (a) identify organisations, resources and services relevant to their client groups.
(b) know how to access information about resources and services relevant to their client groups

Notes

 The role of the Career Professional is to identify resources available for career development
and to empower people to access and use them.
 It is important to be aware of sources of information for all types of people, including people
with disabilities, and members of underprivileged sections of society.

C27 Work with labour market information

Why is this competency important?

 to help clients understand and apply labour market information to their work search and
career objectives
 to comprehend the local, regional, national and international labour markets
 to access information on present labour market needs and future labour market trends
 to be aware of others in this specialised field and to provide referrals

To demonstrate this competency, Career Professionals must:

(a) identify the sources of labour market information, e.g. job futures/prospects, regional/local
labour market information, informational interviews
(b) analyse and interpret labour market information in terms of:
 basic premises, assumptions and biases
 strengths and limitations, including research support
 career counselling applications
 accuracy and timeliness (i.e. is it current?)
(c) access and explain components affecting the labour market, including:
 structure of the labour market, e.g.
- industrial/job fields
- National Classification of Occupations
- trends in, e.g. business conditions, changing job requirements, education, skills, etc.
- emerging and declining occupations, unpaid work, work sharing, contracting,
entrepreneurship, consulting, working out of the home
(d) possess an understanding of primary, secondary and tertiary economies.

Notes

 Accessing labour market information can be very time-consuming. Career Professionals can
increase their efficiency by working with colleagues to share this information.
 It is important to be able to use labour market information in interactions with clients as
well as in program planning, priority setting, etc.

C28 Keep up-to-date about the labour market

Why is this competency important?

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  to understand how the current labour market relates to clients’ skills & needs and vice versa
 to provide accurate labour market information to clients
 to assist clients in using current labour market information for career planning
 to assist clients in networking effectively.

To demonstrate this competency, Career Professionals must:

Keep current about the local labour market by being aware of job search resources, e.g. Internet,
newspapers, employment services, demographic data, employers and the skills they require,
placement data, updates of local labour market surveys, funding sources, training opportunities,
local government economic development plans and forecasts, activities of companies and any
diversification, e.g. openings, closings, relocations, expansions

C29 Keep current about diversity issues

Why is this competency important?

 to be able to work effectively, appropriately and ethically with a diverse client group
 to provide an inclusive environment when working with clients
 to promote access to services by diverse clients

To demonstrate this competency, Career Professionals must:

(a) be aware of the demographics of the local areas

(b) describe diversity issues in their community
(c) describe relevant legislation which may affect diverse clients

C30 Describe how diversity issues can impact career development

Why is this competency important?

 to understand systemic biases which may impact people’s career development

 to acknowledge how diversity may impact the client’s career decisions and choices

To demonstrate this competency, Career Professionals must:

 be aware of systemic biases which may impact people's career development

 describe how diversity interacts with other salient issues in a person’s life to impact
elements of career development exploration, planning, decision-making choices and action

C31 Respond to clients’ needs

Why is this competency important?

 to assist clients in selecting services to meet their needs

 to help clients to develop skills for research
 to assist clients in obtaining services outside the boundaries of the Career Professional’s
expertise

To demonstrate this competency, Career Professionals must:

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 (a) use a variety of methods and/or models to help clients identify their needs on an ongoing
basis, ask questions, e.g. verbally, by questionnaire and needs assessments with clients
(b) collaborate with clients to determine the most appropriate action to access services,
information and/or training to help clients make informed decisions
(c) refer clients to other professionals when issues are outside the boundaries of the Career
Professional’s expertise or boundaries of career development.

Notes

 Even when the clients’ needs are within the Career Professional’s boundaries of expertise,
there may be situations where the Career Professional will refer the clients to other
professionals whose approach would benefit the client more.

 As part of this process, a Career Professional may recognise client barriers that will have a
significant effect on the career development process, for example, learning disabilities or
psychological/social/neurological difficulties. In these cases, the Career Professional may
need to refer the clients to recognised specialists.

C32 Make appropriate referrals

Why is this competency important?

 to assist clients in connecting with appropriate resources

 to inform clients of services that are most relevant to their needs

To demonstrate this competency, Career Professionals must:

(a) collaborate with clients to choose the most appropriate referrals

(b) assist clients as needed and appropriate: follow the procedures of the referral sources, if
applicable
(c) confirm that referrals are appropriate: take corrective measures, if necessary
(d) follow up on referrals:
 document outcomes
 refer clients to additional referral sources, if required.

Notes

 It is important to know about a program or service’s requirements and mandate before

proceeding.
 It may be important to conduct ongoing follow-ups to ensure a client does not become
stalled or lost within the system.

Areas of Specialisation

© Career Counselling Professional (CCP) Training

  Assessment
 Facilitated individual/group learning
 Career counselling
 Information and resource management
 Work development
 Community capacity building

The areas of specialization are competencies needed to provide specific career education &
guidance services that clients may need. These competencies vary according to the nature of the
specific service. Career professionals may have the competencies and therefore meet the standards
in one, or more areas of specialisation, depending on the services they provide.

S1 Describe assessment tools and methods

Why is this competency important?

 to understand that assessment is an ongoing process

 to know what assessment methods can and cannot do

To demonstrate this competency, Career Professionals must:

(a) describe the difference between standardised and non-standardised assessment:

 identify areas that can be assessed, e.g. interest, multiple intelligence, knowledge, skills,
ability, work value, etc.
(b) identify tools and methods used to assess these areas:
 Dermatoglyphics
 Aptitude assessment tool
 Attitude assessment tool
 Ability assessment tool
 Skills Evaluation tool
 Study Organiser tool

Notes

 Assessment methods are continually being updated. A Career Professional needs to be

aware of changes in the field.
 Assessment methods complement the career development process; they do not replace it.
 It is a good idea for clients to have an opportunity to retest if they are dissatisfied with the
results of assessments.

S2 Standardised career assessment tools appropriate for your client

Why is this competency important?

 to facilitate the appropriate selection of career assessment methods

To demonstrate this competency, Career Professionals must:

© Career Counselling Professional (CCP) Training

 (a) determine goals of assessments
 determine the appropriateness and limitations of standardised career assessment tools,
considering clients’: educational levels, literacy levels, base vocabularies, ages, primary
languages, and physical capabilities/limitations.
 be aware of the trustworthiness and meaningfulness of informal assessment methods.

Notes

 It is important to recognise the limits of self-administered assessments and to realise that

Career Professionals have to interpret results from these assessments.

S3 Explore appropriate tools and procedures with clients

Why is this competency important?

 to promote client involvement, trust and commitment

 to gain a holistic view of clients
 to begin the career development process with the client’s current status clearly understood

To demonstrate this competency, Career Professionals must:

(a) determine clients’ expectations of assessments

(b) discuss with clients:
 how assessment processes fit within the career planning process
 limitations of assessments
 distribution of results, including informed consent and release of information
(c) determine clients’ commitment levels
(d) help clients identify and clarify goals
(e) identify relevant client characteristics
(f) use a decision-making process with clients

Notes

 In a group setting other factors may have to be addressed, including consent to share
results.
 Facilitation techniques are important in a group setting.

S4 Use standardised career assessment tools

Why is this competency important?

 to gather more information for the career development process

To demonstrate this competency, Career Professionals must:

(a) administer the selected tools

(b) follow the proper procedure
(c) score the results
(d) interpret the data from the results

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 (e) communicate findings in a format suited to clients’ needs, e.g., create a report, and discuss
with clients.

Notes

 Certification is necessary for Career Professionals administering the standardised tools. If a

Career Professional is not qualified to administer an assessment the client must be referred
to another Advisor.

S5 Review and evaluate results with clients

Why is this competency important?

 to ensure clients understand their results

 to assist clients in determining the next steps in the career development process

To demonstrate this competency, Career Professionals must:

(a) clarify who will receive copies of the results

(b) ensure results are valid, e.g. check for consistency with profiles
(c) discuss the results with clients:
 compare assessment results with clients’ goals
 confirm with clients that they understand their results
(d) review clients’ plans
(e) revise action plans, if necessary

Notes

 In a group setting, a Career Professional should give clients the right to disclose or not
disclose results.
 In some cases, clients may have had negative experiences with tests and assessment tools. It
therefore may be important to frame results in a nonthreatening way.
 Facilitation techniques are important in a group setting.

S6 Describe commonly-accepted principles of learning

Why is this competency important?

 to guide individuals and groups toward learning goals

 to deal with the affective, cognitive and behavioural domains
 to appreciate the importance of facilitated learning
 to empower clients to help themselves

To demonstrate this competency, Career Professionals must:

Describe commonly-accepted principles of learning, including that clients:

(a) are their experts about who they are, what they know and what they want to learn
(b) bring prior experiences, strengths and challenges with them to learning situations

© Career Counselling Professional (CCP) Training

 (c) learn best when they relate to their career goal
(d) are capable of directing their learning
(e) have a preferred learning style (e.g. read & write, auditory, kinaesthetic, visual, etc.)
 ·a variety of techniques should be used to enhance learning
(f) will learn better when content is presented in a way that helps them connect new
information to previous knowledge

Notes

 Career Professionals should recognise and respect the diversity of other effective
approaches to learning.

S7 Define techniques commonly used to facilitate learning

Why is this competency important?

 to promote learning and awareness to be able to choose appropriate techniques for the
purpose and context of the clients
 to draw on a variety of techniques to address different learning styles
 to make learning relevant and interesting

To demonstrate this competency, Career Professionals must:

Define the techniques commonly used to facilitate learning:

(a) brainstorming: idea generation within a group without evaluation

(b) case study: a scenario based on a real work situation or problem
 coaching: a collaborative approach used to enhance performance and motivate individuals
or groups toward goal achievement
 demonstration: performing a skill while describing it
 field trip: a planned visit to a specific area or site to study it
(c) group discussion: information is exchanged among group members
 guest speaker: a knowledgeable person is invited to speak and/or answer questions
 job shadowing: an individual spends time with a person on the job to observe what the job
responsibilities are and what knowledge, skills and attitudes are required to fulfil those
responsibilities
(d) lecture: a verbal presentation to explain and teach
(e) mentoring: an individual is matched with a knowledgeable and motivated person who
guides the individual’s professional and personal development
(f) multi-media: a combination of media forms used to stimulate learning
(g) panel: a structured presentation that allows a person with the expertise to share knowledge,
attitudes and/or skills on a given topic with an audience
(h) project: an exercise for which participants follow a designated process to come up with
individual results, e.g. marketing plan, student presentation
(i) retreat: a learning experience that takes place away from the work environment
(j) role-playing: an unrehearsed, informal dramatization in which clients act out a prescribed
scenario

© Career Counselling Professional (CCP) Training

 (k) storytelling: clients are often asked to share success stories to motivate other clients
(l) volunteering: individuals provide services to organisations and in return gain work
experience and contacts
(m) work experience: individuals spend time on the job to learn through training and experience
about the responsibilities, knowledge, skills and attitudes required

Notes

 While these are commonly used techniques, there are many others.
 These learning techniques should be used appropriately for the program being developed
and delivered.

S8 Prepare for facilitated learning program delivery

Why is this competency important?

 to present relevant knowledge and training to clients

 to provide consistency
 to allow flexibility
 to generate thoughtful planning
 to increase the probability of success in the delivery of quality programs

To demonstrate this competency, Career Professionals must:

(a) follow the principles of learning

(b) allow adequate time for preparation
(c) ensure a good knowledge of the content area through research and consultation
(d) review past experiences in the delivery of programs with similar objectives and purposes:
(e) create program plans based on a framework:
 identify the needs of the clients: consider the prior experiences that the clients bring to the
learning situation
 select the specific content that needs to be presented
 identify effective delivery processes
 determine desired learning outcomes, e.g. cognitive, emotional
(f) select, review and/or develop materials, as necessary
(g) prepare for program delivery by reviewing: the plan, content, materials, evaluation methods

Notes

 A program can be planned for an individual or a group.

 Consult with colleagues, if possible, when using a process or covering content for the first
time.

S9 Determine clients’ existing competencies

Why is this competency important?

 to determine clients’ suitability for the program

© Career Counselling Professional (CCP) Training

  to contribute to the needs assessment for program development
 to work with the abilities and strengths of clients
 to help clients experience success

To demonstrate this competency, Career Professionals must:

(a) listen to the clients’ experiences: focus on experiences, strengths and abilities that reflect
and impact learning
(b) ask questions to identify the barriers that clients perceive as obstacles, e.g. age, work
history, difficulties finding employment, personal issues
(c) determine the clients’ commitment to the project, e.g. present the clients with a challenge

Notes

 Career Professionals need to create learning activities that keep clients’ competencies in
mind so that individuals will experience success.
 Clients’ competencies need to be determined during initial contact so that appropriate
learning can be incorporated into clients’ interactions.
 It is important to note that sometimes clients have low opinions of themselves and only as
the program progresses will their true abilities become obvious. Career Professionals must
maintain flexibility and realise that clients’ competencies need to be re-evaluated
throughout the process.

S10 Deliver facilitated learning programs

Why is this competency important?

 to maximise clients’ learning

 to meet clients’ needs on time

To demonstrate this competency, Career Professionals must:

(a) follow the principles of learning

(b) demonstrate group facilitation skills, if working in a group setting
(c) set the stage for the session
(d) orient clients to the topic: discuss the purpose of what they are to learn
(e) be flexible: adapt the plan to suit any emerging client needs
(f) take advantage of teachable moments: build on positive learning
 communicate ideas and concepts effectively, e.g. ask questions, acknowledge clients’
comments
(g) facilitate interpretation and understanding:
(h) support clients’ self-directed learning by showing clients: how and where to find information
(i) implement the evaluation methods
 close the session, e.g. summarise, make generalisations, re-frame the information
 facilitate clients’ reflections on their experiences of learning.

Notes

© Career Counselling Professional (CCP) Training

  A Career Professional should be aware of the different levels of openness to learning and be
sensitive to the learning capacity of the clients.
 It may be helpful to provide opportunities for clients to explore their preferred learning
styles.

S11 Evaluate facilitated learning programs

Why is this competency important?

 to constantly improve the content and delivery of programs

 to evaluate clients’ responses to programs
 to provide feedback to stakeholders and partners on program results and feedback
 to ensure the quality and responsiveness of programs

To demonstrate this competency, Career Professionals must:

(a) implement the evaluation

(b) analyse the evaluation responses
(c) draw conclusions
(d) take action: incorporate the feedback into future learning situations

S12 Describe the principles of group facilitation

Why is this competency important?

 to increase interaction among all group members

 to increase the facilitator’s confidence and competence in dealing with groups
 to anticipate behaviours in group settings
 to adjust interventions to different types of groups and individuals within those groups
 to enhance client learning in a group setting

To demonstrate this competency, Career Professionals must:

Describe the principles of group facilitation:

(a) a group’s atmosphere and performance will change as it goes through the stages:
 recognise that each group progresses through stages differently
(b) the group members take on roles in the group (e.g. blocker, gatekeeper):
 group members can take on multiple roles
 group members may change roles during the process
(c) facilitators will need to adjust their strategies and approaches to meet members’ needs and
roles
(d) a facilitator’s behaviours have an impact on the group dynamics:
 a facilitator should be aware of his or her behaviours and beliefs and how they impact the
group
 a facilitator should demonstrate respect for all group members
(e) the facilitator’s role is to serve as the process expert:

© Career Counselling Professional (CCP) Training

  a facilitator should use his or her knowledge and skills to guide the group members toward
their goals
(f) the clients act as content experts:
 a facilitator should respect and draw upon members’ experiences, knowledge and expertise
(g) the most productive groups are those that exist in an environment:
 that is safe and comfortable
 where expectations and desired outcomes are clear

S13 Facilitate groups

Why is this competency important?

 to create conditions of safety, comfort and clarity for participants

 to understand the importance of building a sense of community in a group situation
 to determine the group members’ needs
 to understand and agree to the purpose of the interaction
 to achieve both the clients’ and the organisation’s goals

To demonstrate this competency, Career Professionals must:

(a) design and/or adapt a process tailored to the purpose and composition of a group
(b) review the goals of the process: ensure the goals match the expectations of the group
members
(c) initiate and maintain group members’ involvement
(d) facilitate communication among group members
(e) monitor the dynamics between themselves and the group members, e.g.
- be aware of how their behaviours and reactions impact the group
- encourage productive behaviours
(f) be non-judgmental: remain neutral about content issues
(g) solicit group members’ feedback regularly
(h) monitor progress towards goals:
 make appropriate interventions
 revisit the group expectations and the desired outcomes to focus discussions
 follow the planned process, but be flexible as needs emerge:
 adapt the approach as necessary
(i) evaluate group outcomes

S14 Explain major career development theories and models

Why is this competency important?

 to follow a method of practice guided by theory

 to be aware of personal biases
 to understand that there are different theories and beliefs about how individuals develop
preferences, achieve transitions and progress through their working lives
 to be able to integrate counselling and career development theories; conceptualise clients’
situations and develop appropriate intervention plans

© Career Counselling Professional (CCP) Training

To demonstrate this competency, Career Professionals must: describe the theories and models in
terms of career counselling applications.

S15 Explain major change and transition models

Why is this competency important?

 to understand different theories and beliefs about how individuals react to change and
transitions
 to be aware of personal biases

To demonstrate this competency, Career Professionals must:

(a) describe how change and transition affect clients moving through the career process
(b) describe the theories and models in terms of strengths and limitations.

S16 Describe barriers to career development

Why is this competency important?

 to assess barriers to employment and career/life success

 to understand clients’ worlds from their frame of reference
 to help clients cope with and overcome barriers to achieve career goals

To demonstrate this competency, Career Professionals must:

(a) identify the complexity and interconnectedness of barriers. Components may be: contextual,
systemic, organisational, affective, cognitive, behavioural, emotional
(b) describe the impact of barriers, e.g.
- diversity, e.g. the client may be dealing with: cultural issues, language issues,
discrimination, disabilities, gender issues, issues related to sexual identity
- development or adjustment issues, e.g. family dysfunctions, mental health problems,
addictions, insufficient training
- organisational challenges, e.g. restrictive policies, workplace issues
- perception of self and others, e.g. the client may lack self-efficacy, realistic self-
knowledge
- psychological reactions to change, e.g. trouble to adjust to unemployment, injury or
illness
- ineffective decision-making styles, e.g. difficulty comparing alternatives, only one way of
thinking, impulsive decision making
- low motivation, e.g. procrastination
- underlying issues, e.g. fear

S17 Access, evaluate and use career resources, labour market information, and
educational/training information

Why is this competency important?

 to use resources effectively with clients

© Career Counselling Professional (CCP) Training

  to assist clients to access, critically evaluating, and using relevant information to support
career/education planning and work search

To demonstrate this competency, Career Professionals must:

(a) describe information and resources in terms of:

 access for clients
 career counselling applications
(b) discuss with clients the steps involved in using information resources

S18 Describe types of educational/training opportunities and resources

Why is this competency important?

 to develop individualised career plans

 to make clients aware of options

To demonstrate this competency, Career Professionals must:

 describe education and training opportunities, e.g. degree programs, apprenticeships,

certificate/diploma programs, distance education, for women only, private training
providers, defence forces, part-time programs, on-the-job training
(a) evaluate educational/training opportunities and relevant resources
 use the evaluation to determine which programs meet client needs
 identify financial aid available
(b) explore the expected impact on other life roles of enrolling in education/training.

S19 Develop a method of practice that is grounded in established or recognised ideas

Why is this competency important?

 to conduct practice guided by theory and measure outcomes i.e. gather evidence of success
 to ensure consistency and flexibility in your counselling approach
 to develop appropriate and effective strategies and techniques for assisting clients

To demonstrate this competency, Career Professionals must:

(a) synthesise theories and models to establish a personally-held model or theory

(b) orient the client to the therapeutic process
 explain counsellor and client roles/responsibilities
 discuss limits of confidentiality
 maintain appropriate boundaries
(c) integrate the interdependence of life planning, work and society, considering the:
 contextual factors affecting client decision-making, e.g., labour market trends, technology,
globalisation, privatisation
 holistic experience in life planning
(d) establish a professional development plan to keep up-to-date with issues, trends,
technologies and new applications in career counselling approaches

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 (e) maintain confidential documentation, case notes, and client files appropriate to the client’s
needs and organisational requirements

S20 Establish and maintain a collaborative relationship with clients

Why is this competency important?

 to allow clients to become fully engaged and active in the counselling process

To demonstrate this competency, Career Professionals must:

(a) demonstrate professional attributes

(b) ensure interactions are therapeutic and client-focused:
 clarify clients’ expectations, needs and goals
 identify and respond to clients’ characteristics related to career development
(c) provide clients with information:
(d) respond to the barriers that may appear in counselling relationships
(e) help clients to be self- and goal-directed

Notes

 Establishing a collaborative relationship that is respectful, engaging and non-judgmental is

very important to successful outcomes.
 It is a good idea for a Career Professional to follow up with clients during different stages of
the process.

S21 Explore issues

Why is this competency important?

 to assist clients in identifying their priorities

To demonstrate this competency, Career Professionals must:

(a) integrate emerging information to help clients identify and understand relevant aspects of
their situations, e.g.
 personal characteristics related to careers
 purpose, passion and dreams
 social contextual conditions affecting careers
 barriers
 values
 familial, subcultural, and cultural structures and functions as they relate to careers
 career decision-making processes
 attitudes towards work and workers, such as gender, age, sexual orientation, religious
affiliation, cultural stereotypes
 the risk level for disorders, self-harm, or suicide
(b) challenge and encourage clients to explore options:

© Career Counselling Professional (CCP) Training

Note: Clients “don’t know what they don’t know”. Effective career counsellors will conduct a
thorough needs assessment, looking beyond the obvious to identify what is keeping the client from
successfully resolving his/her career problems and establishing a relevant career path

S22 Develop and implement a therapeutic process for achieving clients’ goals

Why is this competency important?

 to enable clients to become actively engaged in the counselling process

 to enable clients to take action

To demonstrate this competency, Career Professionals must:

 determine initial goals jointly with clients using appropriate strategies, e.g. reframing,
challenging beliefs, affirmations, brainstorming, reality checks, stories, clients’ dream jobs
(a) determine with clients a process for reaching goals, using appropriate strategies, e.g.
 identify the steps involved and support systems
 identify short- and/or long-term goals
 establish manageable time frames
(b) determine the indicators of success with clients using appropriate strategies
(c) select career development resources and practices that respond to diversity and do not
create barriers to success
(d) tailor process to clients:
 consider the clients’ age and developmental stage
 use computerised career planning systems and information resources with clients
 use educational opportunities and resources with clients
 use labour market information with clients
 recognise when to refer/follow-up appropriately

Notes

 This process can be used with clients seeking or progressing in work.

 Some of the strategies used to assist clients’ progress in work include self-directed learning,
corporate mentoring, sponsored training, and cross-training.

S23 Monitor and evaluate progress

Why is this competency important?

 to increase the probability of success

 to help both clients and professionals remain motivated and engaged in the process by
identifying indicators of success
 to help clients and professionals spot difficulties early and to help them identify more
appropriate strategies
 to end the therapeutic process appropriately, ensuring supports/resources are in place
 to evaluate practice and improve services

To demonstrate this competency, Career Professionals must:

© Career Counselling Professional (CCP) Training

 (a) monitor the indicators of success
(b) adjust the process and goals, as necessary
(c) keep records of the outcomes
(d) deal effectively with premature endings
(e) evaluate practice

Knowledge & Skills

K1 Describe the role of information and resource management in career development

Why is this competency important?

 to be able to address clients’ information needs

 to improve convenience for clients

To demonstrate this competency, Career Professionals must describe the role of information giving
in career development:

(a) to build and maintain a resource base that clients can access to obtain up-to-date
information
(b) to help clients, staff and other professionals to find the most relevant resources

K2 Describe classification systems

Why is this competency important?

 to effectively organise and access information

To demonstrate this competency, Career Professionals must:

Describe classification systems, which include but are not limited to:

(a) alphabet system: an alphabetical arrangement of subject headings

(b) colour system: all materials in the same subject area are identified by the same colour, using
coloured dots
(c) dating system: organised by a period, e.g. month, year
(d) industry system: most suitable for clients looking for information about similar occupations
in different industries
(e) National Classification of Occupations system
(f) number system: materials are organised using three or more digits
(g) subject system: subject headings are developed based on the community’s needs, e.g.
- job search techniques
- occupations
- employment opportunities
- working overseas
- academic subject
(h) a combination of two or more of the above

© Career Counselling Professional (CCP) Training

K3 Establish and maintain an information and resource base

Why is this competency important?

 to help ensure clients have access to the broadest range of relevant resources and
information possible

To demonstrate this competency, Career Professionals must:

(a) consider information and resource needs of the clients

(b) collect information to meet identified needs, e.g.
 occupations
 education and training
 job openings
 the labour market, including local, regional, national and international markets
 financial assistance
 job search
 employers
(c) maintain the information: update information and resources on an ongoing basis

K4 Guide clients to identify their skills, strengths, traits, values and interests

Why is this competency important?

 to help clients to
- market themselves to employers
- determine barriers and limitations
- gain confidence and improve self-esteem
- a better understanding of what they have to offer

To demonstrate this competency, Career Professionals must guide clients to:

(a) identify skills, including

 technical skills/ job skills
 transferable skills/ functional skills
 self-management skills
(b) identify either paid or volunteer work experience:
 barriers that have been overcome
 skills used
 sources of motivation
 satisfaction gained
(c) identify strengths, values, and aptitudes, e.g. technical orientation, mechanical inclination
(d) set goals for development

K5 Guide clients to complete application forms

Why is this competency important?

© Career Counselling Professional (CCP) Training

  to increase clients’ probability of success in work search
 to provide clients with step-by-step instructions on how to effectively complete job
application forms
 to meet employers’ expectations

To demonstrate this competency, Career Professionals must guide clients to:

(a) follow the instructions carefully:

 ensure the form is filled out completely and accurately
(b) use correct grammar and spelling
(c) use neat handwriting or printing
(d) be honest
(e) refer to résumé, if applicable
(f) fill in the additional comments section: emphasize skills, abilities and accomplishments

Notes

 An application form may become part of an employee’s permanent record.

 On-line applications are becoming common. These require practice, as some do not easily
allow editing once a box has been filled in.
 Explain vocabulary that is unfamiliar or ambiguous, e.g. bondable

K6 Guide clients in writing cover letters

Why is this competency important?

 to help clients tailor an approach to an employer or an employment opportunity

 to showcase clients’ relevant strengths to the employer

To demonstrate this competency, Career Professionals must guide clients to:

(a) use cover letters to introduce résumés or application forms

(b) highlight skills and accomplishments in cover letters
(c) keep the cover letter to one page
(d) link themselves to employers, e.g. refer to the job advertisement or person who referred
them
(e) include sections that:
 provide important facts about themselves and information about why the particular
company or opportunity appeals to them
 describe how the company would benefit by hiring the applicant
(f) sign their names

Notes

 Cover letters are used most often for advertised and professional positions. They are also
used in impersonal forms of job search, i.e. not face-to-face, but emailed résumés.

K7 Guide clients in preparing résumés

© Career Counselling Professional (CCP) Training

Why is this competency important?

 to assist clients in using the most appropriate tool for their work searches
 to help clients use their marketable skills

To demonstrate this competency, Career Professionals must guide clients to:

(a) create fact sheets describing employment, volunteer and education histories
(b) choose effective formats, considering:
 chronological résumés:
- list education and work experience
- start with the most recent entry and work back
 functional résumés:
- list skills and achievements
 combination résumés:
- list education, work experience, achievements and skills
(c) target résumés to emphasise qualifications, skills and abilities relevant to fields of work
sought
(d) ensure résumés are concise and clear
(e) use action words, e.g. negotiate, demonstrated, improved
(f) enhance the readability of their résumés
(g) edit résumés to check for errors and effectiveness

Notes

 In some cases, it may be necessary for a Career Professional to explain to a client what a
résumé is and why it is important.
 A résumé must represent the client who is involved in the work search.
 Clients must understand the significance of gaps in their work histories and develop
strategies to effectively field questions regarding these gaps.

K8 Guide clients in using portfolios

Why is this competency important?

 to assist clients in self-management and self-promotion

 to identify marketable skills
 to help clients to prepare for interviews

To demonstrate this competency, Career Professionals must guide clients to:

(a) provide evidence of skills, personal styles and accomplishments

 collect items related to their careers, e.g. certificates of appreciation, awards, prizes, photos,
samples of past work, letters of commendation/reference letters, relevant newspaper
articles, etc.

Notes

© Career Counselling Professional (CCP) Training

  A Career Professional should have experience in creating a portfolio before instructing a
client on the creation of the portfolio.

K9 Guide clients to develop self-marketing plans

Why is this competency important?

 to assist clients in creating opportunities

 to assist clients in self-marketing

To demonstrate this competency, Career Professionals must:

Guide clients to:

(a) research needs of companies/fields/institutions they are interested in

(b) match marketable skills and relevant experiences to identified needs
(c) provide evidence of past relevant accomplishments
(d) develop presentation packages, including clear statements of tasks and associated budgets
for each task

K10 Guide clients in conducting cold calls / sending emails

Why is this competency important?

 to help clients expand their search for prospective jobs

 to identify hidden job markets

To demonstrate this competency, Career Professionals must guide clients to:

(a) plan strategies i.e. achieve a set number of calls/emails per day
(b) conduct telephone cold calls by:
 introducing themselves
 asking for a name and time to call back
 asking if you can drop off a résumé to the appropriate person:
 asking for an appointment
 dressing appropriately
 handling refusals by:

Notes

 It is important to note that some employers find cold calls intrusive. Networking and
informational interviewing tend to be more effective ways of accessing the hidden job
market.

K11 Guide clients with their presentations

Why is this competency important?

 to increase clients’ ability to self-market

 to increase clients’ self-confidence

© Career Counselling Professional (CCP) Training

To demonstrate this competency, Career Professionals must guide clients to:

(a) identify the factors of personal presentation, which are: verbal communication, including
tone of voice, speed, volume, language
 non-verbal communication, e.g. body language, facial expressions
 accessories
 attitudes/behaviours
 clothing
 grooming, e.g. hair, perfume or cologne, makeup
 hygiene, e.g. skin, teeth, fingernails
(b) ensure their presentation is appropriate to the field and adapted to the company in which
work is being sought

K12 Guide clients in networking

Why is this competency important?

 to be aware of and access the hidden job market

 to assist clients in overcoming fears and challenges

To demonstrate this competency, Career Professionals must guide clients to:

 list all networking resources, e.g. past co-workers/managers, colleagues, family, friends,
relatives, social contacts, Internet social media
- nurture relationships with networking resources
(a) demonstrate how to network, e.g. use phone/email/social media
(b) offer examples of networking strategies from past clients

Notes

 A Career Professional needs to emphasise to clients the value of networking.

K13 Guide clients in using references

Why is this competency important?

 to be able to verify information on résumés

 to increase success in work search

To demonstrate this competency, Career Professionals must guide clients to:

(a) ask selected references for permission to use their name

(b) take a list of references for an interview

Notes

 Inappropriate use of references can be damaging.

© Career Counselling Professional (CCP) Training

  Whether listed or not, most employers are interested in speaking with an individual’s most
recent HR or manager. Omitting this person can act as a “red flag”, suggesting there was a
problem. An individual should be prepared to have the team leader or manager contacted.

K14 Guide clients in effective interview skills

Why is this competency important?

 to increase clients’ competencies with interview strategies

 to increase clients’ confidence in the interview process

To demonstrate this competency, Career Professionals must:

Identify client guidelines for interviews, including:

(a) describe the purpose of different types of interviews:

 information interviews
 screening interviews
 hiring interviews: can be in various formats, including panel interviews, group interviews,
phone interviews, online interviews
 combined screening and hiring interviews to explore both qualifications and suitability
(b) describe different kinds of questions asked during interviews:
 open-ended, e.g. “Tell me about yourself.”
 close-ended, e.g. “Have you ever used a laptop?”
 situational, e.g., “If _____, then ______?”
 behavioural, e.g., “Describe the things you do to try and improve the morale in your office?”
(c) prepare clients for interviews
(d) advise clients not to discuss salary at the first interview, unless asked:
(e) discover what is important to the interviewer
(f) discuss with clients how to develop rapport with an interviewer

Notes

 Interviews provide useful learning opportunities.

 Explain to clients why employers ask particular questions. Encourage clients to develop
effective answers to common questions.

K15 Initiate and maintain effective relationships with community partners

Why is this competency important?

 to co-ordinate services for clients within the community

 to bring the community together in building a focused long-term strategy for unemployment
reduction and economic growth
 to identify employee training and entrepreneurship opportunities to fill future needs

To demonstrate this competency, Career Professionals must:

© Career Counselling Professional (CCP) Training

 (a) develop professional relationships with local agencies, RWAs, businesses, politicians and
social planners
(b) develop relationships with local community partners
(c) identify people who are supportive of career development from all sectors of the society
(d) develop relationships with current and past clients:

Notes

 Sustainable career development is the result of connections between individuals and their
community resources.

K16 Work with the community

Why is this competency important?

 to create a common understanding of the community’s preferred future or vision

 to contribute to the well-being of families and the community

To demonstrate this competency, Career Professionals must:

(a) participate in diverse groups of community residents, businesses and organisations

 develop parameters for working together: establish roles, responsibilities and the scope of
the relationships
- develop goals and objectives: facilitate workshops and planning, if necessary
(b) scan the local economic and demographic environment
(c) train volunteers as mentors and coaches: select the volunteers from the inventory of natural
helpers, school officials and social workers responsible for labour market initiatives

Notes

 Visioning, setting goals and objectives, and planning require skilled facilitation and should be
done with a group of committed and involved community citizens, businesses and
organisations. The process requires time, energy, and conversation and cannot be done
entirely by contracted professionals.

K17 Conduct an analysis based on human resources

Why is this competency important?

 to encourage community growth through a strength-based approach

 to foster financial growth and stability in the community
 to increase the sustainability of the community

To demonstrate this competency, Career Professionals must:

(a) distribute data-gathering tools

(b) develop profiles of individuals in the community, e.g. unemployed, underemployed,
entrepreneurs, people in transition

© Career Counselling Professional (CCP) Training

 (c) develop and distribute the material on work alternatives, including, e.g. entrepreneurship,
self-employment, working from the home, consulting, contracting, talent pooling,
agent/broker, part-time and casual employment, homemaker, retirement
(d) develop and deliver workshops on workability, basic life skills and radical change in the
changing world of work

Notes

 Profiling should be done throughout the lifespan of the community.

 Career development processes that enhance community development are to be carried out
over a long period.
 Assessing and then nurturing young talent is as important to the future of the community as
is the assessment and development of the mature population.
 Fostering good community development takes time. Collaborative partnerships that include
all interested clients need to be maintained and the Career Professional can play a key role
in this activity.

To demonstrate this competency, Career Professionals must:

 develop a core group of natural helpers and representatives of the community’s diversity to
lead the implementation process:

K18 Work with the community to evaluate action plans

Why is this competency important?

 to determine what is working and what is not

 to determine new or revised action plans
 to encourage accountability

To demonstrate this competency, Career Professionals must:

 collect data, e.g. by interview or by survey

 create reports with recommendations

Notes

 The role of the Career Professional is to support the community’s efforts, not to drive them.

© Career Counselling Professional (CCP) Training

 Appendix - A

Code of Ethics
Preamble

Career Professionals are engaged in a wide spectrum of activities in many fields. They work in a wide
range of organisational settings and provide a spectrum of services and programs to a diverse
population. This Code of Ethics is intended as a platform for the Indian Standards and Guidelines for
Career Professionals.

This Code of Ethics is designed to reflect the breadth of the field as a companion to the core
competencies that are being developed nationally. Therefore this Code of Ethics is purposely broad
and quite general. Further detailed and focused ethical guidelines may be developed for the
specialisation areas identified. These specialised guidelines will then be considered as an adjunct to
this Code of Ethics, not a replacement for this Code. The Code of Ethics does not supersede
legislation and regulations that you as a professional are required to follow according to the
jurisdiction you work in and the services you provide.

The purpose of the Code of Ethics is to provide a practical guide for professional behaviour and
practice for those who offer direct service in career development and to inform the public about
which Career Professionals serve. Ethical principles help Career Professionals to make thoughtful
decisions to resolve ethical dilemmas. The Code of Ethics when combined with the Standards and
Guidelines for Career Development will protect the consumer and the public when receiving the
services of Career Professionals.

Definitions for this Code

Client: means the person(s) or organisation to whom the Career Professional provides services. This
may include individuals, groups, classes, organisations, employers and others.

Customer: means the person(s) or organisation that is paying for the career development service. A
customer may or may not be the client.

Field: refers to professionals involved in career development services.

1. Ethical Principles for Professional Competency and Conduct

(a) Knowledge/Skills/Competency

Career Professionals value high standards of professional competence and ensure they can offer
high standards of professional knowledge, skills and expertise.

(b) Self-Improvement

Career Professionals are committed to the principle of life-long learning to maintain and improve
both their professional growth and the development of the field in areas of knowledge, skills and
competence.

© Career Counselling Professional (CCP) Training

 (c) Boundary of Competency

Career Professionals recognise the boundaries of their competency and only provide services for
which they are qualified by training and/or supervised experience. They are knowledgeable of and
arrange for appropriate consultations and referrals based on the best interests of their clients.

(d) Representation of Qualifications

Career Professionals do not claim nor imply professional qualifications or professional affiliations
that may imply inaccurate expertise and/or endorsement. Career Professionals are responsible for
correcting any misrepresentations or misunderstandings about their qualifications.

(e) Marketing

Career Professionals maintain high standards of integrity in all forms of advertising, communications,
and solicitation and conduct business in a manner that enhances the field.

(f) Relations with Institutions and Organisations

Career Professionals assist institutions or organisations to provide the highest calibre of professional
service by adhering to this Code of Ethics. Career Professionals will encourage organisations,
institutions, customers and employers to operate in a manner that allows the Career Professional to
provide service following the Code of Ethics.

(g) Respect for Persons

Career Professionals respect and stand up for the individual rights and personal dignity of all clients.
Career Professionals do not condone or engage in sexual harassment. Career Professionals promote
equality of opportunity and provide non-discriminatory service. Clients who fall outside the mandate
of an organisation should be referred to appropriate services.

(h) Abide by the Code of Ethics and Central and State Laws

Career Professionals abide by all of the by-laws outlined in this Code of Ethics and comply with all
relevant state/local and central legislation and regulations.

Career Professionals inform others (such as colleagues, clients, students, employers, etc) about the
Code of Ethics and relevant laws as appropriate and any mechanisms available if violations of the
Code of Ethics or laws are perceived to have taken place.

Career Professionals take appropriate action to try to rectify a situation if ethical, moral or legal
violations are perceived to have taken place by a colleague, whether a Career Professional or not.

(i) Use of Information and Communication Technology (ICT)

Career Professionals using information and communication technology which involves a client and
service provider who are in separate or remote locations are aware that all aspects of the Code of
Ethics apply as in other contexts of service provision.

© Career Counselling Professional (CCP) Training

Career Professionals provide clients with relevant information about themselves, as is appropriate
for the type of relationship and service offered.

2. Ethical Principles for Career Professional-Client Relationship

(a) Integrity/Honesty/Objectivity

Career Professionals promote the welfare of clients by providing accurate, current and relevant
information.

Career Professionals assist clients to realise their potential and respect clients’ rights to make their
own informed and responsible decisions.

Career Professionals are aware of their values and issues and avoid bringing and/or imposing these
on their clients.

(b) Confidentiality

Career Professionals respect the privacy of the individual or third-party referral source and maintain
the confidentiality of information as is appropriate for the type of relationship and service offered.

Career Professionals will inform clients and customers of the limits of confidentiality.

Career Professionals offering services in a group, family, class or open setting (such as a Career
Education & Guidance (CEG) Centre) take all reasonable measures to respect privacy.

Career Professionals are cautioned that the issues of confidentiality apply to the use of information
and communication technology, e.g., voice mail, e-mail, SMS, WhatsApp, etc.

(c) Releasing Private Information

Career Professionals release confidential information in the following circumstances:

 with the express permission of the client

 where there is clear evidence of imminent danger to the client*
 where there is clear evidence of imminent danger to others*
 where required by law, such as in reporting suspected child abuse or upon court order

(* When the situation allows, action should be taken following careful deliberation and consultation
with the client and other professionals. The client should be encouraged to take personal
responsibility as soon as possible.)

Career Professionals attend to privacy and security in the maintenance and release of all records,
whether records are written, on audiotape, or videotape, computerized or electronically stored.

(d) Informed Consent

Career Professionals honour the right of individuals to consent to participate in services offered,
dependent upon the rights the individual does have, such as being legally required to attend school.

© Career Counselling Professional (CCP) Training

Career Professionals fully inform clients as to the use of any information that is collected during the
offering of service. Career Professionals ensure that information collected will only be used for its
intended purpose or obtain the consent of clients for any other use of the information.

Career Professionals inform clients and customers about the types of service offered and the
limitations to service, as much as is reasonably possible given the type of service offered, including
information about the limits to confidentiality, legal obligations, and the right to consult with other
professionals.

Career Professionals who work with minors or dependent individuals who are unable to give
voluntary, informed consent, take special care to respect the rights of the individual and involve the
parents or guardians wherever appropriate.

(e) Multiple Relations

Career Professionals are aware of the ethical issues involved in having personal relationships with
clients. Career Professionals avoid having conflicting relationships whenever possible. If such a
relationship cannot be avoided the Career Professional is responsible to monitor the relationship to
prevent harm, ensure that judgement is not impaired and avoid exploitation. To this end, Career
Professionals utilize informed consent, consultation, supervision and full disclosure to all parties
involved.

(f) Conflict of Interest

Career Professionals avoid and/or disclose any conflicts of interest which might influence their
professional decisions or behaviours. Career Professionals do not exploit any relationship to further
their personal, social, professional, political, or financial gains at the expense of their clients,
especially if the situation would impair the Career Professional’s objectivity.

Career Professionals work to resolve any conflicts of interest with all parties involved giving priority
to the best interests of the client.

3. Ethical Principles for Professional Relationships

(a) Consultation

Career Professionals reserve the right to consult with other professionally competent persons
ensuring the confidentiality of the client is protected.

(b) Respect for other Professionals

Career Professionals make full use of the resources provided by other professionals to best serve the
needs of the client, including professional, technical, or administrative resources. This means
understanding and respecting the unique contributions of other related professionals. Career
Professionals seek to avoid duplicating the services of other professionals.

As Career Professionals have a responsibility to clients, they also have a responsibility to fellow
service providers.

© Career Counselling Professional (CCP) Training

When a complaint is voiced about other service providers or inappropriate behaviour is observed,
the Career Professional will follow the appropriate channels to address the concerns.

Ethical Decision-Making Model

This is a model of ethical decision-making to complement the Code of Ethics developed for the
Indian Standards and Guidelines for Career Development. This model is offered to assist Career
Professionals with a process to follow and with cues, such as emotional reactions, which may assist
in making better ethical decisions and resolving ethical dilemmas.

Steps in Ethical Decision-Making

1. Recognise that an ethical dilemma exists.

An emotional response by a Career Professional is often a cue to the need to make an ethical
decision, such as feeling uneasy about a situation, questioning one’s self or the actions of a client, or
feeling blocked or uncomfortable in a situation with a client or colleague.

2. Identify the relevant ethical issues, all of the parties involved, and the corresponding pertinent
ethical principles from the Code of Ethics.

The Career Professional can check his/her feelings of discomfort and what these may tell about the
situation. The feelings of the client or a third party involved in the dilemma could also be explored.

In some situations following one of the Codes of Ethics will offer enough guidance to resolve the
situation. In situations where more than one Code is relevant or there is more than one course of
action, the Career Professional will need to proceed further with this model.

3. Examine the risks and benefits of each alternative action.

The examination should include short-term, ongoing and long-term consequences for each person
involved, including the Professional, when more than one Code of Ethics is relevant or alternative
courses of action seem to be suggested by the Code of Ethics. In such situations gathering additional
information and consulting with a trusted colleague is highly recommended.

The Career Professional can check his/her emotional reactions to each solution and those of others
involved in the decision. The Career Professional also needs to determine if he/she has allowed
enough time for contemplation of the situation. Projecting the various solutions into the future and
envisioning the possible scenarios as each decision is enacted can be helpful.

4. Choose a solution, take action and evaluate the results.

The Career Professional needs to act with commitment to one of the solutions, checking that the
solution continues to feel the best that can be done in the situation, for all involved. The
professional will need to assume responsibility for the consequences of the decision and be willing
to correct any negative consequences that might occur as a result of the action taken. This means
determining that the outcome feels right and re-engaging in the decision-making process if the
ethical dilemma remains unresolved.

© Career Counselling Professional (CCP) Training

5. Learn from the situation.

The Career Professional will examine each ethical situation to consider the factors that were
involved in the development of the dilemma and to see if any future preventative measures could be
taken. Examining what he/she has learned from the situation and how the experience might affect
future practice are also important activities for the Career Professional.

© Career Counselling Professional (CCP) Training

 Appendix – B
Glossary of Career Development Terms
Assessment

Assessment is a process involving gathering information, identifying issues, and needs and clarifying
personal and environmental resources concerning the issues and needs. Assessment helps
individuals to increase self-awareness; understand their career issues; establish work, learning,
and/or life balance goals; and provides a foundation for taking action and an indicator of ongoing
progress. Assessment methods may include a variety of formal and informal techniques such as
standardized and non-standardized instruments, interviews, personality measures, questionnaires,
checklists, behavioural observations, and reports by significant others. Assessment can be done in an
individual or group context.

Career

Career is a lifestyle concept that involves the sequence of work, learning and leisure activities in
which one engages throughout a lifetime. Careers are unique to each person and are dynamic;
unfolding throughout life. Careers include how persons balance their paid and unpaid work and
personal life roles.

Career Counselling

Career Counselling refers to an individual or group process which emphasizes self-awareness and
understanding, and facilitates people to develop a satisfying and meaningful life/work direction.
Career counselling is used to guide learning, work and transition decisions, as well as to manage
responses to changing work and learning environments over the lifespan. Career Counsellors (i.e.
those who provide Career Counselling services) have a unique scope of practice and specialised
counselling competencies – they are fully competent Career Professionals and also fully competent
counsellors.

Career Development

Career Development is the lifelong process of managing learning, work, leisure, and transitions to
move toward a personally determined and evolving preferred future.

Career Professional

Career Professional is an umbrella term that refers to any direct service provider in the career
development field. This includes but is not limited to: career guidance practitioners, career
counsellors, career advisors, career educators, career information specialists, career management
consultants, education advisors, employment support workers, work experience coordinators, job
developers, training & placement officers, career coaches, and vocational rehabilitation workers.
Although the term “counsellor” has historically been used with many job titles in the field (e.g.,
employment counsellors, rehabilitation counsellors, career counsellors), in recent years there has
been increasing recognition that a “career counsellor” has a specific scope of practice. Employers

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are encouraged to use titles without “counselling” in them for all employees and service providers
who are not professional counsellors/therapists.

Career Educator

A Career Educator works with individuals or groups in educational settings to assist them to learn
career development knowledge, skills and applications. Career educators help youth and students to
construct their careers by acquiring knowledge and skills that will enable them to identify, choose,
plan and prepare for learning, training, work and other life roles.

Career Exploration

Career exploration is the process of investigating and reflecting on self, personal contexts, learning
and work opportunities, and training and educational requirements, as a basis for making career-life
choices over the lifespan.

Career Information

Career Information is information related to the world of work that can be useful in the process of
career development, including educational, occupational and psycho-social information related to
working (e.g. availability of training, the nature of work, the status of workers in different
occupations, etc.)

Career Information Specialist

A Career Information Specialist helps clients access relevant information needed for their career
decision-making process. The Career Information Specialist identifies, secures, manages and
interprets career information for their clients. This includes national and international labour
market, education, occupation and job search resources.

Career Guidance Practitioner

Career guidance practitioners facilitate the ability of clients to take charge of their career
development by assisting them in the process of identifying and accessing resources, planning, and
managing their career-life development.

Community Capacity Building

Community Capacity Building refers to the processes and procedures whereby long-term strategies
are developed and implemented which connect community, career and economic development in
the interests of unemployment reduction and economic growth at the community level.

Employment Counselling

Employment Counselling refers to a problem-solving process addressing one or more of the

following domains: career/occupational decision-making, skill enhancement, job search and
employment maintenance. The purpose of Employment Counselling is to help clients improve their
employability and self-sufficiency in the labour market.

Facilitated Individual and Group Learning

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Facilitated Individual and Group Learning refers to applying learning principles to design, develop,
adapt and deliver a range of experiential activities leading to knowledge and skill acquisition.
Activities are tailored towards meeting specific career-life planning needs of individuals or groups of
clients. Learning activities may occur in one-on-one interview meetings, in classrooms (usually by
guidance counsellors and education teachers), or supervised work experience and/or workshop
settings.

Information and Resource Management

Information and Resource Management refers to developing, organizing, maintaining and

disseminating information and resources related to working, learning and life balance across the
lifespan. The keys to effective information and resource management are the currency of the
information and resources; the degree to which information and resources meet the needs of
individuals and communities in which they are located; and the support services available that
coach/assist individuals and communities to research, use and manage information in ways which
support their needs and goals.

Job

A job is a set of tasks that take place in a particular environment. Jobs may be paid or unpaid, part-
time or full-time, and of short or long duration.

Labour Market Information

Labour Market Information is information concerning conditions in, or the operation of, the labour
market, and includes, for example, data on employment, wages, standards and qualifications, job
openings, and working conditions. Information may be historical, current or projected; formally or
informally collected; and based on skills, occupations or industries.

Occupation

A group of similar jobs is found in different industries or organisations.

Personal Agency

Refers to people’s beliefs about the extent to which they are active agents in their life events, in
contrast to being passive recipients of the events one experiences.

Prior Learning Assessment and Recognition

Prior Learning Assessment is a systematic process that involves the identification, documentation,
assessment and recognition of competencies (knowledge, skills and attitudes) that have been
developed through many formal and informal means (e.g., work experience, training, independent
study, volunteer activities, travelling and hobbies). The recognition can be used toward the
requirements of an academic or training program, occupational certification or labour market entry.

Self-Assessment

The process of evaluating one’s abilities, talents and personality traits.

© Career Counselling Professional (CCP) Training

Work

Work is a set of activities with an intended set of outcomes, from which it is hoped that a person will
derive personal satisfaction and contribute to some greater goal. Work is not necessarily tied to paid
employment, but to meaningful and satisfying activities, (e.g., volunteer work, hobbies).

Work Development

Work Development refers to the processes and procedures whereby workplace, employment and
volunteer opportunities are negotiated on behalf of individuals and/or groups of clients. The
objectives of Work Development are long-term attachment to the labour market for workers, and
employer satisfaction through providing employers with workers who meet their workforce needs
and expectations.

Notes

The Code of Ethics found in Appendix A is pertinent to the Core Competencies. Detailed and focused
ethical guidelines would be useful for each of the specialization areas. These specialized guidelines
would be considered as an adjunct to the Code of Ethics, not a replacement.

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