Recent Career Interview Experience

I was recently asked by a friend to meet a colleague of hers. This lady had been working in the Kitchen of a Nursing Home for a number of years, and was looking for a change. I was quite excited by the opportunity to speak with her about her options, as I thought I would be able to help her, and it is always good to get a chance to practice my interview skills!

Early on in the interview I realised that the client was hoping for some clear information, rather than the guidance I could offer her. At first I felt disappointed that she wasn’t able to get what she was looking for. The client was expecting me to tell them step by step what to do. By the end of the interview I was able to give the client some details on where she would need to go to get the information she required, and this will hopefully set her on the right path. This is not the first time I have noticed that clients expect you to give the recipe for their perfect career in one interview.

This was a good example of where the expectations of the interview were different for the client and the interviewer. Although the client was looking for information, in the end I was able to offer her guidance. Although this was not what she was looking for at first, by the end of the interview she was quite excited about the options which she could think about.

This is another example of why counselling skills are so important in career guidance. Being able to raise self awareness of the client, offer encouragement, and help them realise their own self direction are important skills. This is much more important than simply knowing a long list of courses and careers that anyone with access to the internet could find for themselves!