Individual Services
Career Insights provides services to individuals seeking help with the job search process or career management issues. Delivery of services is through a Master Career Counselor, Norm Meshriy. Norm has worked with individuals in a wide range of industries and at all levels in organizations.
Career Counseling, Consulting, and Coaching
Career counseling is a creative process involve consultation with an expert in the world of work to achieve job and career satisfaction. Career Insights career counselors are masters-level trained and have certification and other professional recognition that demonstrates level of knowledge and awareness of the labor market; techniques for assessing skills, values, interests, and personality type; structured disciplines for effective decision-making; creativity in application of marketable skills to a wide range of industries and jobs; and specialized training that allows support and encouragement in time of transition. Career Insights counselors can make services available in-person or from a distance using telephone, email, and internet resources.
A Career Counselor is trained to help people make and carry out decisions and plans related to career/life issues. Professional Career Counselors have the specialized skills and knowledge to assist with this process at all stages of life and career.
A professional Career Counselor can help when you...
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Are trying to figure out what career path to take |
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Have questions about occupational requirements, education and training options |
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Want help sorting out what is most important to you in your work and life |
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Want help to change career direction, find a new job, or put a spin on your marketing materials to allow for a change |
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Are experiencing frustration or dissatisfaction with your job, your work relationships, or anticipated change |
Some of the issues that Career Counselors can help with include:
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Choosing a career path |
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Planning a career change and/or developing advancement strategies |
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Identifying and developing marketable and transferable skills |
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Labor Market research including forecasts and trends |
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Assessment of career/life values, interests, skills, and personality preferences |
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Improving job search skills and developing search strategies, including resume development, interview preparation, and networking strategies |
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Managing career transitions, following layoffs/downsizing, or at a time of re-entry |
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Life/Work balance; dual career family issues |
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Retirement planning |
References:
You can learn more about career counseling at the association sites of the National Career Development Association and the California Career Development Association:
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Distance Career Counseling and Coaching
Career Insights career counselors are trained and certified to deliver Distance Counseling using telephone, Internet, and email strategies. This service provides options for you when you prefer to work with a counselor from your home or your own office, or when you want consultation but do not want to or cannot travel to another destination. Some people simply prefer to work with a career professional from a distance using technologies available to make such work possible. Advances in technology are constantly providing improvements to the distance techniques presently being used.
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Self Assessment for Career Direction
Self-Assessment is a process that helps you clarify characteristics important to career decision-making and what you want what you want from the world of work. With such study, you can determine the work and lifestyle that will best meet your needs. At a very basic level, we will help you clarify what is important to you, which skills you most enjoy using or wish to develop, what type of work and work environment best reflects your personality, and how to incorporate your interests and values into your work.
Self-assessment is accomplished by gathering information from many different sources. Some of the assessment begins when you first meet with your counselor. You may be asked to provide information about your family history, life goals, and critical incidents that have shaped your life, including work, relationships and lifestyle. Your counselor will want to hear about your fears and other issues that may become obstacles to making a change. In addition to gathering information by simply talking with you, we may use one or more assessment exercises or inventories. We have extensive experience administering and interpreting some of the most effective instruments available for self-assessment. Through the self-assessment process you will be clearer about yourself and your career options.
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Exploring Options for Career Change
In addition to options that may emerge from the self-assessment process, we can help you discover and explore alternatives using a variety of resources. These resources include websites with information about:
- different career fields, strategies for career development, and career paths
- job listings, work classifications, and occupations
- professional associations and other networking options
- work trends and strategies including project work, generating multiple income streams, portfolio careers, and starting a business
Another important resource for career exploration is people. Career Insights counselors have knowledge of the world of work from personal experience, research, and interactions with a wide variety of clients. We can also teach you how to develop and draw on a network of personal contacts with experience in your industry or field of interest. In informational interviews with these contacts, you can learn about industries, companies and specific occupations.
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Entrepreneurship
Our consultants are equipped to help you to explore possible entrepreneurial solutions for your career. Through application of assessments and making use of your interests and experience, we can help you draw up an initial business plan that you can begin to review with others to determine feasibility and seek the kind of support for your unique ideas. Career Insights has been instrumental in helping define the successful launch of businesses and practices of many individuals over the past 13 years.
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Job Search Strategies
Over the past few years, there has been major evolution in the techniques of the job search. Technology has provided new tools for organizations seeking people as well as tools for the individual seeking opportunities. The Internet has provided a major new source of industry, organization, career, job, trends, access to training, job market conditions, and a host of other kinds of information and tools to help those offering products, services, and job opportunities.
The job search process has become more sophisticated in general, and has called for those searching for work to become more sophisticated in their skills to sell and market their potential contribution to the organization. All must be ready to sell and market our skills and potential contribution.
More than ever, there is a need for connection with others through networking to land good work. There are millions of jobs advertised out on the Internet, in the job sections of newspapers, through requisitions sent to recruiters and placement agencies, and in print sources and other media. If you add up all the jobs seemingly available in all of these sources of information, you will only have counted about 20% to 30% of all jobs available. Most often, jobs are filled by someone who knows someone, or someone who seeks a job where no job has yet been defined. Most often people find jobs in the “hidden job market.”
A Career Counselor can provide you with the information and techniques to tap the “hidden job market.” The value of a Career Counselor in the process of job hunting can be extremely valuable in helping you to land a job that is right for you.
The Career Counselor will assist you in the job search process to:
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Determine the criteria for your search and the match of your preferences to the world of work |
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Brainstorm with you to define pathways for your search |
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Help you to conduct research to determine companies/organizations that provide the
kinds of opportunities that would be attractive to you |
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Work with you to determine the target list for your search |
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Work with you to define high impact approaches to target organizations/individuals |
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Encourage you to take steps, follow up, demonstrate your knowledge, interest, and the
match of your skills to opportunities |
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Assist you in acclimating to your new job, developing on-going networking techniques, and
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Creating a Marketing Strategy and Plan
We are experienced in making use of the most effective marketing channels and strategies including networking, the Internet, search firms and recruiters, classified advertisements, direct mail, telemarketing, job fairs, and temporary and contract jobs. Your counselor will work with you to develop a plan to utilize these resources, take proactive steps, and make yourself visible to the right people that can help you on your way to success.
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Resume Writing
The quality of your resume can enhance the probability of selection for an interview. These days even your best friend will ask for a resume when asked to help you in your effort to make contact with a potential employer. You need an excellent presentation that represents who you are, your experience, accomplishments, and direction.
There are many forms for the resume. For most, a chronological resume is the best bet. The potential employer will want to know your work history. This historical account of your work can provide insight into your career progression and responsibilities. For others, a functional resume will work very well. And there are combinations of these two basic resume types that will provide a high-powered presentation of your background and results.
Working with a Career Counselor can help you immeasurably in developing a high-impact, high-quality resume.
A Career Counselor can help in resume writing in the following ways:
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Determine the results that will provide the best presentation for the
jobs at hand |
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Provide an objective, independent view of your results and skills
demonstration |
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Serve as facilitator in demonstrating a match of your background,
knowledge, skills, and interests to the job at hand |
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Demonstrate the transferable skills that apply to the requirements of
a job you are seeking |
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Craft an extremely professional representation of your work to date
directed to the job you want |
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Tailor your resume for other options available to you |
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Craft a cover letter to accompany your resume to put a special spin
on your presentation to clearly demonstrate your knowledge of the
organization, your interest in the organization, the need you see
they have, and why you are the one to meet that need | ^Top of page
Salary Negotiation
Salary negotiation is seemingly among the most difficult parts of entering the employment market. But, there are strategies you can employ to make this process much easier. We can help you with negotiations while directing you to appropriate web sites with comparative salary information. You will look at the entire compensation package, which may include, for example, a bonus structure, relocation costs, and severance benefits.
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Strategic Internet Usage for Career Development and the Job Search
The Internet abounds with resources to help you with your career development and job search. Your counselor can direct you to websites to explore career and work options, learn about job requirements, understand market conditions, and gather information about different companies and organizations (products, services, major projects, culture, public image, etc.), professional associations, and salary ranges.
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Workplace Conflicts, Effectiveness & Professional Growth
People often experience uncomfortable relationships and conflict in the workplace. These and other aggravations and pressures can drain your energy and prevent you from getting what you want from work, including a sense of accomplishment. We can help you find effective ways to communicate and manage your work relationships - up, down and laterally - and stay productive under demanding circumstances. We can also help you develop a plan to advance or move laterally within your organization or to identify specific changes to make in your current job so that you feel more engaged in your work.
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Interview Strategy/Practice
When you have an opportunity to interview for a job that you want, you will need to be prepared in a way that will demonstrate your knowledge, interest and match to the job. You have a small window of opportunity in an interview to make an impression. The quality of your interview will depend on the quality of your preparation for the interview.
Many people go into an interview thinking they can simply “wing it.” This approach works for some, but at times for even the best of those that are great on their toes, this approach can backfire. If you have thought through the stories of your career that clearly demonstrate the kinds of skills and results that will help the interviewer to see the contribution you could make, you will be much better prepared.
A Career Counselor could be of great service to you in preparing for the interview:
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To provide an objective source for evaluation and discussion of the match
of your skills and results to the opportunities you see |
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To help you to craft your stories using a very effective 3-part model
(Situation, Actions, Results) |
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To listen to you, to videotape your presentation, to provide feedback,
ideas, enhancements |
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To help you to develop a comfort in presenting your skills in a very
positive, genuine fashion |
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To help you get high-impact results in your interviews – to position you
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