What to expect when you see a Careers Adviser?
How can Careers Advice and Guidance help me?
Careers Guernsey expects that by providing timely and effective careers information advice and guidance, individuals will benefit and in turn support the local economy and workforce.
Benefits to the individual
- Improved knowledge and awareness about themselves
- Raised aspirations and motivation
- More reliable, accurate information about education, employment or training
- Reduced anxiety and stress
- Improved career planning and management skills
- Increased optimism and confidence
- More informed decision-making and better search strategies
- Supporting a successful transition e.g. taking up an opportunity, re-entering the job market, changing career role
Benefits to the island
- Young people will leave school/Post-16 with careers information, career management and employability skills to help sustain employment
- Young people and adults will make informed choices and decisions to progress and develop their careers to support the economy
- Young people and adults will be supported to help raise aspirations and realise their potential
- Employer engagement will help strengthen the employability of school/Post-16 leavers to help contribute to a skilled and flexible workforce
- Those young people and adults facing significant barriers to their career and learning development will receive targeted careers support through early identification and intervention
What should I expect when I see a Careers Adviser?
On arrival
Our reception team will make you feel welcome and ask you to complete a form if you have never used us before. This helps us check information such as the reasons you want some careers support as well as checking we have the right contact details for you. You will then meet with a Careers Adviser to talk things through. The meeting usually lasts 30-45 minutes and is in a quiet area (usually an interview room) to help you discuss things freely.
What careers advisers do
• Listen carefully to you in an impartial way. We are not here to judge you or your ideas but to help you achieve what you want to do in a realistic and informed way
• Ask questions to help you clarify your aims and come up with an action plan
• Help you to discuss your options and make sure you are aware of all of the options available to you so that you can make an informed choice about your future
• Offer feedback on CVs, covering letters, application forms to help you prepare a strong application
• Help deal with selection so that you feel prepared and confident, particularly if things change
• Show you useful resources to help you reach your goal
• Help with ways to help overcome any barriers you may have that might impact on your career planning such as disability, exam results, financial etc.
What careers advisers don't do
• Tell you what job or career you should do. We will listen to your ideas, likes and dislikes to help you check if a job or career might suit you. It is your decision about whether to go for something or not, a careers adviser can help you look at the implications of a choice or decision so that you feel more informed and confident.
• Find you a job or a place on a course. We can help with where to look for jobs or courses and support you with the application process.
You can see a Careers Adviser as many times as you need to and there is no charge for this. There are also computer guidance programmes that the Adviser may suggest you use to help you find out more about yourself.
