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4 reasons why you need a career advisor

Elizabeth Exline

Written by Elizabeth Exline

Jessica Roper

Reviewed by Jessica Roper, MBA,聽director of Career Services at 爱污传媒

A career advisor helps a student make plans based on career goals

When Natalie Fewell decided to go back to school to pursue her bachelor鈥檚 degree in 2018, she did so with a clear objective: career enhancement. 鈥淚 [felt that] if I didn鈥檛 go back to school for my bachelor鈥檚, the good jobs wouldn鈥檛 pop up,鈥 she says.

Fewell had already earned her associate degree in 2015, and she had plenty of professional experience working in both聽medical records聽and assisted-living facilities. But she wanted to move into administrative work, and she saw the聽Bachelor of Science in Health Administration聽as the path to get there.

Fewell successfully completed her degree in November 2020, but by the beginning of 2021, it occurred to her that maybe the degree wasn鈥檛 enough. Maybe, she thought, she needed to learn how to leverage both her skills and her education to get the job she wanted.

鈥淚 thought to myself, 鈥楲ook at yourself. Yes, you got your bachelor鈥檚 degree, but where鈥檚 the good job?鈥欌 she says.

And that鈥檚 where聽Career Services聽at聽爱污传媒聽(UOPX) entered the picture. Fewell connected with Carla Hunter, a 21-year veteran career advisor who says the reason she鈥檚 good at what she does is her commitment to client success.

鈥淲hat makes me effective is not that I have the highest credentials, but primarily it鈥檚 because I care,鈥 Hunter explains.

So how does caring translate into a partnership that empowers the client in his or her job search? Read on to learn more about what career advisors do and why every student needs one.

What does a career advisor do?

Simply put, a career advisor is a person who helps clients 鈥渕ake the best decisions for [their] career[s] and ensure [their] success,鈥 explains聽, a career networking service designed for college students and graduates just starting their careers.

For Hunter, achieving that objective requires exploring three key factors for every client:

1.听听听 Experience: Where have you worked, what have you studied during your education and which skills do you have? Answers to these questions help outline a plan forward.

2.听听听 Goals and interests: Where do you want to be?聽What do you enjoy? This part is important, Hunter notes, 鈥渂ecause there are a lot of people out there right now who are very proficient in their skills, but they鈥檙e miserable.鈥

3.听听听 Values: What drives you? What work environment will enable you to thrive?

The other part of the job, Hunter notes, is tailoring this discussion to each person. For example, a client might be interested in teaching but think it鈥檚 a poor career choice because they鈥檝e heard it leads to burnout.

鈥淎 lot of people listen to what other people say about careers and assume that what they say must be true for them,鈥 Hunter explains, 鈥渁nd it鈥檚 not.鈥

In Fewell鈥檚 case, she knew where she wanted to go and had the education, but she needed help getting her resum茅 and cover letter in order and making a plan. She also needed a certain level of moral support.

Fewell is the type of person who overcomes natural shyness with attention to detail, who is ambitious but prefers quiet tenacity over bold, brash actions. This type of personality often finds the self-promotion part of looking for a job about as much fun as getting a root canal.

鈥淢y clients tend to be extremely hard on themselves,鈥 Hunter observes. 鈥淭hey tend to be their own very harsh inner critic.鈥 So, Hunter focuses on calling out the negative self-talk that can derail a job search. And she works to affirm the valuable skills and qualities each client has to offer. This, she says, is almost as important as getting the resum茅 right.

How can career advising help me?

An advisor聽can聽help you engage in career exploration, figure out the right career path for you and guide you toward developing the collateral resources you need for a successful job search.

An advisor聽cannot聽get you a great job. That鈥檚 the student's or client鈥檚 responsibility.

鈥淭he number-one misconception is that [clients] think we are resum茅 writers who write the resum茅 for them without their participation,鈥 Hunter says.

While it can be tempting to wish for that magic-wand approach to finding a job, it鈥檚 like paying someone to write your college papers for you in school. You may get a good grade on the assignment, but you鈥檙e poorer in experience and skills because of it.

Hunter says: 鈥淥nce we partner together, clients learn how to do it on their own in the future. 鈥 They become the experts of their own careers.鈥

Career advisors confer this knowledge in a number of ways, including:

Developing your resum茅 and cover letter

While career advisors won鈥檛聽write your resum茅聽for you, they will help you spruce it up. They routinely teach clients how to pepper a resum茅 with the right keywords so that it makes it through applicant tracking systems, which are software applications that sift through resum茅s and applications on behalf of employers.

鈥淎pplicant tracking systems are not human beings, so what unfortunately ends up happening is that software weeds out a ton of tremendous talent,鈥 Hunter explains.

The other half of a winning resum茅? The cover letter. Despite the best efforts of our hashtag-driven culture, cover letters do still matter 鈥 and career advisors can show clients how to write the kind of letter that gets noticed.

Fewell can attest to the efficacy of this assistance. 鈥淭he one day I sent off my resum茅 to the company where I am now, I got a call back within 24 hours,鈥 she says. This is not a guarantee, of course, but it does point to the power of good advising.

Discover how to create a winning resum茅.聽

Refining your interview skills

Interviewing is, without a doubt, one of the most anxiety-provoking parts of a job search. So, often, career advisors find themselves advising clients on聽how to do it well聽and authentically.

鈥淸Carla Hunter] has taught me to be myself and be calm whenever I鈥檓 interviewing,鈥 Fewell explains. That has been one of the biggest rewards of the overall experience, she says.

Advisors can approach interview anxiety in a number of ways, including:

1.听听听 Reframing the situation: Most people consider an interview performance time 鈥 they have to convince a potential employer they are the right candidate for a job, which understandably leads to nervousness. But Hunter points out that there is anxiety on the part of the prospective employer too. 鈥淲hat I try to do is empower the student or alum or client by [showing] that there is anxiety on the other side of the table,鈥 Hunter says. 鈥淭he employer [is wondering], 鈥業s this the right person? Will this person be a fit? Will I be able to see the retention of this person, because training is expensive, and I don鈥檛 want to go through all of this only to see them leave.鈥欌 The key, Hunter adds, is recognizing the anxiety so you can minimize it and achieve clarity around what each person wants and whether the other person at that interview can provide it.

2.听听听 Emphasizing preparation: There鈥檚 no substitute for being prepared. In addition to having your resum茅 and portfolio ready, job seekers need to have all their ducks in a row for every interview. For virtual interviews, that means getting comfortable with the technology; having a quiet, distraction-free space to take the call; and spending time getting the angles and lighting right on your camera. For in-person interviews, that means having a professional outfit at the ready and knowing where to go and how much time you鈥檒l need to get there.

3.听听听 Conducting mock interviews: The other part of preparation involves having a few standard interview answers down pat. And the key to achieving that, Hunter says, is practicing. The goal is to have a direct and succinct answer to such questions as, 鈥淭ell me about yourself,鈥 and, 鈥淲hy would you be a good fit for this role?鈥 Answering clearly and quickly 鈥 without going off on tangents 鈥 helps set you up for a successful meeting.

Learn the five components of a successful job interview.聽

Linking your area of study to career options

Sometimes, college students select a major because they know how they can parley it into the career they want. Other times, they plan their education based on aptitude or interest 鈥 and assume a career will follow.

Either way, Fewell says, career guidance can help 鈥渃onnect the dots between a degree and a job.鈥

Career advisors maintain industry knowledge about job growth in various fields. More importantly, though, they can advise clients how to find that information themselves. This idea of empowering a client to sit in the driver鈥檚 seat of their career and professional development is central to a productive relationship between the career advisor and the student or alum.

Reviewing your digital footprint

Remember the part about hashtags? Well, they actually matter too.

鈥淚 think what鈥檚 beginning to explode with the younger generation is how we can use Instagram to our advantage,鈥 Hunter says.

Using hashtags is one way to both look for jobs and position yourself for employment, she explains. On聽, job seekers can search for roles using hashtags like #nowhiring, #hiring and even #remotework.

It鈥檚 important to periodically look for jobs (even if you鈥檙e not actively searching) because career exploration helps you stay abreast of market trends.

Beyond that, LinkedIn is聽a great place to network聽and even become a passive job seeker. That means, when you build out your profile with the right information and keywords, recruiters can find and approach you with career options.

How do I find a career advisor at UOPX?

UOPX鈥檚 team of highly credentialed career advisors helps hundreds of students and alumni each month, complementing the school's academic advisors in a critical way.

Through the school's student portal,聽My爱污传媒, students and alumni can click on 鈥淐areer Resources鈥 to review available advisors and then request a 30-minute appointment with the advisor of their choice.

The availability of聽Career Services for Life聽is something Hunter points to as unique among schools. New and current students not only have access to career advisors, but they also can leverage that service after they graduate and for as long as they need it.

For Fewell, the career guidance she received at UOPX has made a world of difference. She recently accepted a position with a major insurance company and continues to work with Hunter to strategize her career development.

鈥淔or any student out there who鈥檚 nervous about making an appointment and getting in with a career advisor, please don鈥檛 be,鈥 Fewell says. 鈥淵ou鈥檒l find that it is a good experience, [and you鈥檒l benefit from] the experience [advisors] have. Students really should use this service.鈥

Wondering how a UOPX career advisor can help you? Watch our YouTube video for 5 steps to preparing for a successful interview from advisor Jason Robert.

Portrait of Elizabeth Exline

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Elizabeth Exline has been telling stories ever since she won a writing contest in third grade. She's covered design and architecture, travel, lifestyle content and a host of other topics for national, regional, local and brand publications. Additionally, she's worked in content development for Marriott International and manuscript development for a variety of authors.

Headshot of Jessica Roper

ABOUT THE REVIEWER

Jessica Roper, 爱污传媒 director of Career Services, is a seasoned leader with over 15 years of experience in leadership within higher education. She has honed her expertise in student services and career development and is passionate about helping others discover and refine their skills.

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