Career Counselling

The underlying rationale of our approach to career development can be summarised in three questions which individuals must answer before they can move ahead and manage their lives and careers:

Who am I?

Where do I want to go?

How will I get there?

 

There are four key stages in our career development programme:

1. Enable individuals to understand themselves - their personality, motivation, strengths and weaknesses through in-depth counselling and psychometric testing. See our Career Development Profiler.

2. Help individuals clarify their career objectives by matching their personal needs and abilities to an appropriate career choice.

3. Design a job search strategy ensuring that individuals can achieve their career aims.

4. Give individuals the necessary insight, skills and support to stand the best possible chance of achieving their career objectives.

Why are we different?

We are experienced practitioners, with training in psychology, who have counselled a wide range of people from MBA's through to Chief Executives.

We give highly focussed advice with emphasis on the practical aspects of planning a career and getting a job.

We run a cost-effective programme that achieves results rapidly.

WHAT THE PRESS SAYS ABOUT OUR COUNSELLING:

Career Counselling from SHAPE Magazine

Ollie Quain, a journalist, visited four 'personal development specialists' - a business psychologist (from West Associates), a life coach, a medium and an astrologist.  Here is what Ollie says about her visit to our counsellor, Jenny, in March this year.

During the two-hour session, Jenny (from West Associates) is fantastic.  Her method is practical without being judgmental: supportive without going all 'Californian'.  Her insights help me to see where I need to channel my ideas and I'll definitely be going back to carry on the process of finding my ideal job.

Prior to our meeting, Jenny sent me a questionnaire to fill in.  I was worried that it would be like the questionnaire it I got after I finished my GCSE's - the results showed that I'd make a good zoo-keeper or policewoman.

 I needn't have worried, this questionnaire was a carefully crafted piece of psychometric work, divided into sections such as 'motivation' and 'long term goals'.  The questionnaire showed that magazine writing was the right job for me, and my personal profile landed me squarely in the 'sympathetic and creative people' category.

Since I'm a journalist, this assessment is spot on.  However, this isn't the end of the story.  As Jenny points out, it isn't so much what I'm doing that's presenting me with the problems, but the way I'm doing it.  Two things in particular caught Jenny's attention: my motivation and self-esteem. 

Firstly, the 'motivation profile' showed that I 'enjoy and need a sociable atmosphere at work where I can thrive in a caring environment'.  Jenny asks me how much time I spend on my own during the working week and I admit that, in a five-day working week, I tend to be alone for at least four of them.  This leads me to tell Jenny that I've been thinking of getting a more permanent post and Jenny is keen that I start 'putting systems in place' to achieve this and together we work out a plan.

The other thing that stood out in my questionnaire are my 'self esteem' issues.  Jenny points out that I put myself down in the majority of my answers.  Jenny's advice is to look at why I'm so negative about myself and to find ways to not be so pessimistic.

During the two-hour session Jenny is fantastic.  Her method is practical without being judgmental: supportive without going all 'Californian'.  Her insights help me to see where I need to channel my ideas and I'll definitely be going back to carry on the process of finding my ideal job.

What Others Say:

• 'I didn't realise how much I had achieved until I analysed the jobs I had done and re-wrote my CV as you advised.'

• 'A very good insight into the job search process.'

• 'The evaluation of the personality test was a real eye opener.'

• 'Your advice was very much appreciated by someone who now has to go out into the real world and 'earn an honest crust''.

• 'I left your office today thinking anything was possible'.