FAQ
What is a personal career guidance meeting?
Your career guidance meeting is a confidential, impartial, and non-judgemental space for you to explore and review your career options. It is focused on you and tailored to your personal needs.
A career guidance meeting is a chance to think about where you are now and where you would like to be. It offers you space to think about the steps you need to take to move forward, and to identify the tools and resources you need for your journey. These might include self-awareness, the right mindset, qualifications, skills and qualities, experiences, decision-making skills, labour market information (LMI), a CV, LinkedIn profile, and your support network, for example. Career guidance can help you check what you have and identify what else you might need.
It is not just a packing exercise, however. Career guidance can identify and help you address barriers preventing you from progressing. It can help you understand yourself and your story better, preparing you to move forward. It can open your mind to new possibilities, and give you the confidence and positivity to embrace those possibilities.
How do I book my personal career guidance meeting?
You can book your meeting here.
When are meetings available?
My availability varies from week to week. Once you book your session, we can discuss availability to find a time that works for you.
How should I prepare for my personal career guidance meeting?
Our meeting will work best if you can locate yourself in a quiet place, where you are able to shut the door if needed, giving you the privacy to talk openly, free from distraction and potential disturbance. Avoid interruptions by turning off PC or mobile notifications or other forms of contact.
It would be useful if you have a pen and paper to use during our call, as I may ask you to jot things down or even draw things. If you have any post-its available, you could use these too.
During our session, we might decide to access to the internet, so please confirm if this is possible, although I will also send relevant links after our call.
You might like to have a glass of water to hand; talking can be thirsty work!
Before we begin, it can help to take a moment to check in with yourself. Here is one way to do this:
- Sit in a grounded position, with your feet on the floor.
- Check your back is straight yet relaxed.
- Now, focus on your breathing. Inhale for the count of four, hold that breath for four, and then exhale for the count of four.
- Repeat this three times.
- Now, you are ready to begin!
What will happen during my personal career guidance meeting?
Once we have agreed on the purpose and scope of our meeting, the first part of our discussion will focus on your current situation, the decisions or changes you are facing, and your ideas and feelings.
Having explored your current situation and agreed an agenda for the rest of our conversation, we will then work together to explore and review your career options, in order to understand where you want to be and how you might get there.
Part three of our discussion focuses on how you can get there. We will discuss and evaluate possible courses of action, identify goals, and agree some action points to help you move forward.
After our call, I will email the action plan to you so you can use it to move forward. The action plan will also detail any relevant resources to help you in making your next steps.
Will you tell me what to do?
A good career guidance meeting is not and will never be about someone telling you what to do.
You have the best insight on yourself, your situation, and possible solutions to that situation. My role is to work alongside you, helping you to explore and review options, clarify your goals, and plan for next steps.
Why the silence?
I will ask you questions throughout our meeting. If I ask a question and there is silence, I am just giving you time and space to reflect on your answer.
What happens after my personal career guidance meeting?
After our meeting, I will email you a summary of our discussion with an action plan, including appropriate resources and links to help you move forward. If you would like to chat through what you find, please feel free to book another session. Alternatively, I can offer email-based support charged at my hourly rate.
Can I book a follow-up meeting?
If you feel that you would like a follow-on appointment, you can contact me to arrange one.
Can we use another platform for our call?
At your request, we can speak by Zoom or Skype. In this event you are responsible for your use of the chosen platform or application, although we will also strive to work in line with the guidance provided in the CDI’s position paper on the Safe and ethical use of web videoconferencing for personal careers guidance.
Here are some tips to help you ensure your security during online video meetings:
- Check you have a secure set up (secure internet connection, password-protected Wi-Fi, antivirus and security software, strong passwords, etc.)
- Consider your location and background – who else can see and overhear you? Is your location and background appropriate?
- Use a headset rather than a speaker to avoid being overheard
- Wear appropriate clothing
- Familiarise yourself with application features, privacy, and security settings
- Conduct regular application updates to ensure you are using latest versions
- Familiarise yourself with the application features, security and privacy settings before the meeting
- Check out The National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) guidance on using video-conferencing services securely
