How can you deliver remote career counseling?

As a Career Transition Coach, I use zoom as a place to coach my clients live. However, one of my differentiators from my peers, is the amount of support they get. Therefore, I use Voxer and gmail to offer unlimited support while we work together.

Make sure you have the qualifications and experience needed to offer careers advice. This may include training in counseling, knowledge of the job market and industry trends, as well as interpersonal communication skills. Choose the right communication platforms for your remote sessions. Zoom, Skype, Microsoft Teams, Google Meet and even telephone. Utilize online scheduling tools to allow clients to conveniently schedule counseling sessions. Ask clients to share relevant information before the session, such as their resumes, career goals, and specific questions. This helps you prepare properly. Maintain effective communication. Listen carefully to the customer's concerns and ask pertinent questions to understand their needs and goals.

The career coaching that I offer my clients is one where they know they are fully supported. It’s 1:1 zoom sessions, so that the client knows that it is a private, safe environment, and they aren’t competing against anyone else in the room for attention. That is supported by the ability to text or email me questions between sessions, to continue to promote the strategic partnership, as well as modules, videos, and resources to supplement our 1:1 sessions.

The same way we teach our clients to prepare for interviews, it’s super important for us to be professional, and have a quiet, clean work environment. (That’s why my opinionated dachshund is not in my office when I work.) When I meet my clients on zoom for the 1st time, the remark is often, “OMG, that’s really your office. I feel like I know you,” because they see me on videos, naturally, no photoshop, always authentic. Dressing professionally is important; it’s part of your Personal Brand.

You need to listen, and understand your clients. Everyone has their own story and job searching is not a one size fits all. We all want different things at different stages of our lives, and as a career coach, it’s very important to really hear our clients, and help them to find a career path that makes sense for them. We all have 100s of skills and there are a plethora of jobs where people can feel appreciated, challenged, and financially rewarded, but everyone does not want the same field. I create a safe space for my clients. Sometimes there are tears. (Them, not me.) But there is always understanding, hand holding, and when necessary, kicking in the butt. Additionally I text my clients a few times a week, to keep them motivated.

One of the tools I utilize in career advising sessions is Zoom Whiteboard. Here are some of the ways that it adds to session: - provides a visual for students to stay focused - collaborative! Students can respond to check-in questions, rank their career interests, identify interview questions they get stumped on, etc. - builds trust and rapport as I write down key points of information, showing that I hear and validate their experience - at the end of session, I ask students what their main takeaways are and their next action steps they want to achieve - ensures accountability. I can send students a snapshot of our whiteboard after session so that they have all of the key points we discussed and the goals that they set for themselves.