This is the candid career story of a professional counselor as told to LatPro. This site features real stories from Hispanic professionals in a myriad of professions. If you have considered a career in the mental health industry, read on to learn what the job is really like from this professional counselor. Visit LatPro for more interviews with mental health workers, including one from a Psychotherapist, an Addiction Therapist, and many others.
I am a professional counselor, working in a social services office that is overseen by the county government. I have 11 years experience in the field and I would describe myself as caring, driven and sympathetic.
I am a Caucasian female. I’m not sure it has either helped or hurt my career, but being a woman does sometimes make it easier for young women to talk privately with me. I have yet to experience discrimination.
I counsel young people in high risk communities, including teenage girls who are experiencing an unplanned pregnancy. One misunderstanding may be I am a psychiatrist or psychologist, which I am not.
My job satisfaction is somewhere around an 8, on a scale of 1 to 10. I wish the pay scale was a bit higher, but overall I am extremely satisfied with my career and my workplace.
I am constantly moved in my job. I speak with young people undergoing difficult times and am often able to help them find a solution or come to terms with what they face. I certainly feel as if I am doing what I’m meant to do.
Sometimes I face moral and ethical problems in my work. Young people who confide in me have a level of trust and we speak in confidence. Sometimes, a situation arises where I feel a parent should be contacted, and I have to use my best judgment.
My mother worked in this field and I paid attention to her work while I was growing up. If I could do it over, I would still choose this career.
I learned to speak up for myself in getting promoted within the office. At one point, I had more experience than another counselor who was offered a pay raise, and I took the issue to the appropriate source to discuss my own salary.
A strong skill I have is keeping the confidence and trust of the people you help and work with. It is a tool that helps me every day in my line of work.
One unusual happening was the day I had a young couple come into my office, looking to get married. The teens were both 16 years old and the girl was a few months pregnant. They wanted to be married before telling their parents, and I had to let them know our offices were not designed for the function. Ultimately, they didn’t get married, but they have raised the child together.
I go to work each day because I feel a drive each day to get to the files on my desk, to pick up cases that I know I can help with. Sometimes there is bureaucracy to cut through, but the kids make it worth the struggle.
One frustrating thing about my job is answering to politics. Sometimes, there is a case I know needs attention, but because of political tape I have to pass the file on. This happens probably a few times a month.
My job can be very stressful, and I feel pressure to live up to my responsibilities. I maintain a balance by spending quality time with my family.
I and my fellow counselors make roughly $50,000. This is on the high end in my region, and I am able to support my family with the help of my husband. We more or less live the quality of life we wish to.
I take about two weeks of vacation a year, but I wish it was more. I do get holidays off, which helps, but I sometimes feel spread thin.
A Bachelor’s degree is enough education for this career, though a graduate degree gets you more money and better positions. Training programs can also help an individual get ahead.
I would tell a friend to talk to other counselors, to get an insider’s look at what the daily work looks like.
In five years I would like to have a managerial position within my department, but still doing the same sort of work I do today.
JustJobs.com is a job search engine that finds job listings from company career pages, other job boards, newspapers and associations. With one search, they help you find the job with your name on it.Helping troubled person image from Shutterstock
Is your job search turning into a grind with no end in sight? It may be time to take a step back and reevaluate your entire approach.
In cold weather climates, the beginning of spring is a time to clean the house and get organized—a practice known as spring cleaning. Through the years, spring cleaning has taken on a larger meaning with people using the time to organize and declutter things in their lives.
For professionals on the job hunt, a little spring cleaning (metaphorically speaking) could be a great way to reinvigorate your job search. Here are a few strategies your job search spring cleaning should include.
Reevaluate Your Job Search Approach
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Make a list of the last handful of jobs you applied for and see if you can identify any positive or negative trends. Consider things like:
How did I learn about this job?
How did I apply for the job?
Did I earn an interview?
What was the ultimate result?
A lot can be learned about your job search approach just by answering these questions and identifying patterns. For example:
Negative Trends
You discovered five jobs through job boards, applied to all of them via the job boards, and never heard back from any of them.
The common pattern here is applying through job boards. This isn't to say that job boards don't serve a purpose in the job search process, but they have their limitations, and you can't run your job search entirely off of them. When you apply through a job board, there's a good chance that your materials will never get past the applicant tracking system (ATS) and never be seen by an actual person.
One simple fix is to research who the hiring manager or recruiter is that posted the position and email your materials to them directly.
The more efficient fix would be to take a proactive approach by putting together a bucket list of companies that you want to work for and start making connections on LinkedIn with people who work at those companies. You may already know some people who work there or have connections that can refer you to some individuals.
This is a great way to network your way onto a company's radar.
Positive Trends
You applied to three jobs via referral, were invited to two job interviews, and made it through multiple rounds of interviews for one of the jobs before being passed over for someone with a little more experience.
The pattern here is that getting referred to a job by a professional acquaintance is a great way to land a job interview. This indicates that you're leveraging your network well and you should continue to focus on your networking efforts.
The next step is to review the interview process and determine what went well and what needs to be improved. Sometimes the interviewer will provide feedback, and that feedback can be valuable. However, not everyone is comfortable with giving feedback.
Chances are you probably have a good idea about areas of improvement and the skills you need to gain. Put together a plan for addressing those shortfalls.
The good news in making it deep into any interview process is that it indicates that the company likes you as a potential employee (even if the timing just wasn't right) and the experience could be a roadmap to a job with that company at a later date, or another similar opportunity elsewhere.
Give Your Resume & Cover Letter Some Much-Needed Attention
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Are you continuously sending similar resumes and cover letters to each job opening with only minor adjustments? If so, your strategy needs some serious spring cleaning.
The reason why it's so important to tailor your resume is that throughout your career, you acquire numerous skills, but the job you're applying for may only be focusing on 6-8 of those skills. In that case, those skills must rise to the top of the resume with quantifiable examples of how you successfully used those skills at previous jobs.
Remember, recruiters go through hundreds of resumes. They need to be able to tell from a quick glance whether or not you're a potential candidate for the position.
While updating your resume, you could also spruce up your LinkedIn profile by highlighting the skill sets that you want to be noticed for by recruiters.
As for writing a good cover letter, the key to success is writing a disruptive cover letter. When you write a disruptive cover letter, you're basically telling a story. The story should focus on how you connect with the particular company and job position. The story could also focus on your personal journey, and how you got to where you currently are in your career.
If your resumes and cover letters aren't unique, now is the time to clean things up and get on track.
Build Your Personal Brand
Just because you're looking for work doesn't mean that you don't have anything to offer. Use previous career experiences and passions to build your personal brand.
Ask yourself, "How do I want other professionals to view me?"
Pick an area of expertise and start sharing your knowledge and experience with your professional network by pushing out content on your LinkedIn and social media accounts. Good content can include blogs, social media posts, and videos.
By sharing content about your experiences and passions, you slowly build your personal brand, and others will start to notice. The content could lead to good discussions with others in your network. It could also lead to reconnecting with connections that you haven't spoken to in years, or making new connections.
You never know when one of these connections could turn into a job lead or referral. The trick is to get on people's radars. So, when you're cleaning up your job search, be sure to build a plan for personal branding.
Maintain Healthy Habits During Your Job Search
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Your job search is important, but it's even more important to know when to pull back and focus on personal health and spending time with family and friends.
There are actually things that you can do for your own enjoyment that could help your job search in the long run, such as:
Grab coffee with a friend - It's good to engage in light conversation with friends during challenging times. And if your job search does come up, remember that most people have been through it themselves and you never know when a friend may provide you with a good idea or lead on a job.
Volunteer - Volunteering is a great way to get involved in the community and help others. In addition, if you develop a little bit of a career gap while looking for a job, you can always talk about how you filled that time volunteering, if you're asked about it during a job interview.
Continue to focus on other passions - Are you a fitness nut? Blogger? Crafter? Continue to do the things that bring you happiness. And if you're in a position to profit from your passion through a freelance job or side hustle, even better!
Spring is the perfect time to clean up and improve your job search so you can land the job you want. If you're struggling to find a job, follow the tips above to reinvigorate your job search—and watch your career blossom!
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This article was originally published at an earlier date.
This is the candid career story of a professional counselor as told to LatPro. This site features real stories from Hispanic professionals in a myriad of professions. If you have considered a career in the mental health industry, read on to learn what the job is really like from this professional counselor. Visit LatPro for more interviews with mental health workers, including one from a Psychotherapist, an Addiction Therapist, and many others.
I am a professional counselor, working in a social services office that is overseen by the county government. I have 11 years experience in the field and I would describe myself as caring, driven and sympathetic.
I am a Caucasian female. I’m not sure it has either helped or hurt my career, but being a woman does sometimes make it easier for young women to talk privately with me. I have yet to experience discrimination.
I counsel young people in high risk communities, including teenage girls who are experiencing an unplanned pregnancy. One misunderstanding may be I am a psychiatrist or psychologist, which I am not.
My job satisfaction is somewhere around an 8, on a scale of 1 to 10. I wish the pay scale was a bit higher, but overall I am extremely satisfied with my career and my workplace.
I am constantly moved in my job. I speak with young people undergoing difficult times and am often able to help them find a solution or come to terms with what they face. I certainly feel as if I am doing what I’m meant to do.
Sometimes I face moral and ethical problems in my work. Young people who confide in me have a level of trust and we speak in confidence. Sometimes, a situation arises where I feel a parent should be contacted, and I have to use my best judgment.
My mother worked in this field and I paid attention to her work while I was growing up. If I could do it over, I would still choose this career.
I learned to speak up for myself in getting promoted within the office. At one point, I had more experience than another counselor who was offered a pay raise, and I took the issue to the appropriate source to discuss my own salary.
A strong skill I have is keeping the confidence and trust of the people you help and work with. It is a tool that helps me every day in my line of work.
One unusual happening was the day I had a young couple come into my office, looking to get married. The teens were both 16 years old and the girl was a few months pregnant. They wanted to be married before telling their parents, and I had to let them know our offices were not designed for the function. Ultimately, they didn’t get married, but they have raised the child together.
I go to work each day because I feel a drive each day to get to the files on my desk, to pick up cases that I know I can help with. Sometimes there is bureaucracy to cut through, but the kids make it worth the struggle.
One frustrating thing about my job is answering to politics. Sometimes, there is a case I know needs attention, but because of political tape I have to pass the file on. This happens probably a few times a month.
My job can be very stressful, and I feel pressure to live up to my responsibilities. I maintain a balance by spending quality time with my family.
I and my fellow counselors make roughly $50,000. This is on the high end in my region, and I am able to support my family with the help of my husband. We more or less live the quality of life we wish to.
I take about two weeks of vacation a year, but I wish it was more. I do get holidays off, which helps, but I sometimes feel spread thin.
A Bachelor’s degree is enough education for this career, though a graduate degree gets you more money and better positions. Training programs can also help an individual get ahead.
I would tell a friend to talk to other counselors, to get an insider’s look at what the daily work looks like.
In five years I would like to have a managerial position within my department, but still doing the same sort of work I do today.
JustJobs.com is a job search engine that finds job listings from company career pages, other job boards, newspapers and associations. With one search, they help you find the job with your name on it.Helping troubled person image from Shutterstock
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