Long Term Benefits of Career Counseling

There have been a number of studies done over the past couple of decades to examine the short-term effectiveness of career counseling. The effectiveness of career counseling in these studies has been consistently demonstrated; career counseling helps improve career position and prepare the individual for the job search process. However, a study published in the Journal of Vocational Behavior and conducted by Sophie Perdrix, Sarah Stauffer, Jonas Masdonati, Koorosh Massoudi, and Jérôme Rossier found that career counseling also had positive impacts on individuals in the long term.

The study sample consisted of 199 career-counseling clients who had voluntarily sought counseling for their career paths. The study consisted of a pre-and post-questionnaire, and then questionnaires sent to them 3-months after the final session and one year after the final session. The questionnaire contained both quantitative and qualitative questions.

The results of this study showed that, among other things, career-decision difficulties decreased moderately immediately after the participants attended career counseling. Additionally, participants reported feeling more prepared for their career path and career choices overall. The study reported four categories for participants: fully implemented, partially implemented, changed direction, or no implementation. Clients in the first three categories mostly reported being happy with their decisions, and the researchers found that participants in these categories were better able to make and implement decisions. Researchers observed that, for clients in the final category, “this lack of professional evolution was related to the deterioration of their personal situations” at some point during the process (S. Perdrix et al., 575). As the researchers point out throughout the study, the progress of a professional path interplays strongly with one’s personal sphere.

The study found that 75% of the participants had successfully implemented their career plan after one year. Overall, the career counseling for the participants seems to have improved their decision making abilities and pointed them in the right direction for their career. Many clients showed a decrease in Lack-of-Readiness as well over the first three-month period.

The researchers propose further investigation into why certain individuals did not implement their career paths successfully, potentially engaging with what industries different participants went into. However, the assessment from the researchers overall is that, overall, “career counseling may play an important role in stimulating client’s personal awareness and insight” (577).

If you are considering making a career transition, or want to explore the career options open to you, email us at info@careersolutionsgroup.net. We offer free initial consultations and have helped hundreds of job seekers make successful transitions.

By: Julia Pillard, Career Solutions Group.

Reference:

Perdix, Sophie, Sarah Stauffer, Jonas Masdonati, Koorosh Massoudi, and Jérôme Rossier. “Effectiveness of career counseling: A one-year Follow-Up.” Journal of Vocational Behavior 80 (2012): 565-578.