Case studies : Self-employed careers consultant: Nicky

Nicky achieved a postgraduate diploma in careers guidance (QCG) in 2008 from London South Bank University. Working as a self-employed careers consultant she sees a great variety of clients from middle aged redundant financial advisers to graduates looking for direction.

I’m currently a self-employed careers consultant offering freelance advice, but I also provide careers guidance to adult students in a sixth form college and have an employment role in a higher education (HE) careers service.

I chose this career because I had worked for some time in an HE careers service but wasn’t professionally qualified and realised that I aspired to be a careers adviser. I was encouraged to do so by those around me who felt my background and skills were highly relevant. The QCG for me was essential; it equipped me with the required guidance skills for both one-to-one and group sessions as well as how to apply these skills in a number of different settings, such as schools, further education (FE) and higher education (HE).

Since qualifying I have worked on government contracts (adult guidance), in HE and FE careers services but as a self-employed adviser I advertise on the ICG website as a private practitioner where anybody can contact me for help. I have seen a great variety of clients from middle aged redundant financial advisers to graduates looking for direction.

My role at present involves offering basic careers guidance - I do not provide testing like Myers Briggs, which other bigger companies would do as a matter of course. I sit down with a client and go over their ideas and aim to draw out what the real issues are in an hour or so of discussion. This can sometimes be a very emotional experience for the client. You need to be empathetic and understanding, while at the same time able to draw meaningful conclusions and give positive feedback so the client benefits from their interaction with you.

From this, I write up a summary of guidance which highlights our agreed action points. For most clients this is enough to move them forward and I don’t need to see them again, but I provide back-up services so that they can come back to me within six months for free or email/telephone me for further help.

What I really enjoy is having the time to spend discussing things in detail with a client and best of all are the eureka moments when you can see a client realising something which enables them to become unstuck in their thinking. Working with a wide variety of different clients (including ex-offenders) has also been professionally satisfying.

If you wanted to do careers guidance privately in a bigger capacity, you would need very good business skills because you need to market your business and create a ‘brand’ that the public would be prepared to pay for. If you were able to offer something unique I believe this would be a very helpful tool to gaining business. Working with others on other projects (including for free!) might also help to market your business and gain professional contacts.