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Careers consultant: Louise

This Case Study belongs to Careers consultant.

Having graduated with a business studies degree from the University of Wolverhampton, I got a marketing job with an IT training company. I built up in-depth knowledge and experience within the private education sector, and secured a job at the University of Birmingham electrical engineering department working as an industrial placements coordinator, supporting and guiding students on work placement. I thoroughly enjoyed this role, which gave me a detailed understanding of what employers look for in their new recruits.

After working in this role for two years I secured a job as a trainee careers adviser in the university's careers service and spent two years studying for the Diploma in Careers Education, Information and Guidance. As I had experience of working in the IT industry and with engineering students, these were the students that I worked with in my role as careers adviser - guiding, supporting and advising them with career direction enquiries, CV and application forms, interview techniques, etc.

After working for four years in the careers service, I took a 12-month sabbatical. During this time, I decided I wanted to have more control over my time and projects and set up as a freelance careers consultant. Each day is guaranteed to be completely different. I have numerous projects on the go at one time - from freelancing for a private company based in London checking and amending CVs (home internet access is imperative for this job), and conducting employment-based research for professional organisations using my network of contacts and previous experience, to meeting private clients for one-to-one careers coaching and guidance sessions. My day also involves checking through my emails and responding to anything urgent.

One of the most rewarding aspects of the work is being in complete control of my day-to-day activities. I also enjoy the satisfaction of seeing clients move forward in their careers and feeling confident to make decisions.

On the downside, there are some quiet periods throughout the year (usually around holiday times and Christmas) when not much happens and business is a little slow. It is imperative to keep positive at these times, and use your networks and entrepreneurial flair to create new working opportunities. This is one aspect of the job that I love. Using my problem-solving and creativity skills, I have managed to meet some amazing people, generate some fantastic project work and secure new clients. Working freelance is hard work and not for everyone, but if you relish a challenge, it can be so rewarding. Anyone looking to become a careers consultant needs to develop a strong working history, read as much relevant material as they can, and be totally aware of what is going on around them in this field. It's also really important to be customer-focused. I'm passionate about providing a really good level of service, making sure that my clients receive the kind of service that I would want to receive myself.

Case Study sourced by Louise Pardoe of AGCAS, 17 April 2008.