A Jobs.bg inverview with the founder of CareerPro – Teodor Dimokenchev
Read the original interview in Bulgarian here.
More and more people are turning to career consultants. In your opinion, what is behind this trend?
The internet has made it possible for a lot of useful career advice to reach a wide audience easily. People are now much more aware of what this service can actually offer them, and when they have a problem, they are more willing to seek out a consultant to help them find a solution.
What are the typical services offered by a career consultant, and which of them do you believe provide the greatest added value for job seekers?
There are three main types of services.
The first type covers the “technical” side of a career – how to write effective career documents, how to search in a focused way for the job you need, how to behave during an interview so that the interviewers clearly see your strengths, how to negotiate your salary, etc.
The second main type is related to soft skills – how to get along better with your boss and colleagues, how to position yourself for a promotion at work, and how to consistently perform well and achieve results.
The third type consists of mentoring services – how to maintain the right mindset regarding your career and personal development. Career problems are often rooted in personal life, so a good consultant will also ask you about that.
What are the most common myths about career consultants?
That they will write your resume for you, without your involvement. Such services exist, but in my opinion they are pointless. Another myth is that consultants will give you answers to all your questions. This is especially noticeable with people who are completely lost about what they want, but at the same time are not willing to change anything about themselves in order to focus more. A good consultant will help you reach the answer yourself, rather than telling you exactly what to study and what job to accept. For this to happen, however, you need to be open to self-improvement.
What mistakes do job candidates typically make, and with which of them even a good career consultant cannot help with?
No one can help you if you don’t do your own homework. A career consultant guides and supports you, and can even teach you specific techniques, but they cannot attend the interview or build interpersonal relationships on your behalf — just like a football coach cannot kick the ball instead of the players. The consultant shows you the path to solving your problem, but you are the one who has to walk it.
What is the most frequent piece of advice you give during a career consultation?
I very often consult people who have quite impressive achievements in their careers, but suffer from low self-esteem. These people perform well at work, but unjustifiably have low confidence. In such cases, I explain to them how mediocre the average level on the labor market actually is and put their experience into perspective so they can understand that their career is developing very well and that they have a lot to be proud of.
All my services will help level up your career.
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