A career expert is someone who has solid knowledge of some aspect of careers – whether it’s helping you find a new career, better manage the one you have, or successfully navigate the job search process. Or it’s someone who claims to have all that.
Quite candidly, anyone can declare themselves a career expert, but that doesn’t mean you’re getting good advice. I mention in my About page that I don’t consider myself an “expert”. That’s because I don’t believe anyone knows everything – even about their chosen field, so the term itself can be misleading. I have met many talented, knowledgeable people in the career field and value their opinions highly. But…there are also those “career experts” who claim to have every answer – or worse yet provide “you must do it my way” advice that can hurt your chances. If you meet someone like that, my suggestion is avoid that”expert” like the plague!
Anyone who claims to have all the answers while making little room for you to come up with your own ideas or make your own decisions is probably not someone you want to follow. Good career coaches guide and support – they don’t take control of your decisions or your life. Even if we’re offered advice, we still need to use our powers of reasoning to decide if the advice makes sense for us. We always have choice.
Work Coach Cafe is a safe place to share job search stories, find support, and see what others have on their minds. Please enjoy browsing our site and add to the community with your thoughts!