Helping clients choose a career can be intimidating. Skills assessments offer a useful starting point, but they’ll only lead you to options that look good on paper. To identify the right job training for clients, you need to know about who they are as people, including their responsibilities, priorities and barriers.
Here are some of the life factors that can make or break career fit. Read on to learn why they have such a strong impact, and how you can consider them to make stronger, more lasting recommendations for your clients.
Why the Best Career Match Starts With the Right Questions
Personalization is key to career advising in workforce development. Clients need to know that they’re choosing a pathway that suits their life circumstances, and that begins with training.
When clients enter training programs that don’t fit their life, it’s much harder for them to stay committed. You can set them up for success by asking questions that surface logistical concerns.
- Schedule constraints: What commitments do they need to work around?
- Transportation barriers: Can they easily get to a class, or is it better to learn at home?
- Family responsibilities: Do they need to be around and accessible to children, elders or others who depend on them?
- Income needs: Do they need to maintain a work schedule while learning?
To encourage clients to answer honestly, frame these questions as planning aids rather than personal disclosures. You’re not asking them for personal details. You simply need to know what training programs would work best for them.
Life Factors that Shape Lasting Career Fit
Life circumstances also affect long-term career matching. Your client’s family and financial responsibilities won’t change dramatically once they finish training, so it’s important to consider which professional pathways will remain a good fit.
Schedule flexibility is a particular concern. Some roles require shift work or weekends, which can be a no-go for clients with childcare responsibilities or second jobs. Find out if your client needs 9-to-5 or nontraditional hours before recommending a particular pathway.
Consider location and mobility as well. Some certifications open doors in almost any region, while others depend heavily on the local economy. Ask if your client plans to stay put or relocate, and research job demand accordingly.
Find a way to work income expectations into your discussions about future plans. Have entry-level pay data available for the fields your client is considering, so there are no surprises when they hit the job market.
Matching Clients With Training Programs that Fit Their Lives
Finding a convenient, high-quality training program is a great way to deliver value early in the client relationship. MedCerts Partner Solutions offers healthcare and information technology (IT) training programs geared to nationally recognized credentials, with a variety of program lengths and price points under $6,000. These give case managers genuine flexibility when recommending career paths.
Fully online and self-paced, MedCerts’ programs remove transportation and scheduling barriers that can derail success. And with the potential availability of workforce grants and training funds, they’re broadly financially accessible. Reach out to our Workforce Solutions team to learn more.
Remember, though career matching can take more time upfront, it can significantly increase the likelihood of completing training and supports long-term career success. Given the benefit to your client and the trust the process instills in you as the case manager, finding the right fit is well worth the effort.
