My job: Always happy to give advice

Patrick Cody. Photo / Supplied

Name: Patrick Cody
Age: 43
Role: Career consultant
Working hours: 40-hour week with occasional evening presentations at schools.
Average salary: $60,000 to $70,000
Qualifications: Postgraduate Diploma in Education from Massey University, Postgraduate Certificate in Career Development from AUT, certificates in community counselling and adult teaching, Bachelor of Regional Planning from Massey University.

Describe what you do.

As a Career Services career counsellor I work with people who are redundant, people who want change in their jobs, people returning to work after several years of non employment-related activity and school leavers. My clients are New Zealanders and migrants of all ages and stages.

What are some career challenges for your clients?

Listening to and following your intuition is really important. I've never met anyone who hasn't had their own answers but people are often sidelined or get stuck by experiences and messages that have created a lack of clarity. By parking those to the side, you can become more critically aware of how you want to grow.

Another challenge is to untangle the belief that work is about having a 40-hour-week job in one work location. Clients find it freeing to start thinking that there can be many sources of income.

Your career history?

Geography was my best subject at secondary school so I took regional planning at university. It wasn't a good fit because it is primarily about buildings and I need my work to be about people. However, I did develop strategic skills, writing competencies and professional communication skills.

I ended up doing a range of jobs in New Zealand and overseas, including picking up rubbish, silvaculture, security work, town planning, office work and was a servant for a rich family.

I was in London when I decided to make a change. I did career assessments, read books and did information interviewing and voluntary work to ensure the fit was right. I was guided by the book What Colour is My Parachute from which I worked solidly for three months to map out a range of options. Funnily, I didn't see a career advisor but in hindsight I feel I would have come to my conclusions a lot quicker if I had.

When I moved back to New Zealand in 1995 I decided I wanted to work at Career Services in Northland but there wasn't a job. So I voluntarily helped them organise a career expo, then worked for two years as an employment advisor at Employment Services, keeping in touch with Career Services. In 1997, a career consultant vacancy finally came up at Career Services and I got it. By then I had relevant experience and was retraining. I also think being a male helped; there is a dire shortage of males in the industry.

What training or experience is helpful with career counselling?

Now-a-days it is becoming necessary to have a career or career related qualification to gain indepth theoretical knowledge and competency. It also helps to have lived a little so you have a range of experiences to draw upon.

What skills or qualities are important?

Humour, creativity and metaphors help create good working relationships with clients. It's about relating, engaging, being curious and really interested in people's futures.

You have to be able to communicate and conceptualise on many levels. You have to pick up on people's narratives and patterns and sometimes talk through or challenge them on issues and concerns. You want to get people to a point where they feel safe to communicate their needs, hopes and aspirations and then work through those in a tangible and measurable manner that is relevant to the labour market and other aspects of their lives.

Best part of the job?

The diversity of clients and the opportunity to discuss meaningful things about life and to consider ways forward. The team at Career Services Rapuara are great and I've really enjoyed working on one-off national projects.

Most challenging part?

Using and integrating a range of technology within career practice.

Advice to someone wanting to do same thing?

It's about creating momentum. Do the information interviewing, career research, create professional networks, work in related fields, obtain relevant qualifications, pick up relevant project work, join professional associations. I am a great believer in keeping doors open and building momentum to work towards what you want.

What career support is there in schools?

School career departments should be parents' first port of call and they have a range of wide career interventions; Gateway and STAR programmes, expos, speakers and career advisers that young people and their parents can engage with. There is also a lot of self-help information and advice on Career Services website. However if parents and students have specific or in-depth career needs, they can organise an appointment with a Career Services career consultant.

www.careers.govt.nz or
0800 222 733