According to a survey conducted, fewer than 20 percent of workers are satisfied with their job. Career counsellors guide their clients into a profession or job that will help them be both happy and productive as an employee. Starting a business in helping professionals or young graduates find their dream career could prove rewarding and lucrative. Here is a guide on how to start a career counselling business.
Decide Niche Before you even start consulting, decide on the target audience and the services you will offer. When deciding your niche, research the competition and talk to potential customers. You may want to work with individuals to develop their job-search skills or assist them in locating and applying for jobs. Whatever specialty you choose, think about how to differentiate yourself from others.
Business Plan Importance of business plan cannot be emphasized much. Device a plan that includes all the necessary details like commercial space requirements, staffing, licensing and insurance costs, advertising strategies, potential obstacles, and finances. Also, conduct a thorough research of your local competitors and define your target audience. Prepare an analysis to determine how many clients you need and how much you need to charge to break even financially.
Location Your location should be a quiet, comfortable space where you can conduct counselling interviews and career assessments. You will also need basic office supplies, such as seating and communications equipment, etc.
Tools & Technology Having access to the appropriate tools and technology makes it easier than ever to provide career counselling services. As, no human memory can store the information about thousands of occupations and millions of institutes and courses. Modern technology and artificial intelligence has made is possible, but choosing the right one is that has the key to success.
Training Any business requires some basic skills, so does career counselling. Counselling is a life long learning process, but a brief training ranging from 20-50 hours can equip oneself to start the career counselling business. However, having a competent mentor is like icing on the cake.
Marketing As a consultant, you will constantly need to market and sell your services. Contact professionals and organizations that can help you connect with your target demographic. Spend time developing your marketing material and sales pitch. Do your research on clients and how best to find and target the ones. Also, build relationships with local businesses who may hire you to provide group counselling.