Career Planning Assistance

Do you need to find a job fast? Learn how career planning assistance programs can help!

You have just graduated from high school or college, or perhaps you have been in your career for many years and you are just looking to make a career move. A career planning service could be just what you need. Finding a career can be overwhelming and seem impossible. However, having a career plan can make this a much more enjoyable experience and may land you a job sooner than you think.

What is career planning?

Career planning is a process that involves getting to know and understand what career goals you have and how to achieve them. It is safe to assume everyone has a dream of something they want to grow up to be or do. Career planning can help you make the dream a reality.

Career planning is a process that helps you identify what career fields you will enjoy and will be a good fit for. It also helps you define life and career goals and identifies skills and abilities you have that will enable you to be successful in your chosen career.

How does career planning help?

Career planning makes sense of the job market and what steps you need to take to stand out in the crowd. By evaluating your strengths and weaknesses, discussing your financial needs, and evaluating your passions, you narrow down the career playing field and focus on a job that meets your wants and needs. 

Career Planning Steps

The first step in planning your career is to do some research. What type of job are you interested in? Study the field and find out as much as you can about a career in that field, the expected income, the demand. What are the benefits? Is it expected to be a field that continues to grow and provide job stability? Sometimes you may even find a company that will allow you to intern or shadow. This provides excellent hands-on experience and helps you get a taste firsthand of what you can expect in that career field.

After some time researching and interning in your chosen career field, you should consider the good and bad facets of each job you are interested in, considering the demand for that field and what the potential income is. Other things to consider are where you are in life. A person changing careers in their 40s or 50s may not be as picky about some aspects of the job as long as the pay and benefits are good, whereas a younger candidate may be able to hold out a little longer and wait for the ideal job situation.

Once you have chosen a career path, set goals for how to proceed. Does your career require a degree?  If so, enroll in college. Set a deadline to do this and stick to it.  You can also set goals for how many applications you want to submit and set a deadline for doing this. Evaluate and set both short-term and long-goals. Short-term goals may include the steps you need to take to reach your long-term goals. However, life is always changing, and you need to remain flexible and change your goals as needed along the way.

How do services like BetterUp, Fiverr and Pathrise Help?

Sometimes, even your best efforts at finding your perfect job do not prove effective.  Services such as BetterUp, Fiverr, and Pathrise can help you when you hit a dead end with your job searches.

BetterUp

BetterUp is an online coaching service that can help you grow personally and professionally. They provide coaching services in conjunction with educational resources so you can excel at work and in life. Sessions may focus on how to parent more effectively or how to eat healthier. Costs are based on how many sessions you receive and average around $89-279 per month.

Fiverr

Fiverr is a freelancing marketplace platform that allows people to list and apply for small jobs. They focus specifically on short-term jobs with fast turnaround times. This platform provides temporary positions, and how much you earn is up to you and depends on how much you charge for your services and how many people order your services.

Fiver has a variety of courses you can purchase to help you gain new skills that can earn you more money, or you can purchase courses that teach you how to market yourself or how to create a strong online presence.

But, if selling your own services is not in your plans, you can use Fiverr to purchase resume services and pay someone to write you that job-winning resume and cover letter that lands you your dream job. You may also search services and find a seller who has expertise in the area of career development or career planning who can work with you at a lower cost than other career planning companies.

Remember, the sellers on Fiverr are generally trying to get established in their own businesses or they are doing these services as a side hustle. This means you can find someone with years of experience in the field and you can secure their services for a lower price.  Fiverr does not cost anything to join, and most gigs start at $5 but increase based on the seller’s experience, seller level, and overall ratings.

Pathrise

Pathrise is a mentorship program that offers elite job placements and helps boost your job search. Founded in 2017 by two engineers, Pathrise offers one-on-one mentorship for up to 12 months. They focus on your job skills including helping you with your resume, preparing you for an interview, and networking and negotiation skills.

Pathrise works through live video. It requires a long-term commitment of around 12 months. However, you pay nothing up front. In fact, you do not pay until you find a job, and this no-pay agreement is in place for up to 12 months.  Once you find a job, Pathrise takes 5-9% of your salary over a set period of time.

The program has mentors from over 200 companies including industry leaders such as Google, Apple, and Dropbox.  As part of the program, you have access to forums and events that can provide moral support. Pathrise also gives you access to company guides that provide all of the details of a particular company, such as what their interview process involves and the types of questions you may be asked.

The downside to Pathrise is that it is exclusively for persons who are authorized to work in the United States. Additionally, you have to fulfill the 12-month commitment and have not found a job before the income sharing no longer applies.