Why Career Counselors Need to Shift the Focus From Competition to Competence

Career counseling is often misunderstood. For many, it is all about landing high-paying jobs or getting ahead in the corporate race. However, career counseling has the power to be so much more than that. In an age where stress, burnout, and job dissatisfaction are on the rise, career counseling offers a fresh perspective.

While competition can push some to achieve greater things, it doesn’t always lead to sustainable success or fulfillment. Career counseling can steer individuals away from this competitive mindset and instead focus on personal strengths, skills, and unique talents.

Emphasis On Personal Strengths Over General Standards

Career counseling begins with self-assessment. Before entering the job market, individuals need to understand their strengths, interests, and passions. Instead of comparing themselves to others, career counselors help clients recognize their unique attributes. This self-awareness allows individuals to focus on areas where they can truly excel rather than constantly chasing skills they believe will give them a competitive edge.

Smart/ Unsplash / First thing first: The focus of career counselors should be on personal strengths – NOT on general corporate standards.

For example, a career counselor might work with someone who has a natural knack for creativity but feels pressured to pursue more technical skills simply because they are in high demand. Instead of succumbing to these pressures, career counseling can encourage this person to develop their creativity in ways that add real value, such as in marketing, design, or content creation.

Setting Competence-Based Goals Instead of Rank-Based Goals

Another powerful aspect of career counseling is goal-setting. In a competitive mindset, goals often revolve around beating others – AKA getting a higher salary, landing a more prestigious job title, or securing a coveted promotion. But these goals can be superficial and fleeting.

Career counseling shifts the focus from “beating others” to “becoming better.” It encourages individuals to set goals that emphasize skill-building, mastery, and growth.

For instance, a counselor might guide a client to focus on developing their project management skills rather than simply aiming for the next promotion. The result is a professional who is not only more competent but also more satisfied with their career progression.

Career Counseling Should Offer Customized Learning Paths

Every career path is unique, and career counseling embraces that. It helps people see that they don’t have to follow the same steps as everyone else. Career counselors work with clients to create personalized learning plans that build competence in areas aligned with their specific interests and career goals.

This approach allows individuals to grow at their own pace, focusing on skills and knowledge that matter most to them.

Preference for Self-Reflection Over Self-Comparison

In the age of social media and LinkedIn updates, it is easy to fall into the trap of comparison. Career counseling, however, promotes self-reflection instead of self-comparison. Through guided reflection exercises, individuals learn to evaluate their own progress and satisfaction.

So, Career counselors should encourage their clients to consider questions like: “What do I enjoy about my work?” and “Where do I feel I can make the biggest impact?”

Austin / Unsplash / Career counseling should encourage individuals to self-reflect instead of comparing themselves to others.

When people focus on these questions, they begin to view success differently. Instead of measuring it against what others have achieved, they measure it against their own personal growth and job satisfaction.

Fostering a Growth Mindset

Career counseling emphasizes a growth mindset, where individuals see skills and abilities as something that can be developed over time. This is in stark contrast to the competitive mindset, which often views success as a fixed race to the top. With a growth mindset, the focus is on continuous improvement and learning.

Career counselors need to guide their clients to embrace challenges, learn from failures, and value the journey of skill-building.

For example, a career counselor might encourage someone in a competitive field to take on projects outside of their comfort zone, not for the sake of outdoing colleagues but to learn new things.