Becoming a Career Advisor—or as it's known in the industry, a Career Development Practitioner—can be a dream job for many. This role provides the opportunity to help people navigate one of the most important aspects of life: earning an income to support their dreams and families.
Career advising comes with significant responsibility. For many, their job title, responsibilities, and earnings are closely tied to their sense of self-worth. As a Career Advisor, you play a vital role in empowering individuals, guiding them through career transitions, and ultimately strengthening our communities. It’s a rewarding and impactful profession that makes a real difference in people’s lives.
Career Advisors assist clients with career planning, resume and cover letter preparation, job search strategies, interview preparation, and provide guidance on training and educational opportunities. They may also liaise with employers and community organizations to facilitate employment opportunities.
Career coaching focuses on goal setting, job search strategies, and career growth, while career counselling also addresses personal challenges, career indecision, and mental well-being. Many now use "career advisor" as a broader term, reflecting a shift toward practical guidance and skill-building rather than career counseling’s psychological focus.
Career Advisors in Canada work in a variety of settings, including government-funded employment programs, non-profit organizations, community service agencies, educational institutions, and private career consulting firms. They may also work in corporate settings, providing career development support to employees. Many Career Advisors specialize in helping specific populations, such as newcomers to Canada, youth, or individuals seeking mid-career transitions.
Mini-certifications and short-term training in career development or career counselling courses online are often advantageous for starting in the field, as they provide practical skills and specialized knowledge. While a bachelor's degree in fields such as social sciences, education, or human resources is preferred, it is not always required. Relevant experience in employment counseling, human resources, or psychology is also highly valued. Longer certification programs such as the Career Development Practitioner Certification are available in some major cities in Canada.
The demand for Career Advisors remains steady, especially with ongoing government initiatives aimed at employment support and workforce development. Opportunities may vary by region and are influenced by government funding and labor market needs.
This career development training was designed to empower new and future Career Advisors with essential, practical career advising skills to make a meaningful impact and unlock new career opportunities. They cover basic-to-intermediate career advising skills similar to those taught in full-time Career Development Certificate programs and government-funded employment programs in BC.
The goal is to build strong foundation skills and help participants reach an intermediate level, improving their abilities in writing resumes, leading workshops, conducting interviews, onboarding clients, career planning and meeting key performance targets (KPIs).
Best for people interested in:
Booked as a package that includes registration for the 2 X 2.5-hour online webinars: Career Advising Essentials I & II, Completing both Career Advising Essentials I & II will be awarded a Certificate of Completion from GrowCD.
Small Class Size - Limited Space | Available on Fridays (email if interested in Saturday sessions)
"I would recommend this workshop to anyone wanting to start with career development as their vocation." 2024 Career Advising Essentials I & II Participant
"I had the opportunity to receive a training session from GrowCD and the experience was fabulous. I value so much what I learned, and there are lots of take-aways that my clients will benefit from." 2025 Career Advising Essentials I & II Participant
What they liked BEST about the webinars:
⭐ Wanda has great energy. Very upbeat and so easy to listen to along with very useful information.
⭐ I appreciated that I could connect with other career counselors to hear their thoughts, experiences and insights.
⭐ Gave a variety of examples that we may go through & gave us reassurance
⭐ The ease of communication between the instructor & myself
⭐ I loved the topics, the case studies presented and the great energy and knowledge of the facilitator
⭐ 2 consecutive Fridays worked best for me. It made it easier to keep up with my work load.
⭐ Thank you for sharing some of your experiences. We have liked hearing about them, and they are very similar to many things we face daily.
Package of Career Advising Essentials I & II webinars at $415/person
The package includes registration for the 2 X 2.5-hour online webinars: Career Advising Essentials I & II on Apr 25 & May 2, 2025 at $415. Full course descriptions are below.
Fri, Apr 25, 2025 at 1:00 PM-3:30 PM EDT | 10:00 AM-12:30 PM PDT
In the first part of the Career Advising Essentials webinar series, you'll learn how to shift from 'teaching' to 'facilitating' in job search workshops, empowering your clients to take charge of their career journeys. You'll gain the skills to guide them in creating their own fully researched, ATS-ready 'Master Resumes,' using up-to-date government labor market information tailored to their province or territory in Canada.
We’ll also cover full-cycle interview coaching, breaking down strategies for common interview questions, behavioral and situational questions, illegal questions, blue-sky interview scenarios, industry-specific questions, and the all-important questions to ask at the end of an interview. To enhance your learning, you'll have access to mock interview recordings with coaching to hear real-world examples of interview responses and feedback.
This training emphasizes adapting your teaching style to meet the diverse needs of your client group—whether they are ESL learners, individuals with disabilities, Canadian youth, or others. Plus, we'll tackle challenging resume and interview cases, providing you with strategies to handle these situations with confidence.
Fri, May 2, 2025 at 1:00 PM-3:30 PM EDT | 10:00 AM-12:30 PM PDT
The second part of the Career Advising Essentials webinar series dives into the essentials of conducting thorough client intakes, ensuring that your onboarding process aligns with Career Practitioner ethics and guidelines. You'll gain a solid foundation in career planning and learn how to guide clients through both fundamental job search strategies and a more advanced, impactful approach that goes beyond online sources to empower their job search journey.
We’ll explore techniques to strategically maximize the services you provide to clients, helping you meet the Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) set by your program management. You'll discover how to structure client sessions effectively, ensuring that job seekers receive personalized, actionable advice that improves their job search outcomes while aligning with your organization's goals.
This session also includes a focus on handling more challenging career transition cases, equipping you with the tools and strategies to guide clients through complex career changes with confidence. Whether working with individuals facing employment barriers, industry shifts, or other career obstacles, you’ll develop the skills to support them effectively in achieving meaningful employment.
This is a live session to make the learning more interactive, fun and interesting.
Download a reference guide for each webinar to have a framework to keep & review later.
Fit in learning anywhere you are, on your lunch break or while you're out at a coffee shop, by logging in on your phone or other mobile device.
"Great content, the facilitator provided experiential examples."
"This is possibly the best webinar I've been in. So informative, very insightful. Thank you Wanda!"
"The most important part I wasn't feeling bored. The presenter shared the information with knowledge and LOVE to share :) "
"Wanda has an enthusiastic, streamlined and fun approach to her training sessions! You always walk away having learned something new."
“Wanda, your presentation was professional, well presented, well planned, well timed and something for everyone to learn. Thank you.”
Join Canada's Virtual Interactive Practical Skills Conference! Registration is now open - Register Early and secure your virtual seat at 30% off the regular rate!
CDS 2024, GrowCD | Jun-Aug 2024
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Check out my article in the latest April 2023 edition of the Canadian Immigrant magazine about successfully passing the work probationary period "You've landed your first job in Canada, what next?"
Wed, Sep 7, 2022
People often think that those who work in nonprofit organizations are not able to earn comfortable living wages. This is not true. The recognition of skills and employee experience still applies here. Salary negotiation can happen anywhere, nonprofit organizations included.
Tues, July 12, 2022
When there is a high demand for skilled workers, such as during the current major labour shortage, skilled job applicants can happily flex their salary negotiation muscles. However, while it is an accepted practice for people to negotiate their salaries upon hiring, statistics show that very few people do it in Canada.