Vocation Destination

I’m looking forward to my next talk with Karen. She is unconditionally supportive, gives thoughtful advice, and explains why the steps she suggests are important. Every session ends with 2 – 3 action steps that help me shape my goals and reach them, and that homework gives us a starting point for the next appointment. I am really glad I found Karen. She understands the current employment environment, and is knowledgeable about career options that include full-​time employment and entrepreneurship.

I asked her to help me with responding to a job ad over the weekend and she responded very quickly. Even though it was the weekend she actually worked on my resume over the weekend.
She did call me and listened to the changes I needed to make to reflect the skills I had to match the ad but never mentioned not knowing anything about my field. I still had to pay for the hour it took for her time on the resume although i will never be able to use the resume. She didnt tell me she doesnt know anything about the high tech industry and the resume sounded terrible.

Since the Fall of 2011, I’ve met with Karen once, worked with her over the phone to edit a resume and cover letter, and have called her to talk me through an overwhelming time-​sensitive career decision crisis! I am SO GLAD she was available to talk to me when I called her out the blue. Having someone who knows you a bit and has become familiar with your experience, strengths, and goals, is an asset to have during a career transition period.
Overall, I have had a great experience with Karen and I am so glad I took the chance and reached out for this type of support. (My first time working with a career coach/​counselor). Karen definitely cares about the success of her clients and is dedicated to her work. Some might think this type of support is expensive, including me, but in the end — I have definitely found it to be worthwhile. Work is a huge chunk of your life… and if you’re unhappy or confused, why wouldn’t you invest in something like a career coach?
I have found Karen to be great at:
— helping you identify next steps when you’re stuck
— creating an action plan that is realistic and useful
— talking through/​editing written documents to make them more effective
— connecting you to resources (Karen often emailed me job opportunities that she thought might be a good fit for me! How awesome is that?)
— offering a listening ear
— asking important questions
— helping you think about things differently, from a different angle
— offering insight to certain fields and what the challenges are in that field (higher education in my experience).
Thanks, Karen!

Karen Samuelson is not only a terrific career and writing coach, but she has a pretty great intuitive nature that hits the nail on the head as far as what you need to do to find the type of work you seek. She really listens to your life experience and gives you a manageable action plan to get you going. I would highly recommend Karen if you are at a crossroads in your job and want some sage advice on achieving your goals. And if you are not sure what your goals are, she helps with that too!