There are many ways in which The Institute for Global Leadership has worked with clients since 1986: performance mentoring for current career satisfaction (helping to work with a difficult boss or reconciling conflicts), mentoring for balance in work and personal life, re-setting goals or providing services to find a job, a career or a vocation.
First, the philosophy of a career and life directions counselor: at different points in a person’s life, there is a need to reflect on one’s life experience and re-evaluate where one has been putting energy. A decision is looming: do I want to continue in the same direction or make a change? This reflection time may be precipitated by a crisis. The crisis could come from a layoff, being fired, or from your own decision. A change in life direction and career could come, for example, if one has a high pressure or time consuming job, you may decide to slow down and contribute in a different way to have more personal time or time with your family. You may want to incorporate travel into your life! Or you may in the case of a recent client, re-envision yourself in your current organization. The point is that you decide that now is the time to stay or leave. If it can be your decision, it is better. Whether it is your own or someone’s else’s decision for you, a career and life directions counselor as the guide along the way begins!
The first step is sitting down together and deciding if you want to:
- stay in your current job with performance mentoring,
- find a new job or career, or
- go through a process to claim and work from your passion and life calling.
If you want performance mentoring, a contract for a certain number of sessions based on your budget and your need is made. Virginia Swain offers herself in person, by email and by telephone, often on a monthly retainer, to be available for her clients’ needs.
If you want a job consultation, it is probably important to have immediate funds. Virginia Swain has significant experience (having served three years at Jewish Vocational Service as an employment specialist) helping people find immediate jobs and then helping them with the learning curve and performance issued that come up on the job. Some people decide to get a job while they are looking for a career or reflection on a vocational change.
If you want a career consultation process, you may wish prestige, fulfillment, achievement, wealth, reaching an accustomed standard of living. Count on one month of searching for every $10,000 you would like for your salary.
Being mission and passion-driven comes as a result of inner promptings and gentle nudges to give one’s gifts to the world, to be of service. This stage of career development requires a strong knowledge and acceptance of inborn gifts and strengths and writing a mission statement. This stage may take several months to accomplish with sensitivity to budgetary needs and personal process.
After the type of consultation needed is decided, we make a plan of sessions together depending on your budget, time, and need. Virginia Swain gives assessments tests where values, interests and abilities are combined to give you a snapshot of your best career fit-- Career Occupational Preference System, Jungian Inventory, and the Enneagram assessment tools.
We will help you assess your job, career or vocational needs and goals as well as design a flexible and constructive plan to meet those goals. Please call 508-753-4172 if there are any questions about this brief overview of careeer and life directions services.
