Enrich Your Career Counseling with New Training at Resume Place

February 15, 2022 | Kathryn Troutman, Federal Career Coach®

The Resume Place is excited to host a proven, in-depth training called Facilitating Career Development (FCD). RP President Kathryn Troutman has added the course to give those providing career counseling to veterans and military spouses an opportunity to enhance their skills and abilities. The virtual 10-part series begins March 8 and runs through July 12, with live classes every other Tuesday, from noon to 2:30 EST. Joining Troutman will be veteran FCD trainers Mark Danaher and Dr. Janet Wall.

“My Ten Steps curriculum is super focused on the technical parts of getting a Federal job,” notes Troutman. “That covers working with job announcements, Federal resumes, USAJobs, the questionnaire, the interview, the hiring authorities. FCD is completely different. It offers training beyond this to provide individuals with additional skills and knowledge to assist others in planning careers and obtaining meaningful work.”

Topics covered include:

Building helpful relationships with clients
Working with groups
Applying career development theories to enhance your work
Assessment tools and how to use them
Ethical decision-making/working with diverse clientele
Career development for disabled individuals
Tapping the best career information available
Teaching jobseeking skills, including resume writing and handling interviews
Developing your career planning services
Creating a network of contacts

“Most of the clients coming to transition counselors at military installations are searching for jobs for the first time,” Troutman said. “Advising them is a huge responsibility, plus the cases are often challenging. Here the counselors can learn case management, counseling assessments, and other services which will help them with Federal and private industry job searches.”

In addition to improving their services for the military clients, all three of the course trainers said the coursework can also help the counselors advance their own careers. Dr. Janet Wall pointed out, “Any time you get additional training, it tells your employer you’re not afraid of learning, you’re open to other ideas, and you’re willing to improve yourself. It’s important for the employer to know that you have that kind of attitude for learning.”

In fact, the Facilitating Career Development course incorporates 12 competencies often included in Federal job announcements for career counseling positions. Mark Danaher said, “Some people take the class because they’re ready to take the next step up. It becomes a stepping stone to a new position.” This could be within your current installation or perhaps at a new location.

After taking and passing the FCD course, graduates are eligible to apply for two additional credentials. The Certified Career Service Provider (CCSP) designation is administered by the National Career Development Association (NCDA), the developer of the FCD curriculum. This involves loading your certificate of completion and responding to the assessment portion of the application. The second one – the Global Career Development Facilitator (GCDF) certification – was created by the Center for Credentialing and Education (CCE). Their application requires the FCD coursework with a combination of professional experience.

“While applying for a credential is optional, why not go that additional step?” Troutman said. “Placing the new credential at the top of your resume along with your 10 Steps certification can help you stand out.”

A fee of $1,750 is for Government or Military Pay students. The rate for Non-Profit, University, Private Practice, and Self-Pay attendees is $1,550. Both include the 300-page NCDA student manual. Multiple student discounts are available. Discount given if you also sign up for Troutman’s 10 Steps curriculum.

Your homework assignments, class activities, and exercises will be posted and uploaded into an online Learning Management System for review. The course involves a total of 120 hours of live classes, text reading, assessments, and exercises. Wall said, “This is more career coursework than what a career counselor would get in master’s degree programs.”

Troutman recommends the course for those who have already gone through her 10 Steps training and even for those who have not. “This is for lay-workers who are helping vets get jobs,” Troutman said. “It is important work – to counsel vets who need a new career. Getting vets on the right track can help them avoid the negative scenarios that sometimes happen to this transitioning population.”