I was recently asked these questions by a current undergraduate:

Why is career counseling important? 

What is the definition of career counseling?

For great answers to both, read Donna Sweidan’s interview with Learnvest.  

My work falls on the side of what Sweidan describes as “coaching.” I would refer clients to others for most of what Sweidan describes as counseling (for example, to my expert colleagues who specialize in the psychological side of counseling or assessments such as personality tests and interest inventories).  

I really specialize in helping people “translate” their skills–whether that’s translating academic experiences from the university years for the professional job search or translating your 1st career experiences for your 2nd career.  Then I help my clients put together the pieces of what they are really capable of (post translation) in their job search documents (resumes, cover letters, personal statements), professional school applications, and interview preparation.