Introduction
Most people encounter the problem of finding a job that fits their desires. Sometimes, a person can feel frustrated because there is no development or progress in a chosen occupation. Even if no issues occur, an individual may want to change the industry and attempt a new occupation. Different career theories have been created to understand better how individuals can be satisfied with their jobs. Guided by Frank Parsons’ trait-oriented vocational theory, a professional career counselor can find the most suitable job for a client by prioritizing the importance of the client’s fit for particular activities.
Overview of Career Theories
Many career counseling theories facilitate the process of finding a dream job. For instance, the career construction theory considers “interpretive and interpersonal processes” that help individuals accumulate specific characteristics, direct their vocational behavior, and distinguish the meaning of their work (Savickas, 2021, p. 165). Next, the social cognitive career theory, created by Albert Bandura, positions self-efficacy, personal goals, and expected results as blocks in career building (Winingsih & Adhe, 2023).
Furthermore, John Krumboltz’s social learning theory of career decision-making explains that personal development and experiences significantly contribute to an individual’s career decisions (LaFromboise et al., 2019). Next, the Personality Career Theory, developed by Ann Roe, explains that choosing a career is influenced by an individual’s needs and values developed in childhood (Tiroet al., 2021). Thus, many different career theories attempt to explain the source of an individual’s desire to choose one or another career.
Donald Super’s self-concept theory defines career choice as a manifestation of selfhood that can evolve through life. Thus, Super’s theory can explain an individual’s decision to switch careers or even spheres of professional activity when they become more aware of their selfhood (Juntunen et al., 2020). Lastly, John Holland’s theory defined six traits that contribute to an individual’s career choice: investigative, social, realistic, artistic, conventional, and enterprising (Savickas, M., & Savickas, S., 2020).
Nevertheless, guidance counselors frequently use Frank Parsons’ trait-oriented theory to assist people in choosing their vocations. Moreover, it is essential to consider that Parson’s theory is more suitable for counseling in multicultural settings, as it is based on the premise that personal traits must correspond to a particular occupation. Thus, the theory allows an individual approach to clients in assessing their interests and capabilities, ensuring an equal opportunity for success after the session with diverse clients.
Frank Parsons’ Trait-Oriented Theory
One can assert that Parsons’ theory is justified in many cases because it promotes sound ideas in the career-counseling field. In his days, the scholar founded the vocational guidance approach. The essential advantage of the concept lies in defining the individual’s understanding of their abilities, interests, and ambitions (internal factors), the requirements of job and working conditions (external factors), and matching the two factors (Di Fabio, 2020). Thus, the theory’s central idea states that a perfect fit between the person and the job can lead to higher job satisfaction and high performance.
The theories that take age as a basis or emphasize personal characteristics as the main factor in choosing one or another job look relatively incomplete. Age indeed impacts an individual’s values and views, but it does not always correspond to the level of knowledge or past experiences. The personal characteristics of a potential employee can be the best for a specific occupation. Still, the labor market does not allow a person to hold a position due to low demand. Therefore, external circumstances also play a substantial role in career development and must be considered by career counselors.
The application of the theory can be demonstrated using an exemplary case. An Eastern European woman has applied for counseling services because she wants to change her career. She is middle-aged and has young children, which presents a significant external factor in finding a suitable job. Furthermore, the woman’s previous education in the business field presents the main internal factor. In this case, the session’s goal is to apply Parson’s theory to define a job that will be the closest and the most relevant to the client’s internal and external factors.
Seven Steps of Career Counseling with Parson’s Theory
Personal Data
In comparison with other career concepts, Parson’s theory is more comprehensive, as it strives to consider all essential factors in a structured way. A career counselor can lead a client through seven steps. Firstly, the counselor needs to accumulate sufficient data about the client and factors that affect the vocational course of the client’s life. It is a necessary step toward the informed choice decision because an individual’s competencies and interests become known. Moreover, it helps the client to develop a critical view of their characteristics and skills without exaggeration or detraction.
Self-Analysis
Second, the self-examination of interests and preferences performed under the counselor’s instructions must be recorded due to its importance for career choices. One of the initial steps can be offering specific psychometric tools, such as the RIASEC personality traits test developed by John Holland (Savickas, M., & Savickas, S., 2020). The evaluation tool may represent only a part of counseling activities, while stress should be put on the guiding function. Moreover, preparing clients to adapt to changes is pivotal for empowering them to deal with challenges and decide independently.
Client’s Choice
The third step focuses on confirming the information obtained during the first two stages. However, a guidance counselor should never forget not to impose their view and let the client make a choice. If a job seeker struggles to define interests related to specific industries, the counselor can explain the peculiarities, benefits, and advantages of a specific job to the client. Furthermore, it is vital to encourage the client to be transparent about the stances that make them uncomfortable with the job. It is possible to request the client to define the job list that makes them uncomfortable before the consultation as homework. Thus, the practice will also help to select the most fitting job.
Counselor’s Analysis
The fourth phase occurs when a counselor analyzes a client’s decision on the job and concludes whether the client meets the requirements. The essential task of a counselor is to arrange a session to share information regarding the labor market and encourage clients to understand their characteristics better. Since many people tend to alter their career views, the counselor can encourage an individual to consider alternative occupations.
Overview of the Career Field
Fifth is the step immediately related to in-depth acquaintance with available jobs. The step requires the counselor to be aware of the current situation in the job market in different areas and have relevant information about available training or apprenticeship opportunities. If the client wants to shift from the business field, the counselor can find it reasonable to suggest occupations unrelated to education or previous experience.
For instance, if the mentioned client has gardening or cooking as a hobby, it makes sense to offer the professions of a gardener or cook. However, preferences, as well as a client’s skills and abilities, play a role. Moreover, one should also consider that the woman has children, which requires a job with a healthy work-life balance.
Induction and Advice
Advice and giving direction is the sixth step to identifying whether the selected occupation satisfies the ‘input’ parameters. This stage is crucial for an ultimate decision regarding a chosen job. If the client has doubts or some skills are missing, there is a possibility to contemplate alternative options, as mentioned above. Nevertheless, the counselor also has to consider the client’s salary wishes. For example, it is essential to ensure that women with young children can sustain them.
General Aid
Finally, the counselor should assist the client in fitting into the selected job and encourage reflection on the decision. For instance, the guidance counselor can help the job seeker write a resume and prepare for an interview. Here, reflection is pivotal for a client because it will help them critically assess their future characteristics, needs, and job requirements. For some people, work experience is not only associated with job duties. It also relates to relationships with colleagues, corporate culture, the quality of the environment, night shifts, and many other vital factors.
Conclusion
To conclude, many career counseling theories exist, but not all can support finding a suitable job. It has been found that the most helpful concept is Parson’s trait-oriented vocational theory, as it helps to understand a person’s strengths, weaknesses, interests, and values and enhances knowledge about the labor market. Moreover, this theory has a structured approach to address the problem of fitting personal characteristics to a selected occupation. The counselor can use the framework consisting of seven steps to lead a client to a desired job. Therefore, Parson’s theory is advantageous due to its practicability and applicability in solving life-determining issues, such as career choice.
References
Di Fabio, A. (2020). From career development to career management: A positive prevention perspective. In J. A. Athanasou and H. N. Perera (Eds.), International handbook of career guidance (pp. 209-240). Springer International Publishing.
Juntunen, C. L., Motl, T. C., & Rozzi, M. (2020). Major career theories: International and developmental perspectives. In J. A. Athanasou and H. N. Perera (Eds.), International handbook of career guidance (pp. 45-72). Springer International Publishing.
LaFromboise, T., Williams, E. N., & Jackson, M. A. (2019). John D. Krumboltz (1928–2019). The Counseling Psychologist, 47(8), 1165–1167. Web.
Savickas, M. L. (2020). Career construction theory and practice. In S. D. Brown and R. W. Lent (Eds.), Career development and counseling: Putting theory and research to work (3rd ed.) (pp. 165-201). John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Savickas, M. L., & Savickas, S. (2020). A history of career counseling. In J. A. Athanasou and H. N. Perera (Eds.), International handbook of career guidance (pp. 25-43). Springer International Publishing.
Tiro, Y., Afdal, & Yusuf, A. M. (2021). Understanding career choice based on iner family parenting: Roe personality theory. Widyagogik, 9(1), 1-13. Web.
Winingsih, E., & Adhe, K. R. (2023). The block building Bandura’s as the basic for career development. Advances in Social Science, Education and Humanities Research, 724. 560–569. Web.