41321 Career development practitioners and career counsellors (except education)

What this occupation covers

Career development practitioners and career counsellors (except education) provide assistance and information to job seeker clients on all aspects of employment search and career planning. They also provide advice and information to employer clients regarding employment issues and human resources. They are employed by public or private employment agencies, rehabilitation centres, hospitals, human resource departments of establishments, consulting firms, correctional facilities and by federal and provincial governments. Supervisors of career development practitioners and career counsellors (except education) are included in this unit group.

Official main duties

The NOC profile lists 11 main duties for this code.

• Interview clients to obtain employment history, educational background and career goals
• Identify barriers to employment and assist clients with such matters as job readiness skills, job search strategies, writing résumés and preparing for job interviews
• Assess need for assistance such as rehabilitation, financial aid or further training and refer clients to the appropriate services
• Provide established workers with information and strategies for maintaining a job or moving within an organization, dealing with job dissatisfaction, making mid-career changes and adjusting to workplace transitions
• Collect labour market information for clients regarding job openings, entry and skill requirements and other occupational information
• Advise employers on human resource and other employment-related issues
• Provide consulting services to community groups and agencies, businesses, industry and other organizations involved in providing community-based career planning support or resources
• May administer and interpret tests designed to determine the interests, aptitudes and abilities of clients.
• May provide advocacy and adjudication services related to employment legislation or contractual agreements.
• May arrange for, or conduct physical, mental, academic, vocational, and other evaluations to obtain information for assessing clients' needs and to develop employment and rehabilitation plans.
• Vocational counsellors provide specialized career development services to individuals with physical illnesses or injuries, mental health illnesses and individuals with disabilities. They require additional knowledge and experience to assess employment capabilities and develop associated employment plans.

Do not copy these lines into your reference letter. The letter has to describe what you actually did, in your employer’s words. DUTYPROOF flags wording lifted from the NOC as something to review, and an officer reading a letter that mirrors the NOC reads it the same way.

What DUTYPROOF screens for

This is DUTYPROOF’s screening threshold, not IRCC’s decision. For this NOC, screening requires at least 2 of its 11 official duties to be evidenced in your own words, plus the required letter elements. IRCC asks that you performed the actions in the occupation’s lead statement and a substantial number of its main duties — so treat the duty coverage as the number that matters, not the badge.

Codes this one is confused with

The NOC profile names these itself. Choosing the wrong code of a look-alike pair is the most common way genuine work experience fails to establish eligibility.

• 41320 Educational counsellors
• 12104 Employment insurance and revenue officers
• 12101 Human resources and recruitment officers
• 42203 Instructors of persons with disabilities

Excluded from this code

• Educational counsellors (See 41320 Educational counsellors)
• Employment insurance officer (See 12104 Employment insurance and revenue officers)
• Human resources and recruitment officers (See 12101 Human resources and recruitment officers)
• Job coach for persons with disabilities (See 42203 Instructors of persons with disabilities)

Job titles filed under this code

A title on this list does not by itself put your experience in this code — the duties in your letter decide that.

Aboriginal employment developer · Aboriginal employment officer · Aboriginal employment worker · career coach · career counsellor (except education) · career development counsellor · career development facilitator · career development practitioner · career group facilitator · career resource centre coordinator · employment assistance officer · employment consultant · employment counsellor - government services · employment group counsellor · employment outreach counsellor · employment outreach program coordinator · employment outreach program counsellor · employment services assessment officer · employment services group counsellor · employment services officer · guidance counsellor (except education) · job counsellor · job counsellor - government services · job search trainer

Employment requirements

• A bachelor's degree or college diploma in employment counselling, career development or in a related field, such as human resources development, psychology, education or social services is required.
• A master's degree in counselling psychology or a related field such as educational psychology, developmental psychology or social work may be required.
• Vocational rehabilitation professional certification may be required by employers.
• In Quebec, membership in l'Ordre des conseillers et conseillères d'orientation du Québec is mandatory to use the titles ''vocational counsellor'' and "vocational guidance counsellor".
• In New Brunswick, membership in the College of Counselling Therapists of New Brunswick is mandatory to use the title "Licensed career counsellor".
• In Alberta, British Columbia, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Ontario, Certified Career Development Professional/Practitioner (CCDP) certification may be required by employers.