Career Consultant Exam Interview Preparation: A Story of Passing, but Honestly, Having Many Regrets

This time, I will write about interview preparation for the Career Consultant exam.

To be honest, I don't really feel that my interview performance was "sufficient" this time.

As a result, I passed.
However, my feeling after the actual exam was quite terrible, and the thought that "I could have done more" remained strong.

So, rather than a "success story," I would like to write this including my reflections. I hope it will be helpful for those who will be taking the exam in the future.

Mistake #1 in the actual exam: Missing the point during the experience recall

The biggest thing in the actual exam was missing the point to listen for during the experience recall.

The image of the case was:

・A state of being A
・An event occurred that led to B
・Came for a consultation feeling unsettled

In a normal situation, what I should have listened to carefully was:

「What happened and what did they feel during the event that led to B?」
I think that was it.
In other words, the part about the wavering or change that triggered the consultation.

However, in reality, I went in the direction of digging into:

「How important the state of A was to the person」

「What kind of value they felt」
Of course, I don't think listening to A itself is bad.

However, the crucial parts:

・Why they are feeling unsettled now

・What happened that led them to come for a consultation

・Where their self-concept wavered
I was not able to listen to these parts sufficiently.

Mistake #2 in the actual exam: Furthermore, I couldn't even explain it in the oral questioning

And what was tough was that I couldn't organize that discrepancy during the oral questioning.

I couldn't articulate well:
「Why did you engage in that way?」

「What was your intention?」

I was quite lost myself halfway through.

The moment it ended, I had a strong feeling that:

「Oh, I've really messed this up...」

Why did I get lost?

Looking back, I can think of several factors.

Factor #1: Simply lack of practice

First is this.

Simply put, I hadn't done enough repetitions.

Interviews can be handled to some extent if the case is within expectations.
But in the actual exam, naturally, worries and developments you've never heard before will come up.

At that time, my mind went blank and I couldn't maintain my form.

I feel that because of the lack of practice, I was pulled in by an unexpected case.

Factor #2: Bias in practice partners

I mainly had people from my company help me with practice.

I was truly grateful for that, but the themes of the worries inevitably became biased.

As a result, I had become accustomed to:

・Similar cases
・Similar values
・Similar consultation backgrounds

I feel that this influence also played a part in why I couldn't respond flexibly when a different type of consultation came up in the actual exam.

Factor #3: The organization of the partner was different

I also had a certified career consultant help me with practice.

However, that person had a stance based on the Career Consultant Association.

Of course, there was a lot to learn.
However, there are parts where the evaluation criteria are fundamentally different from JCDA.

Because of that, I also had a feeling that "which one should I make my axis?" became a bit blurred within me.

Factor #4: Reading too much information, leading to superficial knowledge

I think this was also quite significant.

Blogs, notes, SNS, personal experiences...
I read everything I could.

But as a result, I thought:

・Let's try this too
・Let's be conscious of this too
・Let's use this phrase too

And I ended up breaking my own form.

Interviews don't necessarily go better just because you increase your knowledge.

Rather, in the actual exam, if you don't have "your own form," you will easily get lost.

I really felt that.

In conclusion

It also applies to the written exam, but in the end, I think what is important is:

「Creating a form that you can believe in」

Of course, looking at other people's information is not a bad thing.

However, if you take in too much, you will lose track of "how do I actually listen?" during the exam.

I myself think that if I had practiced while believing more in:

・My own axis

・My own way of listening
・The perspective I want to value
I could have had a more satisfying interview.

However, the "form" I am talking about here is not a fixed format or template.

In the end, an interview is a dialogue.

The flow and emotions differ depending on the person.
That is why I believe what is important first is:

「To properly perform an experience recall regarding the experience that triggered the consultation」

What happened, how the client felt, how they gave meaning to it, and what wavered.

Following that carefully.

That was the "form" for me.

I passed, but it was an interview exam with many regrets.
That is why I want those who will take it in the future to value "their own axis" at the same time as "quantity".