Questions to Ask a Career Advisor
Questions to take into a session with a career advisor or coach: what your record looks like from outside, which skills to build next, how hiring really happens in your field, what to say about a gap or a change of direction, what pay is realistic, and what to do before you meet again.
The questions
Open any question for the note
Looking at my CV and what I've told you, what stands out and what worries you?
Why ask it
You are paying for an outside read, so ask for it in the first ten minutes. An advisor who only offers reassurance here will not tell you anything useful later either.
What roles should I be looking at that I probably haven't considered?
Why ask it
Job titles are the hardest thing to search for when you do not know they exist. If the answer names three real titles you can put into a search box, the session is already worth it.
Which of my skills travels well into that work, and which one is holding me back?
Why ask it
Most people can list their strengths and have no idea which of them a hiring manager in the target field actually pays for. The second half of the question is the part worth pressing on.
If I had six months and a couple of evenings a week, what would you have me learn first?
Why ask it
Constraints force a priority instead of a reading list. Be careful if every recommendation happens to be a course the advisor or their employer sells.
For the field I'm aiming at, does a formal qualification matter, or does experience count for more?
Why ask it
This is where thousands of pounds and a year of evenings get decided. A good advisor will distinguish between fields where a certificate is a filter and fields where it is merely decoration.
How does hiring actually happen in this field: adverts, referrals, agencies, internal moves?
Why ask it
If most roles are filled through referral, then time spent polishing applications is largely wasted. An advisor who cannot describe the route into the field is guessing about the rest too.
What does my CV need to say differently for the jobs I actually want?
Why ask it
Asking for changes, not a verdict, gets you specifics: what to cut, which achievement to lead with, which job title to translate. Vague advice to tailor it means little without an example.
How should I explain the gap in my history the first time it comes up?
Why ask it
You want a sentence you can say out loud without flinching, short enough to move past. Coaching that tells you to be honest without helping you word it leaves you improvising under pressure.
What pay range is realistic for someone with my experience in this market?
Why ask it
Advisors who dodge this are protecting themselves rather than helping you, and you will negotiate against a number you invented. Ask what the range is at the bottom, middle and top.
When and how should I bring money up in a hiring process?
Why ask it
The tactical answer differs by field and by country, and getting it wrong early can cost you the offer or several thousand a year. Ask for the actual wording, not the principle.
Besides salary, what is worth asking for and what is usually available?
Why ask it
Start date, title, remote days, training budget, review timing and notice period are all negotiable in places where pay bands are fixed. Most people never learn which lever their employer can actually pull.
How can I tell whether somewhere is a bad place to work before I accept?
Why ask it
You are asking for checks you can run: who to speak to, what to read, which questions to put to your future manager. Advice to trust your gut is not a check.
Who should I be talking to, and what should I actually say when I get in touch?
Why ask it
Being told to network is useless, being handed an opening line and a list of three types of people is not. Ask whether they will introduce you to anyone themselves.
What do you see people in my position get wrong most often?
Why ask it
This pulls out the pattern they see across many clients, which is the part you cannot get from a book. Expect something uncomfortable rather than flattering.
How long should this realistically take, and what should I be doing each week until then?
Why ask it
A timeline plus a weekly volume of applications or conversations turns anxiety into a routine. If no numbers appear, you will measure progress by how you feel, which is unreliable.
Which parts of my plan do you think won't work?
Why ask it
You have to invite the objection explicitly, because most advisors will not volunteer it unprompted. Silence in reply usually means they have not looked closely.
If I want to move up where I already work, what would I need to show and who needs to see it?
Why ask it
Internal promotion runs on evidence and visibility rather than merit alone. The useful answer names a person whose opinion counts, not just a skill to build.
Which parts of this field are shrinking, and where is hiring actually happening?
Why ask it
Advisors talk to employers, so they hear about closures and freezes before the numbers are published. Vague talk about change ahead is a sign they are working from headlines.
What can you help with, and what falls outside what you do?
Why ask it
Some advisors do CVs and interview practice, some do psychometrics, and few know the hiring managers in your niche. Establishing the limits early stops you relying on advice they are not placed to give.
What should I do or bring before we next speak?
Why ask it
Ending with a named task makes the next session about progress rather than a repeat of the first one. If nothing is assigned, set yourself one and tell them what it is.
Getting value out of the session
Practical guidance for the conversation itself
What to bring
- Your CV as it stands, even if you know it needs work, plus one job advert you would genuinely apply for.
- Two or three job titles or employers you are curious about, so the discussion has something concrete in it.
- A number: what you earn now, or what you need to earn. Advice given without it tends to be generic.
- Your real constraints written down: location, hours, notice period, caring responsibilities, visa status.
- One question you are slightly embarrassed to ask. It is usually the one worth the appointment.
Who you are actually talking to
A university or college careers service
Strong on applications, internships and graduate schemes, and free while you are entitled to it. Less useful on senior pay negotiation or a mid-career change.
A paid career coach
Time and attention are the product, so ask about their background before booking a package. Someone who has hired in your field is worth more than someone certified in a coaching method.
A recruiter offering advice
Often the best source of live salary information, but they are paid by employers and only for roles they are filling. Take the market data and be careful with the career advice.
An outplacement service after redundancy
Usually paid for by your former employer with a fixed number of sessions. Use the early ones on the CV and story, and save at least one for after your first interviews.
During the conversation
Say what you want out of the hour in the first two minutes, since otherwise it can be spent entirely on your history. Take notes yourself rather than relying on a follow-up email. When you get advice you do not intend to take, say so in the room instead of nodding, because the reason you disagree usually leads to better advice.
Afterwards
- 1Write down the three actions you agreed, with dates, before the day ends.
- 2Do the smallest one within forty-eight hours while the conversation is still fresh.
- 3Test one piece of advice against reality: send two applications the new way, or have one of the conversations they suggested.
- 4Bring what happened to the next session, including the parts that did not work. Advisors adjust when they see results, and cannot when they only hear intentions.