Frequently Asked Questions

Right for You 30 minute free service

We offer a 30 minute free meeting either in person or over Zoom so you get the right service. This is where you outline what your dilemma is and we discuss our service options with you.

What is Career Counselling?
Career Counselling involves talking to an expert Career Consultant/Counsellor so you know about your career options and work out what is the best path for you.

You and your Expand Careers Consultant will discuss things that make you happy, what your interests are, what your values are ie what is important to you, what motivates you ie what makes you want to get out of bed and go to work. Then we will look into your past experiences: the skills and knowledge you have acquired through study and work.

We may suggest you complete some Career Assessments and we will talk over the results with you. We then start looking at occupations that you might like and researching what is involved with them. Using all this information, we will support you to decide what career direction you want to take and help you plan your way forward.

This service includes a personalised, easy-to-follow program and a career profile that will help you to understand a bit more about yourself in relation to your career.

How do I know if Expand Careers will help me?
  • If you are you frustrated about your career path and its lack of momentum we can help you discover the reason
  • If you are overwhelmed with choices of what to study, where to study, whether there are other options to study we can help you decide your best option
  • If you feel trapped in a job you hate we can help you explore your options and help you make a decision that is best for you.
  • If you know you need to improve some of your interpersonal skills or leadership skills we can provide DISC Advanced assessments and coaching
  • If you are nervous about a job interview we can help you prepare and practice so you feel ready for this important day
  • If you are not sure how to best market yourself in a resume we can help you through reviewing your resume or preparing it for you.
  • If you are having trouble with a colleague/s then we can help you through understand how you work with others
  • If you are you finding it hard to get to all your appointments and commitments
  • Essentially, if you are you experiencing any career related questions or changes. Then Expand Careers can help you.

    Book our free half hour “Choose Your Service” session.

What services does Expand Careers offer?
Expand Careers Consulting offers a variety of Career Counselling services depending on what you need. Some of the more advanced Career Counselling services we offer include career assessments, job exploration, assistance with career decision making and then helping you plan and attain the goals you have decided on.

We also offer coaching in skills that you need to develop your career and that employers are looking for, such as managing career change, digital literacy, information management, communication and more. As part of our services we also provide workshops and webinars in these skills.

Our job application writing and editing service involves us working closely with you to write resumes, cover letters and selection criteria that demonstrate the skills, experience and knowledge you have that makes you the best person for the job.

If you would like to know more about any of our services please contact us either by phone/message: 0477 819 136 or by email: admin@expandcareers.com.au or go to the Expand Careers Services page.

How do I book a service?
You can either fill in the form on the Contact Us page and we will call your or you can book a service directly via the Services page.
What will it cost me?
There are a range of prices depending on the service we provide. You can either check the Services page or Contact Us via the booking form and we will call you to discuss.
Will I need more than one consultation?
You may need more than one consultation, it will depend on what you want to discuss. Whether you need to do any career assessments and how long it takes for you to feel you have reached a decision you want to pursue.
Do I need to bring anything with me to the session?
It would be helpful to bring a brief history of any work tasks or skills you have. A recent resume is also helpful, though not required.
Should I have a cover letter?
A cover letter is important as it not only introduces you to the person looking over your application it provides you with the chance to display your personality and show your personal interest in the job. It also gives you a chance to provide an enticing glimpse of all the things you offer your prospective employer, your point of difference with other candidates. We think everyone should have a cover letter.
What is the difference between a general resume and a specialist resume?
An general resume is a resume that lists each of the jobs you have done in chronological order. The general resume complements Selection Criteria.

A specialist resume is for those people looking to change careers or who want to draw attention to specific skills and knowledge that they have. It is very useful where there is no selection criteria.

Why would I get Expand Careers Consulting to review my job application documentS?
Expand Careers Consultants Jo & Kate have been editing and writing resumes, cover letters and selection criteria for many years, attaining a high percentage of success for their clients. Jo & Kate use a highly interactive process when writing job applications so the end document/s accurately reflects your experience, expertise and career priorities whilst staying true to your voice.
What is your online work protfolio?
The Expand Careers Consulting online work profile is a combination of finding your personal brand ie your professional personal brand and creating a LinkedIn profile that markets your skills to people in the areas you want to work in.
Do I need a current LinkedIn profile?
Your LinkedIn profile is your online professional image. Having an up-to-date profile that highlights your skills, your interests and your professionalism is an important part of representing yourself and a great way to find jobs you want.

Another aspect of being current on LinkedIn is to join the professional conversation and become an active part of a group, sharing your knowledge and gaining knowledge from others in your field.

What is a Social Media Creer profile?
Most prospective employers look at your social media profiles before interviewing you. If your Facebook, TikTok etc profiles don’t show you in a good light then that will affect your employment chances. Getting some strategies around what to post and share could prove a key to getting that job you want.
How do I connect with you on Zoom?
You need an internet connection and if you have earphones and microphone, they will make it easier for you. We will send you a meeting invitation by email which will have a link to our Zoom account. All you have to do is click on the link and follow the instructions.
What if I don't want to book a further consultation after getting the half hour free session?
The purpose of the free ½ hour session is so you can work out if our services are going to help you. There is absolutely no obligation to purchase further consultations if you don’t want to.
Can I get a refund if I am not able to make our appointment?
Yes, as long as you cancel at least 48 hours before the scheduled appointment time.

Please check our Terms and Conditions which outlines our policy on refunds.

Is Expand Careers a recruitment agency?
No, we provide counselling and coaching services that help our clients have a more satisfying and successful career.

We will be happy to refer clients to some fantastic recruitment agencies once we have established what direction you will be taking.

What is Skills Coaching?
At Expand Careers our skills coaching is a mix of coaching and mentoring. By this we mean we support and assist our clients (mentor) with answers to any questions and problems as well as design and deliver training (coach). Firstly we work with you to find out what skills you need to strengthen, to do this we encourage you to undertake the Expand Careers Skills Audit which will help you identify any areas that you should work on. Depending on how many and what skills you would like to improve we will either help you choose a formal study option or offer you individual coaching on skills in our area of expertise.
What is a Skills Audit?
A Skills Audit is where we measure your proficiency in a number of work-related skills or capabilities. They are usually enterprise skills (soft skills or transferrable skills) such as interpersonal skills, technology skills and organisational skills. These skills transfer across many jobs, employers really value these skills in employees so it is worthwhile to make sure that you are proficient in as many of these skills as you can be.
What are Enterprise or Transferable Skills?
Enterprise skills are known by a number of names: Soft Skills, Employability Skills, Transferrable Skills. They are generic skills, like your computer knowledge, how you work with people, how productive you are in the workplace. These skills transfer from one job to another. They are different to technical skills which are skills and knowledge you have so you can do a specific job done eg plumbing, teaching, nursing and so on.

Often an employer will choose someone who has well-developed employability skills if they can train them in the technical skills. Expand Careers Consulting offers coaching and mentoring in enterprise/transferrable skills.

What are Technical Skills?
Technical skills are those specific skills and knowledge you use to do specific tasks or type of job eg trades, computer repairs.
What skills does Expand Careers Consulting provide coaching on?
Expand Careers Consulting provides coaching, workshops and webinars on:

  • Career development skills such as managing your career in times of change; making career decisions; how to help your school leaver make career decisions; job application writing; interview tips
  • Productivity skills such as decision making; essential digital skills; managing your information; problem-solving; research skills; being productive; time management and organisational skills.
  • Interpersonal Skills: verbal, written and non-verbal skills; leadership skills; how you work with others; innovative thinking; good customer service.
What do I do to get started on improving my work skills?
To get started with Expand Careers Consulting Skills Coaching you contact us and we organise a 30 minute free “Choose Your Service” appointment. In this time we may decide to send you a Skills Audit so we are all clear on what skills we will coach you in. You may already know what you would like training in and if that is the case we will sort out together how we are going to provide the training for you.
What topics does Expand Careers Consultion provide workshops and webinars on?
Expand Careers provides workshops and webinars on all the topics that we provide coaching in. If you are interested in a workshop or webinar and we haven’t got it advertised on our Careers Workshops & Webinars page then please contact us to express your interest. We are open to new suggestions.

Topics include:

Career Development Skills

  • Get prepared to change your career
  • How to help your school leaver make career decisions
  • Managing your career in times of change
  • Presenting Your Best Self at Interview
  • Writing Successful Job Applications

Productivity Skills

  • Decision Making Strategies
  • Essential Digital Skills for Work
  • Information Management for fast information retrieval
  • Importance of Problem-solving and Analysing for Work
  • The Research Skills You Need to Find Valid Information
  • Ultimate Guide to Being Productive: doing more in less time

Interpersonal Skills

  • Communication- verbal, written, non-verbal
  • DISC Advanced -You and Leadership
  • DISC Advanced – You, Others and Teams
  • Thinking Innovatively
  • What Makes Good Customer Service
How do I book into an Expand Careers Consultiing workshop or webinar?
There are a number of ways to book into our webinars and workshops.

  • You can put your name and email on our waiting list here
  • You can fill out a booking form for our next workshop/webinar event
  • You can book via our Facebook page
    Does Expand Careers have any social media accounts?
    Expand Careers has four social media accounts:

    Having had a baby a year before I booked an appointment with Kate, I was feeling very out of touch and like I didn’t have anything to offer in the workforce. My previous job had not been supportive of me during or after my pregnancy and I was feeling very irrelevant.

    Talking with Kate made me recognise skills that I could use towards a new career and also made me aware that I had a lot to offer.

    The program that Kate and I hashed out together kept me on track and I have now changed career paths and am working in a job that makes me feel more fulfilled than the work I did previously.

    Belinda 31

    A mother of three young adults, I live on a farm and have worked in VET education for 34 years in Central Western NSW.

    My main concern was finding someone to prepare a professional and polished application so Katie could make it to the interview stage of the recruitment process, because I knew that the job she wanted for her gap year was going to be very competitive.

    I would recommend Jo’s expertise to anyone of any age who really wants an edge to their application.

    I was very happy and told Jo she is worth more money!

    Robyn -

    mother of school leaver Katie