Career Guidance and Career Coaching
Would you like to find a career you love and never 'work' again?
If so, you have come to the right place!
Our Career Counselling Service is designed to help you find your ideal career so you can enjoy every day rather than spend all week counting down the days until the weekend. Life is too short to stay in a job you hate! We will work with you to help you find your passion, move forward in your career and achieve your full potential.
Our Career Counsellors are experts in their field and have a wealth of experience across a variety of industries. They have extensive knowledge of a wide range of occupations, industries and courses and will give you professional, independent advice on your career, course and employment options. They have a strong commitment to client satisfaction and will ensure you receive the best tools available to move forward in your career.
Our career coaching service is suitable for:
- Years 10-12 students who are choosing a career, course and subjects;
- Graduates who are looking for career guidance and advice on their employment options;
- People who are considering a career change and need help planning their next move;
- People who are considering post-graduate study and need help choosing the right course; and
- The inquisitive who are interested to see if they are in the 'right' career.
We provide career guidance and coaching services online, over the phone and in person at the following locations:
- Newtown, Sydney
- Crows Nest, Sydney
- Manly, Sydney
- Collaroy, Sydney
- Sutherland, Sydney
- Woy Woy, NSW Central Coast
- Stirling, Canberra
- Melbourne CBD
- Bayside, Melbourne
- New Farm, Brisbane
- Adelaide CBD
- North Perth
- Duncraig, Perth
Options
Our Career Counsellors
New South Wales
Helene Larson
Manly and Collaroy (Northern Beaches), Sydney
*Available office hours and Saturdays
Helene Larson specialises in career guidance for high school students, TAFE / university students and young adults. She has extensive experience in a wide variety of roles, including sales, business development, marketing, communications and financial advising. Helene holds a Bachelor of Economics from the University of Newcastle, and has worked for more than ten years in the banking and finance industry, managing and training sales teams. She is an experienced educator, having worked for many years as a tutor for HSC and University students.
Helene is a highly effective communicator who can motivate and interact with young people with differing abilities, backgrounds and aspirations. She is able to instil confidence and self-belief in others, motivate them to achieve greater success in their chosen careers, or guide them to find a fulfilling career and course. Helene also provides advice on resumes, interview attire, quick-fire interview tips and techniques to improve the likelihood of securing that dream job.
Ellen Rodger
Newtown, Sydney
*Available office hours, after hours and Saturdays
Ellen Rodger is a Career Consultant with a professional background in Adult Education, Recruitment and Employment Services. She is an award winning writer with a Master of Arts (Creative Writing), a Group Trainer with a Certificate IV in Training and Assessment, and a CELTA qualified English Language Teacher. She is a Professional Member of the Career Development Association of Australia.
Ellen's experience includes developing and facilitating Career Transition programs, teaching Creative and Business Writing skills, and participating in the recruitment process for both government and private sectors. For over ten years she has assisted an enormous range of people secure work in their chosen field.
Ellen has a strong understanding of the challenges involved in changing careers, and will collaborate with you to uncover your aspirations, maximise your abilities, instigate action, and maintain motivation. Her approach is practical, energising and empathetic, with a focus on taking manageable and realistic steps. Her down to earth manner and optimism instils confidence in others, setting them at ease in the exciting and dynamic process of change.
Suzie Plush
Sutherland, Sydney
*Available office hours and after hours
As a Registered Psychologist with a background in recruitment, Suzie Plush is well equipped to help people identify a career that suits their personality and skills. Having worked as a Consultant for Hudson, one of Australia’s largest recruitment agencies, Suzie has experience in job and competency profiling, personality assessments and psychometric testing and is trained in conducting behavioural interviews. She has also been involved in a number of talent management projects for companies such as Westpac, Telstra, ATO, Railcorp and Transfield.
Suzie has provided coaching to clients on their career direction and course options, along with advising them on job search strategies, networking skills, resume presentation, job application methodology and interview skills. She is an active youth mentor and has been a motivational speaker at youth events, schools and conferences since 2002. Suzie is an Associate Member of the Australian Psychological Society and has SHL accreditation.
Drew Clark
Crows Nest and Warriewood (Northern Beaches), Sydney
*Available office hours and after hours
Drew Clark is an experienced and successful Career Counsellor/Coach and Trainer. He also has over 25 years experience in Executive Recruitment and Search. After working for two high profile Recruitment and Management Consultancies, he set up a highly successful Consultancy in 1982, specialising in Recruitment and Search in the middle to senior management areas.
Over the last several years Drew has capitalised on his wealth of commercial and workplace experience and now specialises in Career Counselling/Coaching, Interview Skills Training, Workshops/Training and Outplacement. He also lectures in Workplace & Career Skills for university graduates as part of the Skilled Migration Internship Program.
Drew is a Professional Member of the Career Development Association of Australia (CDAA) and holds a Certificate IV in Training & Assessment. Drew's skill and rapport with people is the hallmark of his success and it is this and his intuitive expertise that has allowed him to create such a successful profile with a variety of clients. His ability to operate at corporate levels, consulting to CEOs and senior executives as well as having an equally effective rapport at entry, operational and graduate levels, is another measure of his skill set.
Susie Roberts
Woy Woy, NSW Central Coast
*Available office hours, after hours and Saturdays
With over thirty years experience in Adult Education and Small Business Management, Susie Roberts has extensive knowledge of a wide range of industries. She began her career as a Singer and Artist, before starting her own creative arts school, which she successfully ran for over 10 years. A passionate teacher and photographer, Susie regularly tutors at the Central Coast Community College in Adobe Photoshop and is commissioned as a Creative Designer for Scrapper’s Guide in the United States.
For the last 5 years, she has worked extensively with school students, facilitating literacy and special needs programs. Tertiary trained in Business Studies and Accounting, Susie has a wealth of knowledge to draw upon in helping people at all levels to find their ideal career path. She is an excellent communicator and is skilled at helping people identify and harness their natural strengths and fulfil their true potential.
ACT
Catriona Meere
Stirling, Canberra
*Available office hours, after hours and weekends
Catriona Meere has a passion for helping others to identify and harness their natural strengths and talents and optimise their personal and professional potential. As an experienced educator, she has held leadership positions within ACT schools for 11 years, six of these in the roles of Deputy Principal and Acting Principal. She holds a Bachelor of Education and a Certificate IV in Workplace Training and Assessment. Catriona is an Associate Trainer/Facilitator for the Australian Institute of Management (AIM) and Jelk Solutions, for which she develops and facilitates corporate training packages for public and private sector organisations. She has also worked as a tutor and guest lecturer in Education at the University of Canberra.
Catriona has a strong understanding of the challenges involved in changing career and the need for strategic planning to ensure a smooth and successful transition. She provides coaching in career reflection and goal setting, career coaching, job search strategies, networking skills, resume writing, addressing selection criteria and effective interview techniques. She uses her strong coaching ability to inspire clients to define their personal mission or vision, clarify their values, and uncover their unique gifts and passions. Armed with this awareness she supports clients in aligning their career search and developing personal and professional goals to achieve their vision.
Victoria
Jackie Marsterson
Melbourne CBD and Bayside
*Available office hours, after hours and Saturdays
Born in the UK, Jackie and her family moved to Asia in the early nineties and lived in Singapore for ten years before settling in Melbourne, Australia in 2001. After working in hospitality for a prestigious group of hotels in London, Jackie embarked on a rewarding new career path in Singapore as a Relocation Consultant. This involved guiding new migrants through a period of change and transition in their lives, assisting them to assimilate into a different culture and adjust to a new work life balance. The move to Melbourne provided another opportunity for Jackie to develop and enhance her interpersonal skills and saw her move into the Education sector. Working with high school students, she assisted them with career advice and securing work placements. This stimulated her interest in, and passion for, Career Development and inspired her to study Career Counselling.
Jackie has since successfully completed the Graduate Diploma in Career Education and Development at RMIT and continues to study in the area of Counselling. Her passion is supporting individuals to realise their true potential and to value their skills and abilities as well as assisting them to achieve a healthy balance between life, learning and work. Through the texture and variety of Jackie’s own journey through life, her international experience and varied career path, she is able to bring empathy and understanding in helping clients to feel empowered and motivated and achieve their personal and professional goals. Jackie is a Professional Member of the Career Development Association of Australia.
Queensland
Karen Bremner
New Farm, Brisbane
*Available office hours, after hours and Saturdays
With a degree in Psychology and 10 years’ experience as an HR professional, Karen has great insight into what makes people tick and how that translates into the working world. Karen is an experienced trainer and facilitator, with a Cert IV in Training and Assessment and a friendly, open and highly intuitive style. Having managed recruitment campaigns across retail, corporate and government sectors in both the UK and NZ, Karen understands just what employers are looking for and can help you to gain the edge in your job applications and interviews.
As a former career changer herself, Karen understands what it’s like to be at a crossroads, and knows just how valuable a partner in that process can be. Currently studying workplace coaching, she is passionate about empowering her clients, and can help you to explore your goals, uncover your potential, and develop a career path that marries your strengths, needs and values. Karen is a member of the Career Development Association of Australia, as well as the Australian and New Zealand Institute of Coaching and the International Coach Federation.
South Australia
Lisa Hobden
Adelaide CBD
*Available office hours, after hours and weekends
With a background in HR, Employee Development and Outplacement / Career Transition Coaching, Lisa has always maintained a strong focus on ensuring the right people are in the right roles. Not only has she had hands-on senior management experience within the professional services and hospitality sectors, she has also worked as a Recruitment Consultant, assisting with the establishment of two legal recruitment agencies.
Having been responsible for organisational recruitment, Lisa knows what employers look for. Not only can she assist you with creating a resume that sets you apart, she can also provide great insight into interview strategies that will ensure you stand out from the competition. Her practical experience, in addition to her qualifications as a Workplace Trainer and Assessor, Results Coach and Master NLP Practitioner, will provide you with unique insights into the job application process.
Western Australia
Helen Holan
North Perth and Duncraig
*Available office hours and after hours
Helen Holan is a qualified coach who assists clients to develop their careers and improve their performance at interviews and at work. She is passionate about helping clients identify the jobs and careers they are naturally motivated to do because in these jobs they experience more enjoyment, fulfilment and success. Before moving into her 'perfect match' career in people development and coaching in 2008, Helen worked in professional services in the corporate tax law consulting area for 8 years, during which time she was involved in recruiting and coaching staff.
Clients quickly feel at ease in Helen's company. Her approach is relaxed, yet purposeful, professional yet fun, nurturing yet frank. All this, combined with Helen's natural talent for asking the right questions, just at the right time, provides a solid platform for open, explorative and exciting discussion about career suitability and job and study options. With experience as an interviewer, Helen is ideally placed to help clients prepare for interviews and polish their interview technique. Helen is a qualified coach and NLP Practitioner and is a certified iWAM (Inventory of Workplace Attitudes and Motivations) consultant and chartered accountant. She is an accredited Associate Coach of the Australian and New Zealand Institute of Coaching and a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in Australia.
Testimonials
I have recently been to see Helene Larson and I can honestly say it is one of the best decisions I have made. I was at a difficult point in my life where I had worked for 9 ½ years since leaving school, but still felt I had not found what it was that I was destined to do. I wanted to pursue a career I felt would be suited to me but also something I was passionate about. I found the Personality and Interests Profiler reports to be very valuable and I was impressed by their accuracy. Helene was then able to guide me in the right direction. She provided me with all the information and advice I needed to successfully develop a well thought out and achievable career plan which I have now started to follow. Helene has a wealth of knowledge and experience and I strongly recommend a face-to-face consult with her.
A Murray
Working with Helene was an extraordinary experience. The whole process (resume writing and interview training), was treated with exceptional professionalism. If I had to seek career guidance in the future, I would definitely consider her services.
F Martinez
Hi Ellen,
I just wanted to write and say thanks for our session yesterday. I was really inspired and it was really helpful to talk through everything with you! The process we went through made everything seem simple and clear-cut. In hindsight, looking at all the job advertisements for jobs that I didn’t want to do, was great. The process really highlighted my areas of interest very clearly. I’m looking forward to starting on my action plan! Heartfelt thanks,
T Bawden-Smith
Hi Katie,
I just want to say thank you for your service. I took my daughter Stefani to see Suzie Plush and I must say, I have never seen Stefani this excited about anything. She now has something to look forward to thanks to your service and of course, Suzie. Regards,
L Daoud
Jane,
I had a career consultation with you in April and just wanted to thank you for all your help and advice. I have a fairly diverse background so I can imagine how that would have presented you with a unique challenge. In addition, I always knew I had a keen interest in people and trying to understand what motivates people. I found your session particularly useful as you really helped me understand how my values linked with the potential right jobs for me and subsequently encouraged me to apply for a role that I would never have thought of applying for before. As a result of going through the application process, my profile within my existing company has been lifted significantly. Thank you so much! I would not hesitate in recommending you to anyone who wants a career consultation.
Kellie, Brisbane
Hi Ellen,
Thank you for your time yesterday. It was a fantastic consultation and I would gladly recommend your services to others. I really enjoyed speaking with you, and your open and down to earth approach put me right at ease. Thank you once again. Kind Regards,
Suzana
After 15 years in the workforce, and working in a variety of jobs in this time, I was unsure about what career direction I wanted to follow. Other than talking to close family and friends, I felt the need to seek some independent advice. That is when I found the Katie Roberts Career Consulting website where I was referred to Jackie Marsterson. The process commenced by completing a career interest and personality profiler online. After meeting with Jackie I was taken aback by the accuracy of the results and gained a lot of valuable information from indepth discussions in relation to these results. I found the information and resources Jackie provided me with to be very helpful and have been referring back to the resources quite regularly. As a result of attending the consultation and meeting with Jackie, it has encouraged me to pursue further study, and I have actually enrolled to commence tertiary studies again this year. I have also been impressed by the after consultation service Jackie has provided me with on resume and cover letter writing. Overall I believe it was a wise decision to gain independent advice in this area and thank Jackie for her assistance.
M Smitten
Dear Katie,
My consultation with Ellen Rodger was extremely productive and she was professional and helpful. The whole process was polished, insightful and so easy to use. Thank you so much for this outstanding service.
L Hughes
Hi Helene
Harry is now at Macquarie Uni doing an arts degree. He also has a part time job and is a lot happier person. Thanks for your help and directions which gave him confidence to pursue different areas of interest.
Jill
Hi Jackie
I had a career consultation with you in July last year. I wanted to email you to say thank you for all your help and advice. I found the session extremely helpful and have had great success in my career path since. I have enrolled to do a Masters in Human Resource Management at Monash, which starts in a few weeks. I have also started working in an HR Assistant role. I love my new job and am really excited about starting my course. It's great to finally have some direction in my career. I just wanted to let you know how great everything has been since I saw you, and how beneficial your advice was. I would strongly recommend a career counsellor to anyone who is unsure of what they want to do. Thank you very much for your wonderful help.
C Griffin, Melbourne
My son Will is a highly motivated Year 12 student who had no idea of what he wanted to do after school. After completing some on-line assessments and discussion with Helene, she was able to match his interests and passions with jobs. She gave him great advice on various courses and pathways. Will found the session very helpful and is now even more focused as he knows exactly why he is working so hard!
Kerry, Greenwich
Dear Suzie
Thanks SO much. It's spooky that the tests and your guidance were so spot on and really reinforced what was lurking in the back of Andrew's mind (and ours) - fantastic! Very much appreciated as he can now tackle the year ahead with focus rather than wasting time and energy worrying about his direction.
Lynn and Andrew, Sydney
Hi Helene,
I just thought I would let you know that Mitch has got a job working as a shop fitter which is taking him all over the country. He has also been offered a carpentry apprenticeship for 2011. He is keen to pursue this avenue. I think that was basically your original suggestion. So well picked and thank you so much for your expertise and time. I will be bringing my girl to you over the next 12 months.
Cheers, Liz
Hi Ellen,
I just wanted to let you know my exciting news - I have been offered a new job as a Marketing Coordinator! I'm very excited! Thank you so much for your help and guidance. You helped me to re-gain my confidence and get back out there and find a role that will 're-establish my career in marketing'. Your assistance has been invaluable and I am very grateful.
Felicity
Hi Jane
I just wanted to thank you so much for today. Finally things make sense and I have a direction of where to go!
Johanna, Brisbane
After 8 years of working in the beauty industry, often changing jobs in the hope that the next one would bring me happiness and a better work environment, I was fed up with not knowing what to do and where to start. A friend recommended I meet with Helene Larson to get some advice and it was the realisation of my new direction. At our first meeting I instantly felt comfortable with Helene and was motivated into taking responsibility for my career.
Helene has helped me to recognise my strengths, weaknesses and personality traits and how best to match these to a new career. I now have a goal and Helene is helping me every step of the way to achieve this. I have the utmost confidence in her knowledge and am so pleased to have her inspiration and support. Nursing here I come! I only wish I knew Helene when I completed my HSC 12 years ago! If you are unsure of your direction or need help with any aspect of studying, job hunting, resume writing or even interview role playing, Helene will guide, inspire and mentor you. I highly recommend her as a Career Counsellor.
Alexandra Hawkins
Hi Suzie
Guess what? I did an HTML course at the community college as you suggested, put a mission statement on my CV and applied for some junior web positions. Within a week I was offered a position as a media/web assistant. The company will offer training and resources for me to train in my spare time. I couldn't have done it without you. The test and consultation really helped to clarify things for me.
Stephanie
Hi Suzie
I just wanted to thank you and let you know that I am now studying the Diploma of Remedial Massage Therapy at Meadowbank TAFE. It's a great sea change with a steep learning curve. Hopefully in 2 years I will be running my own remedial massage business. Regards,
Peter Papasinos
Hi Jane,
Thank you so much for today! You are so helpful. If only I saw you sooner I might have actually had a career by now. You were spot on! Everything just seems so much clearer. I feel a lot more confident about choosing a career path now whereas before, I was so confused. I'm going to recommend you to everyone who is in the same boat as me.
Sera, Brisbane
To whom it may concern;
I'm just writing a quick email to complement Ellen Rodger on her service. I undertook a full career counselling consultation as well as her professional resume service and was very impressed by both. Being young and in a critical time in my life in terms of career choice, Ellen helped bring more clarity. She conducted herself in a very professional manner and my newly revised resume couldn't have been worded any better! Considering I am a perfectionist and quite critical most of the time I think that Ellen is a valuable asset to your company. Many thanks,
John, Sydney
Hi Katie,
I wanted to take the opportunity to give you some feedback on Suzie. We had a phone consultation on Saturday and I must say she was an absolute delight. She had a warming personality, met me in my world, listened to my perspective and offered well reasoned and researched advice. She was encouraging, specific, professional and polished. The call exceeded my expectations in terms of outcomes, particularly in regard to university options. I also liked the different approach to MBTI with the values piece and the list of tasks and careers that suit my personality type. It served to reinforce that I am in the right job and gave me insight into why that is. Suzie is a great ambassador for your brand and I would have no hesitation to recommend her to others in our organisation. I am very pleased that I utilised your service and happy with the results. Kind Regards,
Kerrie Gordon
Hi Debbie
The phone consultation was fantastic. Suzie did a brilliant job. I'm sure I'm heading in the right direction now. Thank you Career Consultants for your professional help.
B Crisp
Hi Katie
I'd just like to express my thanks to Drew Clark who in one meeting appears to have turned my son's life around. To have this ability I believe takes very special qualities and Drew lives up to his profile of "intuitive expertise" and "skill and rapport with people". Drew has been able to motivate our son beyond anything we have seen since he left school. Our son has been floundering in connection with job commitment ever since he left school (he will be 30 this year) and when he approached us to support him in visiting one of your staff, we were somewhat loath to do so. We hope that in the future we will have the opportunity of recommending Drew.
Lynne, Sydney
Dear Helen,
Both my father and I greatly appreciate the help you have given me and I thank you for the follow up information. Thank you for your guidance and I will not hesitate to contact you in the future or refer you to anyone I come across.
Aaron, Perth
Dear Ellen,
Thank you so much for meeting with me and for going through my options. It was such an absolute pleasure to meet with you and to discuss my career to date. With your help, my eyes were definitely open to new possibilities and to new careers I could hardly imagine for myself! After amending my CV and cover letter, and really putting in extra effort when applying, I successfully gained an interview (funnily enough, it was with the very first organisation that you handed to me at our session!). I received very happy news yesterday that I have the job! I'm so excited and thankful for the opportunity, and it all came about through meeting with you. Thank you so much for what you have done for me, and I'm very happy to share this wonderful news with you!
Daisy, Sydney
Dear Catriona,
Discussing my options with you was invaluable and I feel better about a number of aspects of my career/life. Having my plan and some definitive ideas about what I'm good at is really practical - I have some avenues to explore now! I very much appreciate your time, advice and help. Kind Regards,
Rebecca, Canberra
Hi Catriona
Just short note to let you know how I am going following our career counselling session. I’ve implemented our transition plan with my Manager and the HR team at work. I requested, was offered and took a VR and have been progressing a business plan to become an Executive coach since. After 20 years in the APS I am no longer a public servant and have been attending various information evenings with colleges around Australia on the best type of training to help me establish my own Canberra-based business. It’s all very exciting and just thought you would like to know what I did with your advice – I took it and can’t thank you enough. Best wishes,
Anita, Canberra
Dear Debbie,
I have just had my careers counselling session with Ellen Rodger in Newtown and I have to say I cannot be more pleased and happy with speaking to Ellen. The time before contacting your company has both been a very stressful and confusing time for me. However, your services did not disappoint! Ellen was simply amazing, and I was blown away at the accuracy of the results for the online assessments. I am now confident that I will be making the right choices for me and will ensure that if I need further guidance down the track, I will not hesitate in returning for another consultation in a few years time with Ellen. A big thanks also to you for answering my many enquiries, you certainly helped me feel at ease. Greatly appreciate everything, and am recommending your services to the many stressed friends and family members of mine who too need a bit of direction.
Sylvana
Helen
Thank you for the ‘light bulb’ moments during our meeting tonight. Of particular note for me was why I have ‘drifted’ towards strangely different ‘pursuits’ outside work. Thanks again.
Marie, Perth
Hi Lisa,
I can't begin to explain how much our conversation has inspired me. I feel like doors are opening everywhere and I can choose whatever I'd like to do, wherever I'd like to do it. All I have to do is decide which door to walk through first. You were so right about my network...I have been in contact with people from Adelaide to San Diego to Paris to Amsterdam in the past two weeks and I feel like I have so many opportunities! I'm only at the start of it all, but don't feel stuck anymore. Thank you for your passion and inspiration.
Meral
Dear Katie,
A few months ago you saw my son Corey for a session and gave him a lot of time and very good advice with some achievable goals. Corey has started a fitness course and is now in week 3 and managing his new life with high self esteem and hopes. You were able to match him with a career path with him feeling a real sense of self. He has given up smoking and has aims to work on cruise ships and/or to target uni in the fitness area. Thank you seems such a small word but Thank You very much.
C Denney
Dear Katie,
Since my meeting with you, I have gained clarity and insight as to where I should be working. It has given me confidence to leave my profession which I have been hanging onto for 17 years. Thank you for also helping me reduce my resume from 13 pages to 3! I have recommended you to several colleagues as my visit to you can only be described as life changing - all within 6 months! Kind regards,
K Bolton
Dear Katie,
Thank you so much for your help with my son Will. Since completing his HSC he has been accepted into a Bachelor of Physical and Health Education at ACPE. After your positive encouragement during his HSC year he was absolutely delighted with his choice. Will and I look forward to keeping in touch with you as his course progresses. Many thanks for helping out my friends and I believe their friends as well. A great find for all of us but particularly for Will.
Thanks again.
R Twigg
Dear Katie,
I was very impressed by your Job Search Training program that I attended. I found it very beneficial and received lots of great transferable advice! Additionally, the Myers-Briggs and career assessment you conducted really helped me focus and define my career goals and aspirations. Last Friday I was offered a position as a Sales Coordinator and I especially want to thank you for your additional help and support during these last few weeks. I really believe that your assistance contributed immensely to me securing this job. Kind regards,
B van Dissel
Dear Katie,
I thought i'd drop you an email to let you know that I completed the landscaping course you suggested for me last year. I got my certificate 3 and am now working in a full time landscaping job and loving it. I wanted to let you know your help is much appreciated. I can finally see a future in this job. So thanks a lot for everything! I've mentioned you to a few people and given out contacts so I wish you all the best for your business in the future. Thanks once again,
N Leslie