Over the past few months, this is the question that has been asked
the most , by parents – “There are so many assessments available , for
free. Why should I pay a Career Counsellor for the assessment ? “
Apart from the usual response of – they know what their service is worth !!
– this question merits a deeper analysis. There are 2 types of people / companies offering free career counselling assessments:
1. Companies selling other products / services – this is a practise followed by companies whose main offering is something else – maybe an academic course, a skill development programme (coding etc) or even admission guidance to colleges. For them, the counselling service is a foot-in-the door, from where they will cross-sell their main offering. Their aim seems to be to gain access to student’s and then pitch their main service.
2. People / companies who are (perhaps) new to the industry and need to make a mark -i.e. attract people and get them to try the services. In time, they will charge a fee for their service, and customers will make an informed choice. This is normally a short-term tactic to gain more customers.
Thus, it is basically companies which have a larger / bigger service to sell, who promote free (or inbuilt) assessment for your child. It is good that counselling is being given importance / visibility – this will propel more people to have a conversation about planning for their child’s higher-education & career – that’s a Boon.
The question parents need to ask is this – if it is a value add for my child, why should it be free? As a parent, be worried if it is free?
Because when they offer it for free, their assessment & result will, in all likelihood, give a solution that will make it easier for them to sell their main offering – because that is where they make money…and that’s the Bane.
After all, why will a company that wants to grow, be profitable, offer a comprehensive career counselling for free ?
Another thing – like all types of reports, a career counselling report needs to be interpreted by a qualified person – who understands the tool and can correlate it with your child’s personality. Without that expertise and interpretation, the assessment is not worth the paper it is printed on.
As parents, you want the best for your child – please plan for it properly.
