Skip to main content
SFU Health and Counselling Services
Registered Clinical Counsellor

A photo of a pair of hairdressing scissors
Credit
Markus Winkler
There's clear value in using certain metaphors to explain the purpose behind many of the things we talk about.

If there's one literary convention I love, it's the metaphor. And I'm not the only one. I've written about metaphors here before - most recently in this post about emergence, but also in a couple of posts about time management, and this post about euphemisms from a while back. Something about metaphors allows us to explain things that would otherwise be nearly impossible to understand, merely by comparing that thing to something else. Practical use aside, metaphors also comprise some of the most elegant, powerful, and emotionally stirring language that we're capable of creating.

Metaphors come up all the time in my work with students, whether they're acknowledged or not. There's clear value in using certain metaphors to explain the purpose behind many of the things we talk about. For example - why is it a good idea to have an attractive format and layout on a resume? Because it's a great way to stand out from the crowd. No, there's no crowd in most recruiters' offices, but drawing that comparison helps to illustrate the significance of having a unique resume style, more powerfully and in fewer words than explaining this in other ways.

I've also thought about metaphors in terms of my own position as a career advisor. It's thought provoking to ask, if you haven't already, "how would I describe what I do if someone asked me to be as succinct as possible?" It wouldn't be succinct at all to describe all the things you do on a daily basis, your responsibilities, your accomplishments, your significance. Nor would it be descriptive enough to only talk about a small subset of those things. So, how can we possibly do this question justice?

One metaphor that I've grown to really like when describing my own position as a career development professional is that of a hair stylist (I'll use that term as opposed to barber because it seems more modern and encompassing). Yes, I am a career stylist. Sound bizarre or just plain silly? Well, what does a stylist do?

Careers are more of a process than a product - they are continuously growing, as we are. As hair does. Most of us learn at an early age that certain attentions must be paid to our hair on a regular basis - we wash it, otherwise it becomes overly unkempt and hard to manage. We devote a certain amount of time to it every day before we venture into the world, so that it will look as much as possible the way we want it to. And although we can't possibly notice its growth on a given day, over a period of a few weeks we notice that our hair is indeed longer. Finally, every now and then we decide that it has grown to the point where we can no longer satisfactorily manage it ourselves, or that we're just plain bored of it and want a change, and we decide to seek out professional help. 

So, we go to a stylist. They might simply trim things a bit, keeping your look intact but unarguably sleeker, or you may elect for a more dramatic change. There are many things that a stylist can help you change - your hair's length, colour, texture, shape are all fair game. There are also some qualities that you simply have to accept - your hair might be too thin, too thick, too dry, too greasy, too much of many different qualities for many styles. Your hair has strengths and weaknesses and a personality of its own that makes it better suited to certain styles over others. Your stylist can help you discern all of this, and help you achieve the style or styles you desire.

After our visit to the stylist, it's back to life and back to self-managing our look for a while, at least until we decide it's time for another trip to neaten things up or make a change to something else.

So, my answer to the question asked earlier would be something like this: Just think of me as a stylist for your career. Yes, a career stylist.

SFU Health and Counselling Services
Registered Clinical Counsellor
David Lindskoog is a Registered Clinical Counsellor at Health & Counselling who used to work as a Career Advisor with Career Services. David is passionate about suicide prevention, social justice, career and professional development concerns, and the use of role-playing games in therapy. Check out his group: Dungeons & Worry Dragons. While you're here, check out Dave's Diary! It is an ongoing series of journal entries touching on various aspects related to careers and well-being. Want to hear Dave's thoughts on a particular topic?  Send him an email, and he'll do his best to include it in his next post!  
visibility  146
Nov 25, 2011

You Might Like These... Prospective, Professional Development, Career Exploration

Co-op students jumping in the air
The Co-op Connection Helps Retention

In this blog post, Heather shares with us why co-op is an important experience for all students, whether it be to further career aspirations or to gain future employment opportunities. 

author, courtney, smiling
A Second Term in Government: More of the Same?

Having completed my first work term for Health Canada as a Communications Officer Intern, I was eager to try something new, and the government was not where I believed that was going to happen. That is until I was offered a position at Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada...

Working on campus
The 10 Minute Commute – Resources and Useful Information for Working on Campus

Have you ever thought about working in a place that you are familiar with?  Perhaps a Tim Horton’s close by? For many students the idea of working at SFU might be a great option, if you prefer a 10 minute jaunt to work after class or an opportunity to learn more about how a university operates.

You Might Like These... Professional Development

Photo of Alexandra Lukac
In the Absence of Clarity, Take Action

Fourth year, Kinesiology student, Alexandra Lukac, shares how taking action allowed her to navigate her co-op journey. 

The author is standing in front of a castle
Working in Germany with the International Paralympic Committee

Written during Liz's time at her international Co-op with the International Paralympic Committee, learn how it was a dream come true as it helped her grow both professionally and personally.

Dreams Come True banner
Dreams Come True

What if you could score your dream job? Through a lot of hard work, dedication, and determination, Canucks.com writer Derek Jory did just that when he landed himself with the career he had dreamed of since he was a little boy.