As the founder of Oasis Career Planning, Kelly O'Hara counsels clients on applying for jobs and college.[/caption]As an independent career counselor working in the Cypress area, Kelley O'Hara said she wants to clear up a commonly held misconception about the job hunt.
"A lot of people come to me with this idea that there is a perfect job somewhere out there," she said. "They just have to find it, and everything will be perfect. In reality, your career develops over the course of your life. A career is not climbing a ladder. It's more like a Slinky, with constant review and improvement."
O'Hara opened Oasis Career Planning in spring 2013 after working for many years in job placement and career counseling at various colleges, including most recently at Lone Star College–CyFair. Her interest in career planning began when she was an undergraduate student at Mary Washington College in 1985 and took on a work-study opportunity in the career services office.
"I knew I wanted to do something that involved helping people but that's when I first started to realize my area could be in career-related issues," O'Hara said.
The name of the business—Oasis—was chosen because O'Hara wanted to create a calming environment in which people can feel safe and secure in expressing what they want to accomplish in life.
"Some people come to me by choice, but others come at a point of desperation after losing a job," she said. "I want to give people who are in crisis mode the confidence to move forward."
O'Hara, who lives in Cypress with her children, said her friends in the community would often come to her for career advice. Connections with the Cy-Fair Houston Chamber of Commerce and collaborations with local businesses offer insight into the hidden job market to the benefit of her clients, she said.
Opening her own independent practice has come with several benefits, O'Hara said, including more flexibility in working with different kinds of clients.
"I can offer my services to a wider age range," she said. "I work with students as well as people who are in career change mode or want advice on how to get a promotion. I have more flexibility to arrange one-on-one and group counseling as well as long-distance counseling."
In addition to working with clients by appointment, O'Hara also offers regular workshops on a variety of subjects, including college planning, networking and balancing work and life. Interested individuals can join the Oasis email news blast from the website or arrange their own tailored events.
Looking ahead, O'Hara said she hopes to develop her group counseling services more by reaching out to home-schooled and private school students. In the meantime, she encourages people to be curious and invested their future.
"I help people to be proactive and try new tactics," she said. "It's not about me doing the work for you. You have to be invested in yourself so you can back that up in interviews and throughout your career life."
Growing staff
After running her business by herself for more than a year, Kelley O'Hara's growing client base prompted her to recruit a second consultant, Kim Gearing, in March. O'Hara and Gearing worked together at Lone Star College–CyFair for three years. Gearing's background in Industrial/Organizational psychology, recruiting and employee development brings knowledge and expertise to the team, O'Hara said.
Five step process
Kelley O'Hara treats each individual client on a case-by-case basis from the beginning using a five-step process:
- Assessing self—Determine a client's skills, values, passions and barriers to come up with a baseline for what kind of career planning would be most beneficial for each individual.
- Exploring options—Assess the different occupations a client may be interested in as well as job outlook and trends in the area.
- Developing skills— Look at training and education opportunities that could help a client reach their career goals.
- Marketing self—Educate clients on building a resume, networking opportunities, interviews and how to use social media.
- Performing—Help clients build skills and find concrete ways to develop reputation, connections and experience.
