In France, and also in other countries, motivation assessment does not seem to be very important in career counselling practices. In this paper, it is argued that career counsellors should not neglect the motivational component of career decision making and that expectancy-valence theory could be useful to improve career counselling practices. It is recalled that Vroom's (1964) conceptions of motivation can be applied to vocational psychology. The social cognitive theory of Bandura (1986) specifies several views derived from Vroom's initial works, especially the concepts of self-efficacy and outcome expectations. Several studies in which expectancy-valence models were used in vocational guidance, career counselling and helping unemployed people are reviewed. The models seem to be supported by the results. Contradictory results are discussed. The article then focuses on the means by which counsellors may contribute to the evolution of the way people see and perceive their career development, and thus the way they make decisions about it. The opportunities to develop a sense of agency through a social device (in France : competences report) appear particularly important.
