<p>This qualitative study uses career competence and career management skills interchangeably to explore how the concept resonates with guidance counsellors in practice. It is inspired by sayings and doings in practice theory and draws on the two theoretical concepts of sensemaking and professional artistry. Semi-structured interviews were analysed using reflective thematic analysis. The findings reveal that while guidance counsellors said career competence is a challenging and de-prioritised concept, actions were in line with the learning goals for career competence in the core curriculum. This contrast between sayings and doings indicate that professional artistry may compensate for a nascent sensemaking process of the concept. The study points to the importance of treating the concept of career competence as a field of knowledge in both steering documents and the guidance counselling profession to create stronger resonance.</p>