Career Coaching is a type of personal coaching that helps people find greater fulfillment in their careers by establishing professional goals, creating a plan and overcoming obstacles that may be in the way.
Career Coaches can help people with a wide array of career-related goals and issues. Some seek career coaching because they’re stuck in a dead-end job that brings no meaning or purpose to their lives, while others are challenged by the demands of balancing their work lives with their personal lives. Some clients know exactly what they want to do with their lives, but need help finding and executing a plan to get there, while others have languished without a clear calling in life. Career coaching helps people with all of these concerns and more.
Career Coaches typically have experience and training in a variety of personal career development strategies, including:
- Career exploration
- Interviewing skills & confidence building
- Creative job search strategies
- Resume and cover letter writing
- Probation period goal settings
- Conflict resolutions at work
- Career, personality and strengths assessments
- Profession changes
- Personal marketing and branding
- Evaluating prospective employers
- Salary negotiations
- Assertive communication
If you are here looking for a career coach, these common conditions might sound familiar to you:
> You are ready to find a new job that you enjoy more and look forward to going to each day
> You fell into your current career and now want to move towards something that you are more passionate about, brings you more joy or is more meaningful
> You are tired of corporate life and want to do your own thing, but aren’t sure what to do or how to get started
> You are applying for college/university or graduating from post-secondary and don’t know what you want to do in life.
Benefits of Hiring a Career Coach?
Support
A coach is there for you. They actively listen to what you are saying and what you aren’t saying. They will create a safe environment where you are comfortable and can talk without judgment. Looking for work can be extremely isolating. Working with a coach provides the necessary support to move forward. A coach provides non-judgmental guidance and can see things from the 10.000 meters view, offering different perspectives and opportunities. They’ll help you identify where you are stuck, what the obstacles are between you and your dream job, and illuminate the path to what you really want.
Structure and accountability
A coach will set up regular coaching meetings with you (by phone or in person) and assist in developing a plan to achieve your career goals. Looking for work can be frustrating, annoying and demoralizing and it may be difficult to know where to start. Having regular coaching sessions will lend structure and stability to your career transition. A Career Coach will customize a program to suit your individual needs and meet you where you are, whether at a career crossroad or in job search mode. They will provide the necessary accountability for you to achieve and exceed your goals, far faster than you would on your own.
Focus
A Career Coach will help you focus on what you really want to do and where you want to do it by identifying your values, interests, talents and passion. They will help you discover what is really important to you and how that relates to finding your ideal career.
Confidence and your personal brand
When you are out of work you may lack self-confidence and your perspective on successfully finding work may become clouded. Career Coaching can provide you with fresh perspectives on the challenges and opportunities when finding meaningful work, give you better awareness of your strengths, accomplishments, unique value proposition and your own personal brand.
Step Further
One major pro of a Career Coach is they have no preconceived opinions and will be able to take you through a deep dive of your entire life helping you excavate out what your true natural gifts are while discovering what can make you to take the “step further”. Once you have a better understanding of who you truly are and what makes your heart sing, you will gain tremendous clarity on your true purpose – what you are meant to be doing on this earth. At that point, a skilled career coach can help you get beyond what is and to see what can be, which can be an eye-opening process on its own. What’s more, you also have the benefit of having someone with the knowledge and experience to help guide you into this new life.
To take this a step further, a great Career Coach will be able to teach you how to listen to your own inner voice, to help you discover what really makes you happy. You see, the secret is happiness. Everyone I have ever met just wants to be happy. As a coach I find people spend a lot of time and money trying to figure out what makes them happy and often don’t get there. What I have discovered after coaching hundreds and hundreds of people is that, if you learn to listen to your heart, that inner wisdom, you will find happiness. And that happiness can be expanded if you focus on growing what we have discovered in the deep dive and looking at what can be.
On the more technical side, the pros to hiring career coaches is that they are there to support and encourage you when you become discouraged or are facing rejection. They are experienced in knowing what employers look for and how to better present yourself on your resume, cover letter or in a job interview. They can help boost you back up and inspire you to keep moving forward. They can help you clear your blocks and identify what might be keeping you stuck.
Now… let me help you gain the confidence and skills to move forward in the direction you are meant to go and can help you balance current life needs with career goals.
