Want to Accelerate your Career Success? Hire a Career Coach!
If you’re one of the lucky ones who is motoring along in your career and firing on all cylinders, I offer my congratulations. More than likely, you’re like many professionals who feel stuck in their current jobs and are unsure how to proceed. If any of the statements below sound familiar, you may benefit from engaging a career coach.
- I wonder if I should just stay put and try to move up the ladder
- I want to change jobs where the pasture might be greener
- I think it’s time to transition to another industry
- I want to follow my passion to an entirely new career
- I need advice on how to approach my job search
- I want support to keep me motivated and on track
- I feel intimidated by the interview process
- I’m overwhelmed by the possibilities
Why hire a Career Coach? Results, results, results. Time is money and your investment in a career coach will get you laser-focused on reaching your desired outcome. Career coaches provide customized strategies to differentiate you from other candidates. A career coach will:
- Provide direct, constructive, and proactive career advice
- Help you see yourself in a new light to boost your confidence
- Give an impartial assessment of your skills and job search approach
- Offer career strategies you may not have considered
- Highlight potential employers that could be a great match with your skills and passions
What should you expect? A typical coaching session will examine your current status, your career objectives and your timeline. You’ll be asked probing questions to help you fine tune your career strategy. You and your coach will agree on an action plan and schedule weekly calls to:
- Clarify your talents and strengths
- Define your unique selling proposition
- Create a personal branding statement
- Optimize your marketing tools to attract recruiters attention
- Brainstorm to reinvigorate your job search
- Practice for an upcoming interview or debrief afterwards
- Negotiate a salary reflective of your experience
- Help you maintain your momentum during your career search
How can you find a Career Coach? Your first thought might be to Google ‘coach’ in your local market; however, before engaging the services of a career coach, you should:
- Validate the coach’s credentials and years of experience
- View their LinkedIn Profile to read recommendations from their clients
- Determine if the coach has worked with professionals like you
- Explore their industry expertise and knowledge of business trends
- Ask for details on their process and how you would work together
- Ask for a referral from a peer or colleague who has worked with a career coach
The Bottom Line: If you’re still unsure about the value of hiring a career coach, think about the opportunity cost of delaying your return to work by weeks or months or settling for a salary that is below your experience level. As a career coach with 15+ years’ experience, I’ve had the privilege of working with hundreds of clients from C-suite to entry level professionals in a wide range of industry sectors.
I’m proud my business has been built entirely on word-of-mouth referrals. What’s my secret? Before taking on a new client, I carefully assess their openness, coachability and commitment to self-exploration. I’m passionate about helping my clients uncover their unique talents and see themselves the way potential employers do. The results speak for themselves — my clients get hired fast, negotiate higher salaries and land jobs they are excited about.