Maybe you don’t know which career will bring you fulfilment, you’re struggling to move on from a terrible past job, or you’re not getting very far in the interview process. Career coaches can help you figure out what you want to do, understand what’s preventing you from advancing in your professional goals and endure the ups and downs of job hunting. Here are five reasons you might consider hiring a career coach and five tips on how to choose the right one for you.

What is a Career Coach?

Career coaches provide a range of services, from helping you figure out what you want to do to exploring opportunities for professional growth to supporting you through the ups and downs of looking for a new job. Engaging with a career coach requires an investment of time and money, so it’s important to determine which coach might be the right fit for you.

When do you need a career coach?

1.You don’t know what you want to do next.

You’re aimlessly searching LinkedIn, and every job feels like a job you can do, but you aren’t sure what you actually want to do. When family or friends try to help you narrow down your choices, their suggestions may be informed by what they’ve seen you do in the past or what’s the “easiest” career or job to move into — not necessarily what resonates with you. If you don’t know which career or job will bring you fulfilment, a coach can help you consider possibilities that might be a departure from your past experience or that you hadn’t considered.

2.You aren’t sure how to make your CV substantive — and also simple.

CVs need to showcase the right skills and capabilities to do the job at the level  A career coach can help you position your skills in the context of a potential role — especially transferable ones that don’t match up exactly with what’s in the job description. Not all accomplishments, no matter how great, belong on a CV. A career coach can help you determine what experience is relevant to the job you’re applying for and simplify your CV and LinkedIn profile with one message that will position you to attract recruiters’ attention.

3.You aren’t over your last job.

Maybe you have or had a job that made you angry, sad, or anxious, and you’re struggling to move on from that horrific experience. Too many people think the next job will make that negativity go away, but it’s not that simple.

For example, after a successful, decade-long career, a colleague of mine made a few bad career moves, all ending with her departing multiple companies, not always by her choice. Her confidence in being able to make good career decisions was shattered. A career coach helped her move past those repeated unpleasant experiences and review her assumptions about herself, which were not only impacting her job search but also her daily motivation and family life. She’s now happily employed and regaining her confidence under an amazing manager.

4.You’ve been on interviews but just no got that job.

If you tend not to move to the next round of interviews after the initial recruiter screen, you make it to the next round but don’t make it past the hiring manager, or you continually come in second place at the end of the hiring process, you may need help connecting your experience to each job. A career coach can help you answer tricky questions like, “You haven’t actually done [fill in the blank] before?”, refine your answers to other common interview questions, polish your executive presence, and practice with you so you feel comfortable.

5.You’re not moving up in your career.

Career coaches aren’t just there to help you find a new job. Many coaches can help you understand why you aren’t advancing at your current company. Coaches can administer a 360 review or decode your performance feedback to uncover behaviors you need to adjust for continued career growth.

If you decide you need a career coach, there are five things to consider when choosing the right one for you.

 

Know what type of professional you need to hire.

Career coaches help clients come to their own resonant decisions about how to “maximize their personal and professional potential,” (ICF). In other words, they’re there to help you figure out what you want to do and understand assumptions you’re making about yourself that are preventing you from advancing in your professional goals.

Career coaches may also provide some consulting services to achieve your goals, such as drafting your CV and helping you sharpen your interviewing skills.  They help you recognise and effectively promote your own strengths and key skills.  A trained coach who also specialises in career development can be an invaluable asset in the wider areas of your own personal achievement and longer term goals.

Many people engage coaches with the goal of having a well-designed CV, thinking that’s enough to get them in the door. But no matter how well formatted, your CV won’t stand out to recruiters unless it frames your experience through the lens of the new role.

Go into your coaching relationship with an idea of what you think you need but be open to guidance about what other measures may make you more successful — for example, a values exercise to make sure you’ll be fulfilled in a new job, coaching on assumptions about your capabilities or career progression, and executive presence coaching for interviews.

Psychometric assessment can also be a highly valuable tool to help you identify areas that may need particular focus.

DSA Executive offers bespoke Career Development programmes online and in person. These will not only help you identify strengths, weaknesses and goals going forward to achieve your career aspirations, but through coaching, will give you the tools to improve, focus, grow and flourish in both your work and personal life.

Contact us for details:  coaching@dsaexecutive.com

Marlo Lyons HBR, Feb 2022