Here is everything you need to know about how a career coach and counselor can support you:
What is a career coach?
Some time ago, when people were in that phase of life when they had to choose which career to pursue, the first thing they would think would be: “What is the safest career?” “What will bring me a greater financial return?” and “In which job do I have the least chance of getting fired?” That is: their main motivation was fear and the focus of their search was security.
On the other hand, the educational system, instead of encouraging children to value their unique gifts and to study subjects which interests them, it was designed to create pieces of a machine. To create individuals who were able to contribute with their work for the maintenance of the social system.
Individuals trained to follow the rules and to be productive. Creativity and innovation were not valued.
That’s why many people ended up working in jobs they did not like. 9 to 5 jobs in which people often did mechanical work that left them physically and mentally exhausted. Eight hours of their days into spaces where they did not want to be, doing what they did not want to do, unhappy and unsatisfied. Dreaming about the weekend, the holidays, the retirement.
What if it did not have to be like this? What if the children could choose what they would like to study? What if their creativity and their interests were valued? What if people could love what they do? What if people would want to work almost every day for the rest of their lives, simply because their work is not work, but the expression of what and who they are, what they love to do?
That is our dream now. No more stable and secure jobs, but careers that complete us, which make us happy and through which we can contribute in some way to society and to the world, expressing and using our unique talents and our natural gifts.
Problem is, we’re still on autopilot. We are not used to thinking and seeking what we love. And which are our natural gifts? What do we want to work with? Where do we want to put our energy every day? What do we really love to do and even would do for free? In short, what is our purpose in life?
That’s where the career coach comes in the picture. They are someone who will help their clients to find their life purpose, what they came on the planet Earth to do. They will understand in which professional moment the person is and guide them to either find their ideal career or better adapt to the career they have already chosen. It will help the clients to find their gifts and will offer them tools to make these gifts professionally useful. They will help their clients to feel happy and complete in their career.
What does a career coach do?
A coach is basically someone who will ask you the right questions to help you reflect on a particular issue or on your life in general and will offer you tools to deal with your internal and external issues.
A Career Coach is the coach who does the same work but focusing on your professional life, helping you identify where you are now, where you want to go and the path it will take to get there.
They will help you find out which your values and natural talents are and how to align your work with them. They will also help you set goals and take specific actions that will bring you the professional results you desire.
They will teach you that a job search is actually a self-promotion process and if you want to promote yourself you need to know who you are and what you stand for. It is career coach’s job to help you create the clear and compelling message you need to spread online, on paper and in person.
A career coach will build a special job search strategy for you, identifying job targets and designing a networking action plan for you. They will teach you how to optimize your social media platforms so you can get the results you want.
They will also help you identify your worth and build the self-confidence needed to get your career advancement.
They will show you how your work can be used for a greater purpose, giving meaning to what you do and to your life.
Do I need a career coach?
A career coach can be useful at every point of someone’s professional path, but people who tend to call upon those professionals are those who:
– Are tired of getting normal 9 to 5 jobs and want to start their own business
– Feel trapped, dissatisfied with their work life but don’t know what else they can do
– Know they have particular skills but don’t know what to do with them
– Feel overwhelmed with work, school, family and need to find life balance
– Know what want to do but don’t know how to get there
– Need effective interview skills
– Need a well-crafted resume and help with social media such as LinkedIn
– Need to build networking skills
– Are going through career transitions and need guidance
– Want to increase their salary and learn how to not undersell themselves
– Are struggling with fear and self-doubt and need to grow self-confidence
– Are searching for a career that brings them pleasure and fulfillment.
Benefits of a career coach
There are many benefits, some of them include:
– Discovering what you are passionate about and how to bring your passions into your career
– Balance between work, school and personal life
– Gain of interview, networking and social media skills
– Clarity about your career trajectory and about the steps you need to take next
– A well-crafted resume and powerful social media platforms
– Discovering new aspects of your personality and that you are gifted in a special way
– Healing for financial problems, illnesses and anguishes
– Gain of self-esteem and self-confidence
– Discovering in what kind of work environment you want to live and what kind of work would make you feel satisfied
– Change of negative behaviors and patterns that no longer serve you
– A higher perspective of your professional life and career
– Feeling that you have found your life purpose and that your professional life is aligning with it.
How to find a career coach
Finding a good career coach is like dating as it is going to require that you take the time and interview a handful of candidates until you find the right fit.
The most important thing you must do is prioritize your objectives.
What is most important to you right now?
What are your immediate goals?
Each coach has a different set of skills and specialties and you will want to find the person who best fits your needs.
Career coaching reviews
Dan is an excellent Career Counselor! I was at a crossroad in my career path and he gave me the confidence I needed to explore new avenues of employment. Through assessments and guided conversation he helped me find my strengths and interests. In our sessions he helped me to explore my options and make informed career decisions. Dan is especially gifted in the area of networking and giving hands on tools to obtain job opportunities. His help in rewriting my resume was invaluable. Dan is an excellent fit for anyone on a career journey!
Sarah has boundless energy and a passion for helping people reach their goals, whether it is their career or personal goals. She doesn’t give up on people and her drive and determination, together with her wicked sense of humor, is infectious! She inspires and encourages people in her unique style and way to get you out of your comfort zone and give it a go!
Highly recommend!! Alice the Career Coach is so inspiring sharing amazing insights and tips for any job seeker looking to find their dream job! The information on her website, podcasts, youtube videos is very accessible and a lot of valuable information shared to get you on track with your career change! Thank you Alice!
Positive. Calming. Measured. Strategically smart. Jane is the perfect coach. I could not recommend her highly enough. She was just who I needed at a critical time in my career.
Ashley has many years of experience and is committed and professional in her career and image coaching. She constantly keeps herself current with job market conditions and search techniques available. I highly recommend Jane to help anyone who wants a higher chance of getting that ideal job!
When you need to put a critical part of your life in a safe pair of hands, the first thing you’ll do is ask a professional in that industry who they would use in order to gain expertise and inside knowledge. Tonya and I worked together as career coaches 15 years ago. Not only was I impressed with her ability, I also heard countless clients praise her as their coach and the results they had achieved with her. In the time since we were colleagues, I have turned to Tonya for career coaching when I’ve needed assistance with my career. She is consistently great at what she does, helps you quickly get to the issues that are holding you back, and works with you to put together a roadmap with practical tools to enable you to move forward. And she does it with empathy, motivation, intelligence and kindness. I have recommended Jane to a number of friends and colleagues and I highly recommended her to you.
Stephanie was exactly what I needed! Her kind words of encouragement & keeping me accountable towards my goals was the confidence boost I needed! She is genuinely passionate about her work & this always shines through.
I had the privilege of recently attending a career confidence workshop chaired by Dawn and I was overwhelmed by her expertise, knowledge and attentive to the needs of the workshop participants. You have nothing to lose but everything to gain. Engage Jane in helping you navigate through to a fresh career, from preparing a resume, application and interview process. She is an enthusiastic, professional and knowledgeable career coach who will strive for YOUR success.
One of Ron’s many gifts is his ability to actively listen and synthesize. Every time I speak with him I’m astonished by his patience, approachable tone and ability to synthesize complex problems down to actionable steps. Ron and I initially met while we were working together a few years back. I knew right away he was someone I needed to stay connected with due to his wealth of life and professional experience. Recently, he has helped me navigate my fear and anxious of moving out of state to pursue real estate investing. His encouragement and resource mapping has helped me shrink the change and reappraise my emotions from fear to excitement and motivation.
John is invested in your success! I have known him for several years and I can attest that he is great mentor and coach when it comes to career counseling. Whether you are a recent graduate or a seasoned career professional, Mike offers down to earth guidance when it comes to planning your career and growing your leadership skills.
Stacy is an exceptional talented coach she leads and support people to get the best out of them. Such a great business partner you can rely on to enrich performance. If you want to have a great career coach you should contact her. She is one of the best, highly recommend. She is honest helpful and adore her work.
Carlas program was amazing with step by step processes for job hunting and getting automated that I would have never figured out on my own. It demystified the confusion and blocks I was having and got me moving again. So grateful for everything I learned, and still learning in her grad community too.
They always say if you don’t know what you are doing, work with someone that does. Sheila is amazing and has taught me so much. Not just with the job industry but also applicable lifestyle improvement information. She is such a positive and radiant individual that will motivate you while being your mentor. Knowledgeable expert that can definitively help launch/solve your career needs.
Kate was so wonderful to work with she taught me so much, I learned things It would have taken me years to figure out testing with my own job search. I am so thankful for her and the work she does.
A fantastic career and life coach; Dan understands how to maximize potential and motivate to achieve your goals who is a lot of fun to work with!