Career coaches can help you with everything from figuring out what you want to do to researching prospects for professional advancement to supporting you through the ebbs and flows of job hunting. Working with a career coach is a time and financial commitment, so do your research to see whether working with one would help you achieve your goals, and if so, which coach might be the best fit for you.
When family members or friends try to help you filter down your choices, their advice may be based on what they’ve seen you do in the past or what’s the “quickest” career or job to get into – not necessarily what you’re passionate about.
A career coach helps enhance your resume and tune out the noise from it. Resumes must demonstrate the necessary skills and ability to perform the job to the extent indicated. A career coach can assist you to present your skills in the context of a prospective post, especially if they’re transferable and don’t match the job description exactly. All achievements, no matter how impressive, do not belong on a résumé. A career coach can assist you in determining what experience is specific to the role you’re seeking and in condensing your resume and LinkedIn profile into a single message that will catch recruiters’ attention.
How to Find the Right Fit?
According to the International Coaching Federation, career coaches assist clients in making their own informed decisions about how to “maximise their personal and professional potential.” Understanding the scope of career counselling is crucial to allow an insight into what the learner expects from the coach in terms of guidance.
In other words, they’re there to assist you in determining what you want to do and understanding the assumptions you’re making about yourself that are keeping you from achieving your professional objectives.
Career coaches may also offer counselling services to assist you to attain your objectives, such as writing your résumé and improving your interviewing abilities. Importantly, career coaches should never guarantee that they will find you a job or help you earn a specific amount of money because you are the one in charge of your success.
Many people hire coaches in the hopes of having a well-made résumé, believing that this will be enough to secure them a job. Your resume will not stand out to recruiters unless it frames your expertise through the lens of the future position, no matter how beautifully formatted it is.
Prepare for your coaching relationship with a list of what you think you’ll need from them, but be open to their suggestions for what else might help you succeed — for example, a values exercise to ensure you’ll be fulfilled in a new job, coaching on assumptions about your capabilities or career progression, and executive presence coaching for interviews.
Recommended Read: The Need of Career Coaches in Developing Countries
Research your way through since career coaches aren’t required to be licensed, anyone can call or tag themselves as one. It is pivotal to find a credible and certified coach.
With The International Coaching Federation certification’s top standard of certificates, the coach is associated with a stringent code of ethics and is required to attend continuing education every three years to recertify themselves. It is crucial to understand whether certain roles like HR, recruit, or entrepreneurship would be beneficial for the requirements you seek.
Why has Career Coaching Become a Necessity?
1. Learn Important Skills
Today’s workplace is rapidly evolving, and mastering the skills that will best position you for success is critical to your job search strategy’s success. Your career coach, as a seasoned recruiter, is skilled at spotting potential employees and will work with you to ensure you’re ready for the next step.
2. Gain Confidence
It can be difficult to recognise the entire worth of our work experiences since we are so close to it. You can establish your value proposition, express why you would be good hiring, and stand out from the crowd by working with a career coach.
3. Focus on Your Career
Sure, landing a job in your desired field sounds fantastic, but how will your next move help you achieve your short- and long-term professional objectives? Your career coach will assist you in understanding the progression of your career and determining the best path to take to get there.
4. Build a Strong Resume
It is rare for a CV to be effective simply by updating it and sending it out to different firms and positions. Instead, your career counsellor will assist you in creating a CV that demonstrates your knowledge of the function for which you are applying as well as the organization’s specific demands.
5. Network
It’s critical to have access to a diverse network of programme partners, which allows you to connect with industry experts and veterans to open up a world of possibilities. Whether it’s an online or in-person event, networking is crucial.
6. Complete Interview Preparation
Job interviews can be nerve-wracking, so planning is essential. Preparing with your career coach, who has years of real-world recruiting experience to help you succeed, will take the mystery out of the interview process.
Conclusion
Picking a major and a job after graduation are only two aspects of career development. It’s a continual journey, which means you’ll change over time, your circumstances will change, and you’ll have to make work and life decisions frequently. The goal of career coaching is to help you make current decisions while also equipping you with the knowledge and abilities you’ll need to make future career and life choices. Attaining career counselling online while also maintaining credibility is now closer than before. Career counselling is available at any point in a professional’s career. It might be anything from securing a student post at the outset of your career to producing a new CV, negotiating special terms, or guiding you to your next professional step or transition, or retirement. Career counselling gives you the tools and mindset you need to make well-informed career choices.
