Think of a personal career coach as a personal trainer. Just as athletes have their coaches beside them during good times and challenging times, motivating them to do better and to stretch even further, the career coach does the same in the professional world.
Career and business coaches are experienced professionals dedicated to assisting and supporting individuals or teams to achieve their goals.
Career coaches work closely with you, helping you define your goals, enhance your skills, and, most importantly, conquer the obstacles that come your way in your career journey. They are your partners in resilience and growth.
The Process of Career Coaching
The process starts with listening to the client and establishing their short–, mid-, and long-term goals. With open and powerful questions, the goals are reviewed and agreed upon together. Importantly, the coaching process is adaptable, meaning that goals set upfront can change as you evolve and grow.
Why is that the case? During the journey of self-discovery, I often noticed that the goals the client thought they had been not the ones that would fulfill them, and other aspirations and dreams came to the surface. In those cases, the coach is your trusted company that supports you fully in those goals and is agile and flexible to cater to your ambitions.
Once goals are defined, the coach will help you create a detailed and realistic action plan. Rather than simply telling you what to do, they support you in acquiring and developing the skills you need to face challenges and enhance your performance. This includes leadership development, time management, and effective communication.
10 Key Elements of Career Coaching
- Clarifying your goals – becoming evident in your mind and direction
- Strategic Guidance – Creating a practical and realistic action plan with timelines and accountability aspects
- Navigating career transitions – whether it is within or outside your organization, asking for a promotion and becoming an entrepreneur, a career coach is your guide for a smooth transition on your terms and needs
- Enhancing skills and capabilities – A career coach facilitates learning and upskilling activities, highlighting required certifications to stay competitive in the job market. Being curious is key.
- Building confidence and overcoming obstacles—A career coach empowers and encourages clients to act and move forward and provides different perspectives.
- Improving job search strategies—A career coach reviews your CV, provides support updating it to the latest trends, checks your LinkedIn profile, and creates your elevator pitch. Quite often, interview skills are also covered.
- Expanding professional network—An experienced career coach usually has an extensive shared network. I always share my network according to my clients’ needs and invite them to check out other networks that might benefit their goals.
- Providing feed Forward – yes, feed forward, as each comment your career coach gives you is valuable data for improving yourself.
- Challenging the status quo – a powerful career coach will always challenge you and your answers, dig deeper and provoke a thinking process. Sometimes, it might feel uncomfortable, but this is the exact goal of a career coach: to make uncomfortable to be comfortable.
- Holding you accountable—with exact timelines, regular check-ins, and follow-up, an impactful career coach will be your accountability buddy, making sure that you achieve your goals that have been set up at the beginning of your journey.
The Moral of the Story
As the business landscape continues to evolve, the guidance of a seasoned career coach is a vital asset for anyone looking to navigate the complexities of their career, enhance their leadership abilities, and achieve their full potential.
Having a career coach is not a luxury; it is a necessity. Life is too short to live an unfulfilled professional life. Let’s break free from your hamster wheel. Contact me if you need help with your career journey.