What is Career Coaching – FAQs

Yes: My career coaching practice is made up of almost equally women and men.

A large number of my career coaching clients are professionals/executives in the “digital” and “corporate” worlds. They are often in the age range of 36-54 years old and live in an urban or city areas around the world.

Many are in the Digital, S.T.E.M. (Science, Technology, Engineering, Manufacturing), Financial Services (Banking, Wealth Management, etc.), or in the Sales & Marketing sectors.

That all being said, I have also worked with Health Sciences, Art, Social Sciences, Government, non-traditional or non-corporate career coaching clients. As well I have successfully supported younger “about-to-enter the workforce” professionals. Also “66-year young” professionals who are transitioning out of work yet still want to be productive and earning.

I have noticed that the different genders (and different generations) often have different concerns and career issues. Yet everyone wants to have more answers than questions as well as enjoyment for their work life.

All of which we address and resolve!

Yes: I work with clients around the world and from different time zones.

90% of my work is by phone (or using the other technology mentioned above). Simple scheduling, fast response time, and maintaining client confidentiality are key. Occasionally a specific issue that a client is facing needs to be solved and meeting in-person is the best solution. This could be because of a personal branding revamp that includes clothing/hair/makeup adjustments. I can then arrange a F2F (face to face) or even a video call if in-person is not simple and viable.

I always work with my career coaching clients using private online shared documents and folders (GDrive). This means at all times, we are co-working in an up to date document. This allows for simple, fast creation and editing.

I also use LOOM for screen sharing and recordings.

Yes: Many professionals are in an “immediate need” (aka  a crisis) situation when they reach out to a career coach.

My work day has to be fairly fluid to accommodate your timing.

Do you need career advice or help NOW?

It happens, yet it is rare, that your career planning concern doesn’t have a fairly immediate urgency when you reach out to me.

I have been doing career coaching for over 15 years so I understand my clients need for accessibility, accuracy, simplicity and privacy.

In addition to working during the day, I often work later into the evening. Weekend availability is key for corporate professionals (as you traditionally work during the week day). So I also open up a half a day on the weekends for my private client work.

I also answer my emails and texts out of normal office hours. I do freely admit though that I am not as fresh on a client call / session at 9 pm nor at 7 am (!).

Yes: The world is flatter than ever before. Over 50% of my career coaching clients are based in the US or abroad (eg. UK/Europe, Singapore, Asia)

Technology has improved to allow us all to work together easily.

I myself often work from different geographical locations throughout the year. In fact, I  work anywhere there is Wi-Fi. This includes as a Career Coach in Toronto as well as based on the west coast of North/Central America. I always schedule my appointments using the World Time Clock.

Yes, absolutely! Over my 25+ year career I have created literally thousands of job winning resumes. Also hundreds of compelling and keyword rich LinkedIn profiles. I have been writing and creating job winning resumes since 1989. For many years, I have been associated with the Master Resume Writers Association.

Normally my clients get at least one offer (and often multiple job offers) with the resumes we craft together. In fact, the resume and profiles we create become your road map to faster and simpler career success. Once we have your foundational resume and LinkedIn Profile everything becomes simpler!

My job is to help people get the job, the money, and the promotion they want.

Your LinkedIn profile is your personal branding marketing message to the world. It allows you to be easily known in your professional sector and it has people knocking on your door. They contact you. So it is a critical component of your successful short and long term career.

Yes: I can (and do) open up my professional network which I have been nurturing for 20+ years. I craft sample templates and messages, cover letters and make introductions. Yet I rarely act as a Headhunter nor as a Recruiter any longer (you are my client not a Hiring Manager).

Yet I might know someone who may be able to smooth the way.

If I know of roles that are active, I can make calls to find out if the roles are “real”.

“Networking” is often an area that takes a bit of a ‘mind shift’ for my career coaching clients. Many of my clients admit that they are introverts. (I consider myself a ‘recovering introvert’). We try to find ways to make connecting and reconnecting less traumatic and actually more fun.

BTW, are we already connected on LinkedIn?

Yes: As part of my private coaching 1:1 coaching there is no limit on your email and text support. {**Please note: there is not a specified / guaranteed response time}.

This is all part of what is included in your Career Coaching Program.

In fact, my first priority during my workday/night with respect to my inbox is to answer your text and emails to support you promptly. This means even when I am on vacation. (As I understand that your lives don’t go on vacation if I happen to!).

Many things that can be effectively completed or addressed by email/text. Yet not everything can be done via email or text. In other words, email / text is not designed to take the place of us speaking regularly.

Strategy and the fine tuning of tactics and mindset work is best accomplished by speaking together.

Part of my role is to keep my clients from spinning, getting confused or becoming stuck. I act as your Accountability Partner.

Yes: Your Network or “Circle of Influence”, as I call it, is crucial to your success.

The very first thing we do is make sure you are connected with me via LinkedIn profile. Then we work on how to more easily expand your Network/Circle of Influence.

As such, I can:

• Open up my network to you,
• Make strategic introductions,
• Craft sample reach out scripts/templates, messages and cover letters for you,
• and more…

I can often put you in touch with hand picked recruiters who are very active.

As mentioned, you are my client not a company nor a Hiring Manager.

Yes: I am your Coach (i.e. I teach you and guide you), Consultant (I do for you), as well as your ‘Accountability Partner’. That means I support you and help you to stay professionally accountable.

I do not however babysit my clients!

It is similar to hiring a personal trainer.

My personal trainer once said:

“Fiona, I am focused on you for an hour – if you do the work, you will get results.

If you want to chat and stand around, then I can do that also.

It is your choice.”

Yes: I have a 5-Step Client Breakthrough System which is posted in the article section on my LinkedIN profile.

To be direct though, I will not force fit someone into a process or pre-set methodology.

Your individual situation is unique to you.

This is your personalized 1:1 coaching.

 

For example, say you are in job searching mode:

And your first couple of reach outs / connections land you an interview (well done!). Our work together would shift from job applying and resume creation to interview preparation and mock interviewing. And after that, we would be hoping to concentrate on closing your desirable job offer!

Yet we always start with a frank and detailed discussion on:

1. what are your desired and goal(s).
2. what your time frame is.
3. and the amount of time in your life that you have to focus on your career to get the results you want.

Tell me more about what is your Career Coaching Process.

Using the same example (as above) of job searching, let me detail out what is often an ideal flow of our work together:

1. Identifying interesting job opportunities;
2. Refining your marketing documents (cover letter, resume, LinkedIn profile,etc.);
3. Identifying and beginning to reconnect with your current network;
4. Expanding your Circle of Influence (CoI);
5. Interview preparation and doing mock interviews with me;
6. Initiating a stronger online presence and creating your unique Point of View (PoV);
7. Creating an excellent and unique to you “Elevator Pitch”, “Connection Magnet” and “LI Profile Hook“;
8. Salary negotiations, negotiating and reviewing  your job offer(s);
9. A workplace resignation;
10. Starting your new job/role (i.e. what to expect in the first 90 days of your new job).

I can not tell you up front if we would get to everything. It depends on your Coaching Program and your own needs. The speed that you work at, the timing, and the market conditions are all big factors.

That is a wonderful outcome!

Let’s use an example.

Say you land a new job in week 6 of your 12 week Career Coaching Program. I would highly suggest we use your additional time for other aspects of your career and communications advancement.

As most of my clients say to me,

there is a difference between solving a short term issue and learning great career management skills.

In the example above though, if you truly feel you’ve run out of career topics you want immediate career advice and support on – then we would look at bumping the residual career coaching sessions and support into the future.

• This may include: “How to parlay a job into more of your dream job”.
• It could be helping you deal with organizational politics or leadership training.

Please note, we would have to discuss these changes up front as it occurs. In other words, you could not “disappear” during your Career Coaching Program and then pop up 6 months later and say “Hey Fiona, I want to use my leftover time now”.

Professionals/Executives come to me for career, job and communications advice for many reasons.

Of course we offer RESUME WRITING and LinkedIN PROFILE writing. Yet we do it so that it is much more than just whipping off a generic resume (which would be just like thousands of others online).

Generic kills your opportunities and your growth

Other career situations might be about:

• Getting fired from your job,
• Personal branding,
• How to reach out and reconnect with your network,
• Landing a job promotion,
• Asking for a raise,
• Dealing with Workplace “AGEISM”,
• Successfully transitioning to a different career (aka a career pivot),
• Wanting to take time away from your work (sabbatical),
• Moving from a job to becoming self-employed,
• Moving into the C-suite or up in the leadership / executive ranks,
• Looking to be considered for a Board of Directors position…

It really is all about what is your specific dream and goals.

One client came to me saying:

“I feel like I have been ‘invisible’ for a long time at work and stuck in my current job. I also haven’t been paying any attention to my network. What do I do to get back into being known in the market and to creating a better network that can help me get ahead? Can you also help me do some branding and online blogging to get better visibility?”

Yes, I do all that myself for my own practice. Over the past 10+ years, I have been fully trained on online and digital marketing. {In fact, I ran a digital company of over 30 people in digital marketing and blogging}.

Another client’s request:

“Can you help me with looking at entrepreneurial endeavors that could help me transition out of my day job”?

My answer:

I understand the entrepreneurial world as I have worked in it as well as big corporate. In fact, I took a grownup gap year (work sabbatical) from my career coaching and recruiting practice in 2010. During this time, I founded and ran a women’s digital e-Magazine (“Women Who Run It”) to support working women. I had a large team of graphic designers, bloggers/writers, etc. working with me when I sold the platform. Because of this, I learned a lot about branding and marketing. What works. What doesn’t.

I even wrote and published a book as well as stood on public stages. As an introvert you can imagine I was initially out of my comfort zone on stages, podcasts, creating a branded website, etc. Yet 10+ years later, I know a lot about personal branding and what works…. And yes, what doesn’t!

That being said, I also know where the MONEY is!!!

Option 1 – The ONE – Month Career Coaching Intensive:

This is an intensive kick-start that gets you well established and executing on a new Career Action Plan. This is great when you may not need much more support than a month or you are in a very specific time crunch.

We create the Plan – We execute on the Plan – You get the RESULTS!

This Program includes:

1. A “1/2 day” Kick-start Session (timing is flexible, including some weekend availability):

   We kick off your new Career Action Plan with a 3 hour conversation. I actually tell you to book off 4 hours in your schedule. We speak for 3-3.5 hours (including a short break if needed). Plus we cover some initial S.O.P.s and “housekeeping” rules. Very occasionally we will, if needed, cut this into 2 conversations, Yet only if it is truly more valuable to you and if it is obvious that it would work out better for your results. I carve out a 3+ hour day on the weekends several times a month to work with my private coaching clients.

2. Customizing Your Resume & LinkedIn (as needed):

   Most people’s Resumes and LinkedIn Profiles need “work”, updating and customization. The competition to be invited in for an interview or to be promoted is intense. These documents are often your foundation and a focus to many professionals. A great resume and LI profile provide a fabulous foundation to easy, smooth interviews, promotions, raises, performance reviews, your marketability. Don’t get concerned. We will get it done. Yet these are not the only things we focus or work on.

3. You get MULTIPLE Phone Calls and Sessions:

   There are multiple additional Phone Calls / Skype Call sessions that can be scheduled with me within the 1-month Intensive Program.

4. A Collaborative Private Working Environment for Discussion & Results:

   I work with you in fully shared, confidential documents and folders (using Google Drive). I create your unique folder that only you and I both have access to.  A)  there is a Career Management Spreadsheet with multiple sheets: job opportunity tracking, elevator pitch creation, career background data, sample LinkedIn reach-out scripts, etc.  B) all of your LinkedIn profile changes and resume work are created in our shared Google Documents. We focus on all the pieces of your puzzle (customized to your situation). I actually do your resume formatting, resume draft, etc. Note – you WILL HAVE HOMEWORK and need to work on your documents as well. Yet I “do for you” as well as coach you so you can do it the next time as well.

5. Unlimited Email & Text support for the month:

   This means you have full access to me in between our calls. This is a critical component of the support you need. As mentioned, much of the strategy is done on the calls. The execution (tactics) and follow-up are usually done in emails. (**My SOP (standard operating procedure) is that nothing critical is done by text. It is impossible to find/track things in texts!). Email is our best online communication system. I understand that people have critical and time sensitive issues that arise. Text works better for that. I cover all of this off in our first “housekeeping” conversation (~10 minutes) which is not part of your session time.

Option 2 –  Career Coaching on a Monthly Basis (Minimum 3 month Program):

This program is similar to the above yet spread out over the number of months in your Program.

This means that each month you have access to both speaking with me plus email/text support. The pressure is off you.

It’s especially valuable for people who will need career and job support, advice, encouragement, accountability partnership, etc. as you progress over the months to figure out a strategy and then execute on the tactics. 

Question: As part of our Calls and Program, can you still cover the following?

1. Resume & LinkedIn: 

   Yes treated the same as above – we use the same Google DRIVE system of shared documents and folders.

2. Multiple Phone Calls /Skype Call sessions: 

   Yes there are usually up to 2-3 calls per month available. Weekdays and some weekend time is available.

3. Collaborative Discussion & Results:

   Yes, as above.

4. Email & text support:  

   Yes, as above, for your program duration.

As mentioned, I rarely work hourly.

I believe that you/ my client is best served and get the most value if you know your investment of time and cost up front. That said, I might give career advice to a simple question or career issue on an hourly basis. I do what is in the best interest of you, my client.

In general, most of my private 1-on-1 clients will invest $2,200 – 6,000 (+ any applicable taxes) in themselves with their career coaching programs.

Career Coaching is often a business or tax deductible expense (contact your tax accountant)

Yes: Every Career Coach has a coaching style.

I am an Engineer. I am also primarily an introvert yet I believe that self-awareness is a valuable tool in your tool belt.

Before we would work together, I always have a 20-30 minute Career Strategy Session with you. This allows us both to discuss and explore what your career and situation is now. Also what you want it to look like and how I can help you get there.

What is the Process to Schedule a Career Strategy Session:

1. In advance of our Career Strategy Session, I will ask you to email whatever version you have of your resume to me.
2. Also to connect with me on LinkedIn.
3. We then schedule a best time and day for us to speak for 20-30 minutes by Phone, Skype Call or WhatsApp/FB Messenger, etc.

This process allows me to ask more intelligent questions and to support you better during our Career Strategy Session time together.

Occasionally during our free Career Strategy Session, I may say that you don’t need more coaching.

(Yes, I have actually done this!)

After so many years of career coaching I may be able to offer you one simple solution or piece of career advice that solves your issue!

Schedule your FREE Career Coaching Strategy Session with Fiona.

Yes: We do offer a payment plan. If you truly need financial support with a payment plan please discuss this with Fiona. All our Coaching Services  and Programs are quoted on a Full Pay basis (unless otherwise indicated).

Traditionally the Payment Plan is slightly more expensive than the Full Pay (which is how our Programs are QUOTED). It is more work for us (it has more opportunity that a client forgets so we have more legwork to do to keep you on track).

Your Coaching Program Agreement will have an agreed upon schedule of payments.

You will be contractually committed to the schedule payments and all monies are due.

There is an understanding that all payments should be sent as per your Career Coaching Program Agreement Schedule. We always take a credit card number with your information at the beginning of your installment plan. If a career coaching client is late on their agreed upon scheduled payment plan, the team will process the credit card for the scheduled amount. There may also be associated fees on top (late interest charge and transaction fee if applicable).

Ask any additional questions you might still have using our contact form. Also ask to Schedule your FREE Career Coaching Strategy Session with Fiona!

Yes: I definitely understand that stuff comes up and people have to reschedule. My schedule fills up quickly and appointments are requested constantly.

If something comes up and you need to reschedule, we ask for your professional courtesy. Please let me know 48 hours in advance. (Unless it is an extreme emergency).

I respect your time, investment and attention. So I will not treat it lightly. I will be ready for your session and your session starts on time. If you are significantly late, there is no guarantee that the session can continue without rescheduling (at my discretion) or a full forfeiture of the missed coaching session.

That is what we figure out in our initial Career Strategy Session!

Our Strategy Session allows us to know what you want to improve or change as well as what is going on in your life and how much time you can devote to your Career Action Plan.

I ask a lot of questions (just like when you go to your doctor) and this allows me to provide you with an experienced solution and path to get you your desired outcomes.

I know you don’t come to me for coaching – you come to me for results!

“Career Coaching and Consulting” is often considered a business expense and could possibly be deducted from your income tax – please consult with your Accountant.