What my clients say about hiring me as a career coach…
Whether you’re trying to land a promotion or looking to get hired into a new job. Maybe, just thinking about your long-term career success? A good career coach can be invaluable. They can help you find out what you’re good at. Where you need to improve, as well as help you create a plan for even more career success.
Everyone wants to feel good about their work, earn great money and feel they have a future.
Yet doing it all alone can really be tough.
“No one knows your career better than you do.”
I disagree when I hear that coming out of the mouths of some experts.
Here’s why:
- Very few of us know the direction of our own careers or the path we are going to travel over the course of a 25+ year professional career. In fact, we rarely have a well defined sense of what we’ve done already in our careers or jobs. We need to outline what is the most critical and therefore most valuable, to an employer.
- We also rarely keep our “circle of influence” (aka our network) strong and vital.
- In addition, we usually hate to have to properly update our resume. So even when we change jobs or do a successful career change we rarely take the time or have the discipline to do more than tweak our resumes. I hear so often that writing resumes or doing a complete resume revamp is one of the least favorite and most painful things to do career-wise.
Why you need a career coach now
Whether you’re not happy where you’re currently working, are out of work and looking for a job, or are just looking to stay ahead of the promotion curve at work, working with a coach can help you learn and improve on the skills necessary to stand out.
Career coaches are not just there to help you find a new job.
If you want to become an IT or corporate leader or you are competing for the next level of leadership, the reality is that creating a plan for your career and professional development is critical for your long term success and career relevance. That’s where working and investing in a good career coach pays off..
How Does a Career Coach Differ from a Mentor?
I do believe that a mentor can be invaluable.
So if you already have a mentor why would you need a career coach as well? In fact, there can be overlap. Yet there are often major differences.
Many if not most mentors are ‘more-experienced professionals’ who offer advice (usually free) to less-experienced professionals on how to handle situations with which they do not have as much experience… yet. Mentors are often in your own company. In fact, they are often part of your company management team. This means they have a connection and a critical career path themselves within the firm or industry. This may be a good thing – or not.
Career coaches are specialized and independent of companies and corporate politics.
As career coaches, we focus on supporting self-discovery as well as problem-solving specific and tangible career issues – how to job hunt, improving your resume, getting a raise, increasing your personal brand, finding your best type of job, improving your presentation skills, landing your next promotion, whether you are board ready, etc.
We usually offer regular or on-demand brainstorming or problem solving sessions to figure out more complex political or vulnerable leadership questions. Things that can be very personal or that you may want to be kept confidential and away from your in office life.
In fact, many senior leaders or managers no longer have access to a mentor as they have reached the level of management where a mentor or sponsor isn’t available or as impartial.
Does a Career Coach Need to Specialize in What You Do?
A professional and experienced career coach can help someone in any industry or profession. They know how to motivate, how to define goals, etc. Yet someone who specifically ‘speaks the same language’ you do by industry or by background can often simplify and reduce your professional and personal learning curve. In other words, a specific type of coach can bring industry-specific stories and examples into the conversation to illustrate issues and opportunities that enable you to see your situation more clearly and more quickly.
For instance, because I have come up the ranks myself in technology and sales and I have worked extensively with Fortune 100/500 corporations as well as well funded startups, I often work with IT and mid-career corporate professionals and executives. Many have long term aspirations to the senior executive level or are already at the executive/management level and want an even more successful and fulfilling career path.
What It Really Takes to Be a Good Leader
Many people confuse management with leadership.
Management is the level you are in an organization. Leadership is how you lead (and follow) others.
The basic foundation of leadership is about delivering on the job you are hired to do. Yet the next level is shifting from simply delivering what is asked to understanding both the problem and the solution so that you’re delivering what is truly needed. You also need to be able to influence and deliver through other people — ie. your team, your outsourcers, your stakeholders. Finally, you have to fold in the business strategy which is both understanding where the business is headed and how you can effect and influence the strategy. That is a lot of levels of awareness, influence and execution to juggle by oneself day to day, year after year.
What a good career coach can do for you and your career success
- Career coaching focuses on your professional growth and development as well as taking into account your own personal development. It enables you to improve your awareness of your goals, objectives, strengths, weaknesses, desires, aspirations, blind spots, etc.
- A good career coach can (and should!) compassionately ‘hold up the mirror’ so you can see yourself and your situation with better clarity.
- You may want support and advice to find a different job inside or outside your existing company. You may want to improve your performance in your current role. Or you may also need to focus on reframing how you view your situation to enhance your job satisfaction and/or reduce your stress load or move ahead easier in the organization.
“She got me to take a good hard look at what I really wanted, find my ‘blind spots’, and helped me focus on addressing those areas that were holding me back.
I wish I had done this sooner!”
Career coaching helps you to move forward by working with you (usually one-on-one) to ensure that you have both the personalized information necessary and development to make decisions on your personal career directions.
Your objectives and goals are going to be unique to you. Objectives vary from person to person according to what each individual wants to achieve and the level of experience and expertise they bring to the market. Job market conditions also factor into any career transitions or job search.
3 Critical Cs to Career Coaching:
- Clarity
The most important thing, and often a foundation of working with a career coach, is to provide clarity – both on your past accomplishments, your future goals and aspirations plus the market value that you offer an employer. Not having clarity on where you’ve been, where you’re going and where/what you want to be is a common issue with corporate professionals. As they say, “If you don’t know where you are going, any path will take you there”.
Working with a good career coach will help facilitate a broader perspective on your personal and professional situation. They can work with you to uncover that clarity, help you set goals and to identify and take advantage of new opportunities. Opportunities you may never have thought of.
- Confidence
A high level of confidence can help you to stand out when interviewing for a new role, asking for the promotion or applying for a board of directors seat. Being able to clearly articulate your achievements, your real value, and what your marketable strengths are, immediately sets you apart from many of your peers. Careers are long. Confidence can ebb and flow with the years. Having someone impartially supporting your decisions can be critical for long term success.
- Consistency
Working with a career coach will help you to make and keep your commitments to yourself. We become your “accountability partner”. Often after we have discussed a goal or a promised task I will ask a client what they are willing to put on the line if they don’t do what they say they will do. That means you have skin in the game to effect the change you say you want to make.
Finding a Career Coach That Works for YOU
One size does not fit all.
A critical aspect of a coaching relationship is the connection. Similar to a mentor/mentee relationship, ensuring that you have the correct relationship and chemistry is important. Many prominent career coaches blog on their own website, write on LinkedIn or Medium or get interviewed in the media. Follow their content and get a sense of who may resonate with you. Then ask to speak for 20 minutes or so to find out how it will feel when you are speaking and working together.
For instance, I work a lot with clients who may be job seekers, looking to negotiate multiple job offers or land their next promotion or gig faster, improve their job satisfaction or do a successful ‘career pivot’/career transition. Mid-career can be a challenging time – different from starting out or winding down for retirement. Workplace ageism is unfortunately still alive and impacting people’s careers.
However, I am not a career counsellor. They are more generic and and often for early in your career (eg. a school career counsellor).
Nor am I what the industry refers to as a “co-active coach”.
Most of my clients would attest that I have a direct and straightforward coaching style and I give direct actionable advice and support. I listen a lot yet I give straightforward and direct actionable feedback. Many times I will do as well as teach my clients (eg write a resume or LinkedIn reach-out scripts).
When you work with a career coach you are investing in yourself yet spending your time, money and energy. The journey may not always be fun yet you should always feel like your coach is on your side!