A career coach provides expert advice, support, and guidance to individuals seeking a career in any given field. A professional career coach may provide guidance and support to individuals that are just entering the workforce or those seeking a career change. Career coaches are objective listeners that have the ability to assess where clients are now and how clients can get where they want to be. To accomplish this, a career coach will developing a plan, goals, and action steps customized to each individual.
Top career coaches typically have an advanced degree, more than 10 years of experience in the areas of business, teaching, or other leadership roles, and a proven record of accomplishment in their respective career fields.
During a typical session, a career coach will:
- -Cover resume and cover letter writing
- -Go over interview preparation and execution
- -Teach you how to write interview follow-up letters with impact
- -Assess your skills, experience and interests
- -Cover common mistakes you might be making
- -Discuss strategies for strengthening your job search activities
- -Discuss proactive tactics for developing meaningful job leads
- -Discuss strategies for starting and/or growing a valuable network
- -Develop tactics for maximizing your network of professional contacts
- -Teach you how to stay memorable throughout the interview process
- -Cover solutions for perfecting follow-up interviews
- -Teach you how to negotiate salary and benefits
- -Help you build and maintain confidence as a jobseeker
- -Teach you how to stay memorable throughout the interview process
- -Cover solutions for perfecting follow-up interviews
- -Teach you how to negotiate salary and benefits
After all of these areas have been covered, you can expect overall improvement of your quality of life, clarity of career and job search goals, enhanced self-awareness and direction, and better career management skills.
Hiring a career coach can be expensive, but if you hire the right career coach, their services will prove invaluable. Career coaching services can range from $125 to $500 per hour or from $375 to $3,000 per package. If you’re still on the fence about hiring a career coach, you can decide whether or not you need one by considering the following:
- -You need help crafting a resume or cover letter
- -You’re bored or frustrated with your job, but have no idea what other work you may be qualified to do
- -You’re sending out resumes, but the phone just won’t ring
- -You need someone to answer to keep you on track
- -Your career is at a standstill
- -You need help with setting yourself apart from other job seekers
- -You’re open to new ideas and open to hearing some harsh truths about yourself
- -You want to move to the next step in your career and become successful
How to Find a Top Career Coach
One of the safest ways to find a top career coach is by referral. You should ask friends and people in your network for names and contact information. Rarely will the people in your network or friends steer you in the wrong direction. Check professional organizations for career coaches such as Career Coach Academy, Professional Association of Resume Writers and Career Coaches, and Career Directors International. If you can’t find any referrals and you decide to search online, just make sure you search for coaches with verifiable certifications, credentials, and references.
You should also make sure the career coach:
- -Has been in business for more than two years
- -That he or she is current on career issues
- -Specializes in job search services
- -Is someone that understands personal branding
Remember, you can learn all you need to know about your career coach during an initial consultation. And yes, the best career coaches will be more than happy to schedule a free consultation.
