What Is Career Coaching? | Author: Susan Heim
First Off, What Exactly Is Career Coaching?
If you are looking for a job in today’s tough job market, you already know it is not fun. You have probably spent countless hours on the internet emailing hundreds of resumes and customized cover letters. And most likely, they have resulted in a continuous stream of rejections or no responses at all. If this describes you, you are living proof of how frustrating, discouraging and demoralizing job hunting is. How does the saying go? You can’t do the same thing over and over again and expect different results. In order to change the outcome, you probably need personalized career coaching. A career coach is a professional in the business of getting you properly primed to market yourself to employers.
Getting In The Door
Career coaching is not just about figuring out what you want to be when you grow up. Rather, it offers you an opportunity to let fresh eyes review your job search campaign. If your resume and cover letters have not worked for you yet, then chances are a career coaching session will help you find a different perspective. A personal career coach can help position your LinkedIn profile, resume and cover letter to make it shine. They can assist you with the art of networking and give you pointers on crafting the best answers to interview questions.
While you might be able to obtain all this information on the internet, a career coach can help you personalize it in a style that is natural for you. Furthermore, if this tough economy has made it necessary for you to change careers several times, career coaching can help you spin it in a positive light. These are all necessary strategies you need to employ to get your foot in the door for an interview.
Landing The Job
Actually, you will most appreciate career coaching after a recruiter notices you. This is when your emotions will run high to let nervousness set in. Career coaches don’t just help you prepare to ace the interview; they also guide you with negotiating the terms of your employment contract.
For example, we all know that employers must offer vacation time. However, did you know that they legally do not have to pay you for this time off? A seasoned career coach can refer you to an experienced employment lawyer who can review your employment contract. Armed with proper legal input, your career coach will help you address all negotiation points to ensure your employment contract works to your benefit. And a career coach will also help you mitigate ‘mouse-traps’ within your contract that can come back later to bite you in the event that your employment relationship goes sour.
On Boarding
Your relationship with your career coach can continue well after you have landed your job. The first month at any job is when you have to make a good first impression. This is when you will value having a trusted confidante at your side. You will need to adjust to an unknown workplace culture and deal with varying personalities to build relationships. Your communication style may require adjustments to fit with what your employer requires. And in some cases, you may have to deal with co-workers not happy about having you on the team. You might need to deal diplomatically with pre-existing office politics. Having a career coach in your corner will allow you to maneuver through touchy situations so you come out on top.
The Equity team comprises of numerous professional career coaches and advisors with diverse sets of credentials, experiences and skills. We regularly sub-contracted our services to some of the largest outplacement providers across Canada. Therefore, we stand perfectly poised to offer you solid advice about the job market and your career options.
We will evaluate your needs and inject the missing ingredients to get you back on track. We do not require a commitment for an extensive career coaching consultation. In fact, with most of our clients, a few targeted sessions are sufficient to do the job. We devise a manageable budget and work within that to your advantage.
Give us a call.