If you are looking to make a change in your profession but don’t know how to go about it, why not consider career coaching to give you the guidance you need to take the next step?
Career coaching is a diverse progression tool that enables professionals to gain employment, advance in their roles, take on new challenges and even pivot into entirely new careers.
While many professionals may choose to utilise a career coach as an individual, organisations can also benefit from instituting a coaching infrastructure that focuses on building up and supporting skilled, motivated employees.
If you think you might be interested in learning more about the benefits of career coaching, then read on to see if it is for you.
Job hunting
While it is ultimately you that will have to sit down in an interview and convince an employer that you would be an asset to their company, career coaches can help you prepare, maximising your chances of getting that dream job.
Career coaches can review your application material, ensuring that it not only meets company criteria, but that it shows you and your abilities in the best light. Many will also help you prepare for the interview, testing your responses and demeanour via a mock interview, which can also help alleviate some of those initial anxieties.
Early-career professionals
Nowadays finding a job, particularly in industries notoriously difficult to break into, can feel like a full-time career in itself. If and when you do get the role, taking it all in can be a little bit overwhelming. Having a career coach in this instance can give you the confidence and stability you need until you feel more qualified and able to manage independently.
With their industry expertise, career coaches can help guide you in the early days of your career, building up skills in relation to communication, presentations and public speaking. If you are unsure about the way forward, career coaches can help you better understand your long-term goals and how to get there.
Promotion
If you feel as though your career has become stagnant and opportunities are less and less frequent, coaching can offer you an unbiased look at how you are operating, what is achievable for you at your current company and the steps you need to take if you are to meet your own expectations.
Whether you are struggling to advance due to a skills deficit, poor networking, or simply because you have come as far as you can in this particular environment, a careers coach can offer great insight and help you strategise future plans.
Mental health
The majority of people have careers that span decades, so it stands to reason that throughout all of those years, there will be instances where life’s pressures and burdens impact your work.
If you plan to return to work after a traumatic experience or a bout of ill-health, either physical or mental, career coaches can help you work on your confidence, bring you up to speed on any industry changes and support you as you get your career back on track.
By showing you where your strengths lie and encouraging you to get involved with your place of employment again, career coaches can help people returning to the workforce build up the resilience they need to tackle future challenges.
Career pivot
The world is changing and some careers don’t seem 100pc future-proof anymore. With that in mind, some people may be considering a change in profession but doubt that they have the skills, the qualifications or the nerve to do it. This is an area in which career coaches shine.
Career coaches can help you improve your transversal skills, identify areas in which you are lacking, update you on potential qualification requirements and prepare you as best they can for a pivot into a new role.
Be clear about what you want
Hiring a career coach comes with a range of benefits, for example, increased confidence and the opportunity to progress in your career, however, it is important to note that not everyone will have the same experience.
The process, aside from being costly on occasion, can demand a significant investment of your time, so be prepared to make room in your schedule. Additionally, not every career coach is going to be suited to you, therefore you ought to carefully research potential service providers and read reviews before settling on one.
Most importantly, the whole point of procuring a career coach is to help you progress professionally, so be clear about what you expect to gain from the experience and don’t accept less. Once you do that, it’s hard to go wrong.
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