Maybe you don’t know which career will bring you fulfillment, you’re struggling to move on from a terrible past job, or you’re not getting very far in the interview process. Career coaches can help you figure out what you want to do, understand what’s preventing you from advancing in your professional goals, and endure the ups and downs of job hunting. The author presents five reasons you might consider hiring a career coach and five tips on how to choose the right one for you.
Career coaches provide a range of services, from helping you figure out what you want to do to exploring opportunities for professional growth to supporting you through the ups and downs of looking for a new job. Engaging with a career coach requires an investment of time and money, so it’s important to do your due diligence to determine if working with one will help you accomplish your goals and if so, which coach might be the right fit for you. Here are five reasons you might consider hiring a career coach and five tips on how to choose one.
When do you need a career coach?
You don’t know what you want to do next.
You’re aimlessly searching LinkedIn, and every job feels like a job you can do, but you aren’t sure what you actually want to do. When family or friends try to help you narrow down your choices, their suggestions may be informed by what they’ve seen you do in the past or what’s the “easiest” career or job to move into — not necessarily what resonates with you. If you don’t know which career or job will bring you fulfillment, a coach can help you consider possibilities that might be a departure from your past experience or that you hadn’t considered.
You aren’t sure how to make your resume substantive and also simple.
Resumes need to showcase the right skills and capabilities to do the job at the level being advertised. A career coach can help you position your skills in the context of a potential role — especially transferable ones that don’t match up exactly with what’s in the job description. Not all accomplishments, no matter how great, belong on a resume. A career coach can help you determine what experience is relevant to the job you’re applying for and simplify your resume and LinkedIn profile with one message that will position you to attract recruiters’ attention.
You aren’t over your ex — job, that is.
Maybe you have or had a job that made you angry, sad, or anxious, and you’re struggling to move on from that horrific experience. Too many people think the next job will make that negativity go away, but it’s not that simple.
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