I feel very fortunate to impact the lives of people every day. Often when people come to me, they are at a crossroads in their life. Sometimes they are excited about their next step, yet sometimes they are feeling vulnerable and lost, and are desperate for a clear direction.
I feel lucky that I get to coach them and provide them with the knowledge, tools and resources to set them up for their future.
A typical day for me will consist of some preparations for my upcoming appointments. Looking at questionnaires from what the participant is wanting to gain from their session, then preparing and tailoring my delivery to ensure that their needs are met. This may include researching the industry that they work in, reviewing the latest labour market research and looking at occupational profiles of the sectors that they are hoping to work in.
I may then do some LinkedIn networking and ensure that I am up to date with any industry news or trends. Typically, I will have some group facilitation to plan whether this is for the delivery of work-ready programs, for in-house group workshop delivery, or for a talk at a local secondary school.
I may then talk to an employer about their needs to support a departing employee, and plan and deliver a career transition program for the exiting employee.
I will then deliver the career sessions and follow up with participants from previous sessions.
Why use a Career Coach?
I can give you independent and objective advice. If you spoke to a colleague about your next career move they may be hesitant in their advice as they enjoy working with you and don’t want to encourage you to move on.
If you spoke to a partner about your career goals, which may involve returning to study, they might be hesitant to encourage it because of the financial impact it may have on the relationship.
As a career coach, I can be completely objective, look at your goals without judgment and discuss the reality of you following your dreams.
What can the sessions include?
The sessions are tailored to your individual needs.
These can include;
♦ Career exploration discussions to narrow down the type of career you may be interested in.
These sessions can assist people who are wanting to launch into a new role, industry or take a career leap. My discussions can help you identify your transferable skills (and how these can be highlighted on your resume to give you the best chance of landing a new role) and identify any gaps where you may need to develop new skills to give you the chance of gaining employment in your new industry of choice.
These sessions have a holistic view of how the career will fit into your life to help you develop positive and exciting career goals that will also be realistic as well.
There is nothing worse than someone giving you a career plan that involves 5 years of full-time study to achieve the first goal! This is not realistic for many!
♦ Resume coaching. Are you one of those people who developed a resume when you left school and every time you go for a new job you just cut and paste a few lines and update your skills? Do you know what employers are actually looking for these days and what it takes to write a stand out resume?
I can coach you to refresh an old resume or write a new resume starting from scratch and teach you the skills to self-manage your future job applications.
♦ Job application coaching. Who loves addressing key selection criteria??? NO-ONE! I am yet to find a person who gets excited when a job advert requests that key selection criteria be included! I can teach you how to write well-written responses that are tailored to the position that you are applying for. And that hard-to-write document called a cover letter – I’ve got some good tips for that too.
♦ Interview coaching. It’s a bit like the above point, not many of us love attending interviews and talking about ourselves for a good hour. However, with some interview coaching, I will provide you with a few strategies on how to answer questions, and give you techniques and practical advice to follow in an interview that will make you a stand out candidate.
♦ Job search strategies including LinkedIn profiles. These days you can’t rely on all positions being advertised. Building a strong network and social media brand will help create job opportunities so you can be approached about jobs before they hit the market.
What skills does a Career coach need?
Because I mentor, motivate and coach individuals in my sessions, I must be a good listener, display patience, and empathy while at the same time knowing what questions to ask to promote future thinking in the candidate.
Some people are uncertain, confused and insecure about their future career. I listen to their concerns, work on building their confidence and then assist them in finding a fulfilling career and create a plan to get them there.
What will your new career be?
As a Career Coach, I will ask you lots of questions, listen to your replies, and often rephrase what you have told me to ensure my understanding. Through asking questions and listening to your answers (then asking more questions!), often you will be the one that has the solution!
Through our discussion, I will prompt your thinking by discussing your answers. I will never tell you the one occupation that you need to pursue. I will point you in the right direction to do some research on things such as occupational profiles, then discuss your findings which will help you conclude your future direction.
You are the one that needs to live your career and feel fulfilled. I can guide you but ultimately, it needs to be your decision.
Disclaimer: The material contained in this publication is of a general nature only. It is not, nor is intended to be, legal advice. If you wish to act based on the content of this publication, we recommend that you seek professional advice.
