Do You Need A Career Coach?
Can you think of any great athletes, actors, artists, and others who have NOT extensively used coaches to help perfect their skills? This makes us wonder why anyone else, in business or otherwise, believe they’re maximizing their career without the use of a Career Coach?
There are many situations where a Career Coach would be very beneficial. If you’re looking to get into a new career, having someone who is a Career Coach would help guide you in how to get your foot in the door. Or if you’re looking to advance in the current career, Career Coaches are there to help you take the steps needed to eventually take that leap into success.
Having a coach for your career will assist you in focusing on what steps you need to take to your goals. Trudy Steinfeld said that, “A job search can be a marathon — challenging and exhausting, as well as exhilarating. Like any athlete, having a coach can help you manage the rough stretches, focus your energies, improve your skills, and help make you the success you want to be.”
A career coach is someone who is there to guide you during big career decisions. They’re someone who will give you personalized guidance based on your situation when general tips just don’t work anymore. They have learned a certain set of skills that allow them to be your motivator, strategist, and accountability partner.
So how do you go about finding a coach?
There are lots of resources online where you can find a Career Coach, however there’s one place that already looks at coaches that appear highly-qualified. The Muse offers a platform called Coach Connect that gives you access to tons of coaches to choose from to have a one-on-one session with. Just to note: There are contractual agreements between the career coaches and The Muse. Also, one can find a local listing of career coaches at The Professional Association of Resume Writers and Career Coaches.
Now to figure out which coach is going to be the best fit for you, Adrian Granzella Larssen suggests that you start out by asking yourself these three questions:
- What type of person do you work best with?
- Who can help you with your specific situation?
- How much do you want to spend?
There is a price that comes with great coaching, but they do come highly recommended. Wouldn’t you want to make an investment in your future and your career?
Prices can vary depending on which type of service you need, but just know that good coaches don’t come cheap and you can really put the phrase, ‘you get what you pay for’ to work in this sense. Some coaches offer simple packages, like the previously mentioned Coach Connect, where you are given the option to pick between a Mentor ($100 for 30 minutes), Coach ($200 for 45 minutes), or Master Coach ($480 per hour), each one increasing in price but also increasing in value.
Most coaches offer their services based on service calls, Skype, or in person meetings where you’ll begin with where you currently are and where you hope to be. These conversations will typically range from anywhere between 30 minutes to an hour, or longer in some cases, and depending on what you need, you’ll have at least two of these meetings. Some coaches require at least some of the payment up front and then the balance will be due later after your services are met, while most coaches require the entire payment upfront.
The Takeaway
Career Coaches are amazing people who are there to help guide you when you feel stuck, want to make a move, grow your career and need some advice on where to begin in taking the next steps. Coaches are beneficial for anyone no matter what stage they’re at in their careers.
Tell us how you would use a Career Coach and what stage you’re in your current career. Have you used a Career Coach before? How did it impact you?
Going Live 2017!
