What is career coaching?
Career coaching is a type of personal coaching that helps people find greater fulfilment in their careers by establishing professional goals, creating a plan and overcoming obstacles that may be in the way.
Career coaches can help people with a wide array of career-related goals and issues. Some seek career coaching because they’re stuck in a dead-end job that brings no meaning or purpose to their lives, while others are challenged by the demands of balancing their work lives with their personal lives. Some clients know exactly what they want to do with their lives, but need help finding and executing a plan to get there, while others have languished without a clear calling in life. Career coaching helps people with all of these concerns and more.
Career coaches typically have experience and training in a variety of personal career development strategies, including:
Career exploration
Interviewing skills & confidence building
Creative job search strategies
CV and cover letter writing
Career, personality and strengths assessments
Personal marketing and branding
Evaluating prospective employers
Salary negotiations
If you want to know more about career coaching, we’ve tried to answer all of your questions below.
If you are in the market to hire a career coach, these common conditions might sound familiar to you:
You are ready to find a new job that you enjoy more and look forward to going to each day
You fell into your current career and now want to move towards something that you are more passionate about, brings you more joy or is more meaningful.
You are tired of corporate life and want to do your own thing, but aren’t sure what to do or how to get started.
You are applying for college/university or graduating from post-secondary and don’t know what you want to do in life.
Career Coaching FAQs
Here are the answers to some of the common career coaching questions.
What are the Benefits of Hiring a Career Coach?
Support – A coach is there for you. They actively listen to what you are saying and what you aren’t saying. They will create a safe environment where you are comfortable and can talk without judgment. Looking for work can be extremely isolating. Working with a coach provides the necessary support to move forward. A coach provides non-judgmental guidance and can see things from the 30,000-foot view, offering different perspectives and opportunities. They’ll help you identify where you are stuck, what the obstacles are between you and your dream job, and illuminate the path to what you really want.
Structure and accountability – A coach will set up regular coaching meetings with you (by phone, zoom or in person) and assist in developing a plan to achieve your career goals. Looking for work can be frustrating, annoying, and demoralising and it may be difficult to know where to start. Having regular coaching sessions will lend structure and stability to your career transition. A career coach will customise a program to suit your individual needs and meet you where you are, whether at a career crossroad or in job search mode. They will provide the necessary accountability for you to achieve and exceed your goals, far faster than you would on your own.
Focus – A career coach will help you focus on what you really want to do and where you want to do it by identifying your values, interests, talents, and passion. They will help you discover what is important to you and how that relates to finding your ideal career.
Confidence and your personal brand – When you are out of work you may lack self-confidence and your perspective on successfully finding work may become clouded. Career coaching can provide you with fresh perspectives on the challenges and opportunities when finding meaningful work, give you better awareness of your strengths, accomplishments, unique value proposition and your own personal brand.
How much does a career coach cost?
Career coaching fees vary considerably from coach to coach, and are usually based on the coach’s experience, background, and training. Coaches with more experience and training charge more than beginning coaches. Most coaches, however, typically charge in the range of £75 to £250 per hour.
Investing in your career plan is not for everybody. It’s a considerable investment of time and money. Many coaches will ask for a 3 to 6 month commitment to ensure your success so you’re looking at spending, on average, somewhere between £1000 and £2500.
How does career coaching work?
We – the coach matching experts here at Life Coach- have helped hundreds of people find a career coach and it’s no surprise we get so many requests when you consider how much time people spend at a job they hate – or even worse, don’t have (i.e. they’re unemployed).
So the job (pun intended) of a career coach is to help you find a job – but not just any job – a job you love. A career coach does this by offering a range of services. On one end of the spectrum is the personal development side of career coaching that helps you answer the big questions in life such “what are you passionate about?”, “What do you really want to do?” and “What career legacy do you want to leave behind?”. On the other end of the career coaching spectrum are the technical job searching services such as CV writing, preparing for interviews, and developing job searching skills.
Does a career coach help you find a job?
A career coach can aid if you are currently employed and looking to transition to another industry or job or if you are re-entering the workforce. A coach can help you find direction when you lack focus, and don’t know what your next steps are. Whether you are nearing retirement and want to start a whole new career, or are a new graduate fresh out of college or university, a career coach can help ease the transition and get you where you want to go faster and with less stress.
