Career coaching has been used by white collar professionals for a variety of reasons. Some of my clients have hired me to help them advance their careers within their current company. We’ve identified positions that might offer them more satisfaction and a chance to use skills and talents they’ve acquired over time, but which have been underutilized. In this instance, career coaching has involved strategizing ways to approach higher ups about pursuing new opportunities and developing plans for achieving greater visibility within their organizations.
Clients often hire a career coach based on a desire to pursue educational opportunities that will lead to higher level opportunities and visibility within a particular area of specialization. I’ve helped clients write powerful resumes, bios and essays that have helped them gain admittance to very competitive academic institutions, as well as obtain awards and prestigious fellowships.
A natural time to hire a coach is when a person wants to make a career change. In this instance, career coaching can be used to evaluate current skills and to assess the transferability of these skills to new opportunities. Sometimes such a change requires obtaining additional credentials or certifications. However, frequently there are chances to teach or consult using current expertise.
Career coaching can also help an individual evaluate new opportunities and learn how to research a particular position, company or team. Finding a position that fits your skills and abilities is important, but it’s also critical to know what the organizational or departmental culture is and how open it is to new members. Some teams and departments are very competitive and scapegoat or attempt to expel new members. Knowing how supportive your manager is going to be in terms of your authority to manage projects or a team, is fundamental to finding a long term place for yourself within an organization. Also, if the organization is undergoing fundamental change, with new leadership or changes in organizational structure, this can initiate a period of turbulence with people leaving or being asked to resign as upper management cleans house and looks to instill their vision for the organization. It’s advisable to think twice before entering such an unstable or rapidly changing environment.
Career coaching can also be helpful in learning new management, leadership and team building skills. Because of my background in organizational development, I’m knowledgeable and experienced in teaching clients new ways to approach such management challenges.
My career coaching services also include helping clients develop, tweak or grow their consulting practices; design or launch entrepreneurial businesses or segue out of traditional work to launch freelance careers. Additionally, clients sometimes have hobbies that can be turned into a business. Since I’ve been an entrepreneur all my adult life and have launched two successful consulting practices, I have a special feel for entrepreneurial business and enjoy helping clients envision, research and launch their own ventures.
Career coaching enables clients to assess their needs, interests and talents when it comes to their work life. I believe work should be an arena in which clients are able to express themselves as individuals and experience appreciation for the skills and expertise they bring to the job.