If you’re wondering whether or not you should get a career coach for your job search, interviews or career development, ask yourself these questions:
- Do I want a better job than I currently have?
- Am I having a hard time getting interviews for jobs I’m qualified for?
- Am I interviewing but not getting the job?
- Am I switching careers?
- Was I laid off or fired?
- Am I stepping back into the workforce after time away?
- Have I just graduated from college?
- Do I need to find a great job quickly?
- Would I like to earn more money?
- Would I like to set myself up for long-term success?
- Do I deserve a raise or promotion?
If you’ve answered yes to any of these, you need a career coach.
How can a career coach help?
Most people don’t know what a career coach does or how they’d help, but good career coaching is a game changer—professionally and financially.
Just recently, I’ve helped:
- A lawyer get a $95K base pay bump
- A Learning and Development professional win a $32K bump
- A Market Access leader snag a 6% raise mid-year (not as part of her annual review)
- A recent college grad get $10K more than expected for his first job
My clients routinely see gains of thousands or tens of thousands of dollars as a direct result of career coaching.
What does career coaching look like?
I offer coaching sessions through Zoom or Skype calls, and what we cover depends on what you need.
For clients in an active job search, you might need one or all of these:
- An upgraded resume and social media presence
- A better strategy to sell yourself for the job if you have no experience or were laid off/fired
- More efficient job search tactics that uncover jobs you haven’t been able to find before
- Better networking skills to get a leg up
- Stronger interview skills to stand out
- Salary negotiating skills (in one hour, I helped a client boost his offer by $50,000)
Many of my clients not currently looking for a new job meet with me once a month for ongoing career management: networking, managing up, asking for raises, or positioning yourself for promotions. I’ve even helped them navigate office politics so their day-to-day work life is smoother and more productive.
Should you have a career coach?
Smarter job search and career management tactics make a huge difference in your job search and career success. It gives you personalized solutions in a fraction of the time it would take you to discover them on your own. Many of my clients see a return on investment from 10X-25X. That’s worth it.