5 Benefits of Working with a Career Coach

Whether you are at the beginning of your career, in between roles, considering launching a job search, or wanting to move up in your current company, you’re looking at a bit of work to get through the process. You can be like most people and take all this on yourself, which is certainly one viable option. But what about elevating your game? If you want to reduce the time it takes to make your move and get a better job with a higher salary, working with a career coach may be the perfect route to get you there. Here, we’ve compiled the top five benefits for choosing to partner with a coach who specializes in supporting you during your career search.

1. You’ll Be Held Accountable (and Motivated!)

There’s a reason that successful athletes and business professionals use coaches: they help them to be even more successful. In working with a career coach, you’ll meet regularly (likely weekly) to develop and implement a plan to move you along your career path. You’ll have marching orders, projects, and tasks to complete before your next session. And your career coach has a personal stake in helping you meet your goals since they wouldn’t be in business without a strong record of accomplishment.

But it’s not all rah-rah cheerleader stuff. Your coach will be honest with you. If you don’t do what you said you would, expect to be called on it. And if you are missing something that’s in your blind spot, they’ll pull it front and center so you can see it.

At the same time, your career coach will celebrate your victories and help you thrive. They are sounding boards, support systems, and a strong cup of coffee to get you going when you would rather quit. It’s no wonder the leaders in their professions work with coaches.

2. You Can Grow Professionally and Personally

A coach is going to challenge you. And since work intersects with life, they will get to the core of what makes you tick and what matters most to you to really help you reach your goals. They may challenge you to learn new skills, whether those are technical, professional, or personal. And they will help you gain clarity around what you genuinely want to do, which in turn, will help you find your passion. If you are ready to stretch yourself and make real strides in your life, you should be working with a career coach.

3. You’ll Identify and Develop Your Professional Brand

As you start to look for a new job, whether in your current organization or elsewhere, you’ll need to market yourself. To do that, you must identify and develop your professional brand. A resume writer can help you do this by putting it down on paper, but you need to be comfortable with what that brand is—and that’s where working with a career coach comes in.

Your career coach helps you identify your mission, vision, and values, which lend themselves perfectly to crafting your professional brand. A coach will support you through the process of digging deep within yourself, asking yourself questions about who you are now and who you want to be, professionally and personally (since they are, after all, related).

While working with a career coach isn’t the same as therapy, there are some aspects that do overlap. Get ready to question who you are and what value you can provide. All that information will help you make a real difference for employers as well, on your resume, LinkedIn, and in your interview.

4. You’ll Set Clear Career Goals

You can only arrive at your destination when you know where you’re going. And it’s a lot easier to get there when you have a clear roadmap. That’s how working with a career coach can really pay off. As a sounding board and advisor, a coach helps you navigate through difficult career decisions and transitions. They can help you shift from coasting through job after job to taking charge of your career path. In fact, a career coach can also define a job vs a career—and put you on the path for the one that’s right for you.

Best of all, a career coach will work with you to develop a roadmap to your next great position, which usually includes creating a job-search strategy. How awesome would it be to have someone on your side who is able to point out potential pitfalls and steer you in a better direction?

5. You’ll Become an Interview Superstar

Let’s face it: interviewing is stressful. How should you answer that challenging question? What should you ask? This is one of the major reasons job seekers choose to work with a career coach, so they are better prepared for the interview.

Unlike doing mock interviews on video or with family and friends, your career coach will be impartial—and honest. They’ll tell you not only where you hesitated and tripped over yourself but how you can get better and more comfortable. Since they know about your experience, they can help you craft great responses to the questions you’ll be asked. Plus, because they are familiar with what you really want from a job and company, they can work with you to write some telling questions to ask during your interview.

Should You Be Working with a Career Coach?

In a competitive job market, job seekers are looking for a leg up, a way to edge out the other applicants. While you know that you need a great resume to garner attention, there’s so much more to your job search. Do you really have a handle on your personal and professional goals? What about the type of job that will drive your passion? Are you ready to get in the trenches and hash out a salary negotiation?

These are the biggest benefits of working with a career coach.

If you feel you need a little more support, you may want to consider this crucial step of engaging a career coach. Remember, the most successful people in the world work with coaches; why shouldn’t you?

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