Even with established career goals, it can be difficult to determine the path that will take you from where you are to where you want to be. You may have researched diverse information related to career advancement, such as how to ask for a promotion or how to land a new job. Often, the career advancement information and advice can feel generic or irrelevant to your current situation. So now, you are considering personalized career coaching. If you have found yourself asking one of the below questions, continue reading.

  • Why should I invest in a career coach?
  • How do I choose a coach, what makes a coach right for me?
  • How do I ensure I get the most out of career coaching?

Why Invest in a Career Coach?

There are several reasons why investing in a career coach may be right for you.  Accountability is often one of the biggest reasons. Just like a personal trainer, a personalized career coach creates accountability for your actions. A career coach can review your goals and help tailor them to match what you really desire out of your career. Once you create clarity around your goals, a career coach will help you create a road map with actionable steps to achieving your goals. Your coach will help you discover and alter the thoughts and actions that sabotage your progress. Subsequently, he or she will keep you accountable for working on each of your action steps.

Besides accountability, a coach will also help you develop the skills you need to grow your career. These skills include communication, awareness, leadership, time management, confidence, and more. A career coach can also help you strategically develop and leverage your network to reach your goals. Assessing your network’s reach and building effective networking skills may be part of the solution, especially if you are moving towards a promotion or landing a new job opportunity. 

If you’re in career transition, a career coach can help you with all facets of the job hunt. Everything from planning your job search, to your social media, resumé, even your interviewing skills. While it may seem counterintuitive to invest money if you’re between jobs, personalized career coaching can lead to an ultimately shorter job search.

EWF International offers a career transition program if you are looking for new opportunities. The program pairs you with a seasoned coach to optimize your job search and get results. Learn how to stand out from the crowd and resonate with hiring managers and leaders. Request more information about the Career Transition Program.

The Art of Choosing the Right Coach

Career coaches are as varied as crayon colors. It’s important you find a personality type that works for you. Beyond finding someone you like, you need to consider what type of personality best motivates you. Think back on the instructors, supervisors, and coaches that were best at motivating you to accomplish more. This is the personality you should look for in a career coach.

You should also look for a career coach with experience that matches your specific situation or industry. A career coach focused on promotions in your industry will not be as effective for you if you’ve decided you want to transition to a new industry. Most career coaches have a wide field of experience. Be upfront about your career background and goals when contacting a coach to see if it’s a match they’re the right coach for you. 
You may also want to consider the gender of your career coach. If you are a career woman, a female career coach may better understand your situation and be able to provide more insightful advice. They may have been through the same situation you are facing. Many career coaches have diverse career backgrounds and their success can be very valuable to you.

As you begin to finalize your coach selection, take a look at their former clients. Do they have good things to say about the career coach? This will give you a good idea of what to expect from the career coach. And when you have your first communication, do you get the sense the career coach “gets” you? Do they understand your position and what you’re trying to achieve through their help?  Another thing to consider is if the career coach was able to provide you with a solid piece of advice in your opening communication. Do you feel like you’re getting value up front and that the coach has a sincere interest in helping you succeed?

How to Get the Most Out of Your Coaching

The best way to avoid wasting your time and money with a career coach is making sure you have a career goal(s) beforehand. A career coach will help your refine your career goals as they learn more about you and what you desire, but it’s important you have a reason for engaging a career coach to begin with. 

Just as you should have a career goal(s) in mind, make sure it’s the right time to engage a career coach. If you are making great progress towards your career goals, it’s probably not the right time to look for a career coach. There will be a time when your current methods fail to get you closer to your career goals and that’s the time you want to partner with a career coach. Do you feel bogged down, stuck in the current level of your career path? Are you planning to ask for a promotion? A career coach can help you prepare. A career coach is also right if you’re looking to make a career change. It’s time to reach out if you’re in career transition or actively on the hunt for a new job.

If you have the WHY and WHEN of engaging a career coach, make sure you are prepared to make the most out of the experience. That means being open to constructive criticism and being prepared to be challenged on your thoughts and actions. Make sure you are ready with a growth mentality. You should expect to change as a part of the career coach process and dedicate yourself to becoming uncomfortable and doing the work to improve yourself.

Part of making the most of your career coaching experience is ensuring none of the coaching falls through the cracks. That means taking good notes during your career coaching sessions. You can also ask your coach if it’s all right for you to record your session to use as a review and reference between sessions. Because so much of the success of career coaching is your implementation, keep a rigorous journal of what happens between your sessions so you can get feedback and discuss with your career coach. 

Personalized Career Coaching with EWF International

Following these guidelines you can ensure your personalized career coaching pays dividends. If you’re looking for the right career coach partner, EWF International offers career and business coaching services. Our career coaching services can help you define your success and build the roadmap to achieve it with practical advice along the way. Learn more about EWF International’s coaching services.

If your WHY and WHEN aren’t ready, we offer other resources and training opportunities for women at every step of the career path that can help you define and achieve your desired career. See all EWF International has to offer.