Your limited scope of perspective and knowledge only solves your problems superficially. But a career coach does an in-depth analysis and gives you lasting solutions.
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Let’s talk about career coaches. Shall we? You probably have never thought of engaging a career coach but if the following signs are showing in your career, you need to engage one.
Figuring things out on your own is good but it grossly limits you because you may never get to the bottom of the problem. Your limited scope of perspective and knowledge only solves your problems superficially. But a career coach does an in-depth analysis and gives you lasting solutions.
In this article, we explore the signs that indicate your need for a career coach. If you find yourself experiencing the following scenarios, you need to engage the services of a career coach.
1. When you feel like your career has reached a plateau
You have been working at this job for years and you don’t seem to make any progress. There is no promotion on the horizon. Your seniors are not entrusting you with bigger tasks and you want to take on higher challenges.
The monotony of doing the same thing has exhausted you enough and you’re wondering what to do so that you can ascend to the next level in your job.
A career coach will counsel and coach you to reach your goals. There is a difference between career coaching and counseling. According to Upskill Coach, career counseling concentrates on asking you questions that provoke you to think about what you want to do. As a result, they administer tests that focus on pointing out your talents, skills, abilities, interests, values and personality.
In essence, career counseling aims at diagnosing the barriers that stand between you and making progress in your career. Career counselors do this by examining your past experiences and your journey.
On the other hand, career coaches focus on your present circumstances. They then create personalized action plans and goals that facilitate career progression. The coach spends the initial sessions listening to your goals, dreams and aspirations in a bid to capture where you want to go in your career.
When they get that clear picture they come up with a solution-oriented approach to advise you accordingly on the next steps you need to take.
2. When you’re searching for a job
Have you been applying for jobs but are not getting any calls? The few times the employers respond they are just courteously informing you that your application was rejected.
In the same breath, you have gone for several interviews and have never clinched a job. You keep wondering where you go wrong and what you can do to change the tide.
A career coach is your way out of this perpetual failure in your job search. The coach checks your previous applications and helps you understand what the recruiter is looking for. Sometimes you may be qualified for the job but you don’t know how to accurately articulate your competencies. And that’s how those opportunities pass you.
A career coach helps you polish your applications and even helps you discover the right kind of jobs that you should apply for. Surprisingly, the coach might even advise you to apply for jobs in other industries or jobs that are not in your specific career line.
3. When you’re not passing your interviews
Going for interviews can be a nerve-wracking experience and fear is a hard thing to deal with. Far can make you mess up in the interview and end up missing the opportunity for lack of confidence.
Other times you might not know how to properly articulate your qualifications or even prepare adequately.
Career coaching helps prepare you for an interview. The career coach walks you through the possible questions that you’ll encounter and how you can tackle them. The coach will also prepare you by taking you through a mock interview just to ensure that you’ll excel in a real interview.
4. When you want to make a career change and you don’t know how to
You have been in your job for long enough and the satisfaction that you’re looking for in a job is missing. Yes, you’re earning a decent living and you’re crunching the numbers as required but you feel empty. Waking up in the morning to go to work feels like a chore and you have to push yourself to work.
Feeling trapped in your job can be a daunting, agonizing experience. That’s when you have to look within and start looking for your passion. This is one of the areas that a career coach can help you.
You need a coach who will assess your passions and help you identify the occupation that will bring you happiness. They will tell you which industry or line of occupations best fit your skills, passion and abilities.
5. When you want to grow your side hustle into a main hustle
When you want to grow your side hustle and morph into the main hustle, the services of a coach come in handy. Some people view employment as a temporary arrangement for them. Employment for them serves as a training ground for how a business should be run and what to do in case of challenges.
A coach evaluates your schedule, the health of your business and gives you advice on how to sustain your hustle. Sustainability is key. That’s why you need an old hand who has trodden that road before to counsel you on how to navigate through the business.
6. When you can’t seem to achieve a work-life balance
There are times you get so sucked into work that other vital aspects of your life take a hit. This time you notice that you’re spending less time with your family and most of your weekends are sacrificed on the altar of your workload.
With time this starts having bad repercussions on your relationships, your body and your mental health. Sometimes you even notice that your family and friends are making strides in their lives and you missed all that because you were working.
If you just can’t seem to strike a balance and achieve the discipline of good compartmentalizing, you need a coach. You need the coach to help you develop the assertiveness to stop working and attend your children’s functions. They will also teach you how to avoid expending too much energy at work that you’re too drained to spend time with the people that matter most to you.
Conclusion
Even without experiencing extreme signs that reveal your dire need for a coach, the overall necessity of a coach cannot be overstated. You can leverage a career coach’s experience in the field. Carefully analyze your current needs and get a career coach who will prescribe solutions for your career. Then allow them to hold you accountable so that you can achieve the career goals you’ve set.
