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An established specialist ‘niche’ within the growing professional coaching
community.
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Business people - managers and professionals and entrepreneurs who want to
make changes in their working lives for the better.
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What kind of situations can a career coach assist with?
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- Career transitions - either voluntary or enforced redundancy following restructuring or mergers and acquisitions
- 'round pegs in square holes' - individuals in the wrong slot who recognise their need to move over, up or out of the organisation
- new role/promotion or changes to a new industry/sector
- employment to self employment, contract or interim working
- succession planning
- fast track, graduate development or mid career plateaux
- retirement and 'scaling down' issues
- portfolio lifestyles and their implications
- diversity issues and generational differences in the work place
- new skills acquisitions and career development opportunities i.e. secondments
- lack of clarity of direction for next move
- ‘being stuck in a rut’ but not knowing what other options there are
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What kind of help do clients ask for?
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Very often, clients ask for help with career direction and generating realistic choices.
Within these areas a career coach can work with an individual on a wide range of topics covering
personal competencies, values and needs identification, life & work goals, researching
alternatives, searching the job market, presenting and interviewing
skills, training needs analysis, psychometric assessment, negotiating the best deal,
action planning and career development plans.
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Why choose a career coach rather than a life coach?
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A career coach will focus primarily on your working life rather than your personal life.
However, the work that is done will usually impact on your whole life!
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What specialist knowledge and tools does a career coach use?
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The most important is an ability to motivate and encourage someone who is
facing challenging times ahead. A background in humanistic psychology or
a related discipline can be helpful but is not a prerequisite! More
important is to have lived through a number of experiences yourself and
proved yourself to be a survivor. Also, it is very useful to be aware of
career related tools and resources on the market and to be properly certified
to administer assessments when needed. Crucially, all coaches, irrespective
of specialism need to subscribe to a code of professional conduct when
working with clients.
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How can I check that a coach is properly qualified?
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You need to ask them which school of training they are a graduate of and how many
hours they have accumulated working as a coach. For accreditation purposes, the
International Coaching Federation requires a minimum of 750 hours. Ask for
testimonials to their work.
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How long does a typical coaching relationship last?
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Usually a minimum of 3 months, in order for new habits and knowledge to be
assimilated into daily practices.
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What is the best reason to invest in a career coach?
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To recognise that investing in yourself to develop your potential will bring lifelong
returns to you and to those with whom you live and work. |
