Enjoying your job and choosing a career that’s right for you can be a challenge. Quite often, we’re too busy working in the job to find the energy and mental clarity to work on our career. That’s where Career Coaching comes in.
Finding a good Career Coach can be life-changing and can help you discover what your best life at work looks like, making the most of your skills, experience, values and aspirations. 🚀
But how do I know if I need a coach? Is it right for me? And, in an unregulated industry, how do I go about choosing the right coach to work with?
Fear not! Here are 5 steps you can take to help you choose a career coach that is right for you. Stuck for time? Here a quick summary PDF.
1.What is your focus?
Your first consideration should be on what type of support you require. Is this about finding a career you love, or are you looking to enjoy your current job more or perhaps do you need help and support with the job application/interview process? Understanding what support you need and why is a first step to getting the help you need.
Sometimes you might be seeking help in getting clear on your options or becoming unstuck in your career. Rather than allowing this confusion to freeze you in your tracks, acknowledge that in this case, what you are seeking is career clarity. Career coaches are trained to support you in getting unstuck.
2.Do you need a coach?
Next, ask yourself if you need a coach. There are lots of resources available to you already – books, videos, podcasts etc, and you may already have a support partner you could work with that would support you. Here is a list I have already put together for you.
This is where a good dose of self-awareness helps. For example, understanding your support needs and thinking about what competencies you already have to support you in your career challenge. In addition, evaluating whether these alternative resources will be enough to resolve your challenge.
There are other alternatives to coaching you might want to consider, such as the excellent Convoy Community, a group of people on similar journeys, each with their own destination working together to achieve a goal.
3.Where to find a coach?
Finding a coach should, in theory, be relatively easy. There are lots to choose from, and they tend to market their services far and wide. But finding the right coach for you can be a little bit more challenging. If you have done the first 2 steps, however, you will know the kind of support you need and will have identified coaching as the way to achieve your goal.
Armed with information, you could ask your network for recommendations based on your needs. For example, ‘Hey, can anybody recommend a good career coach that works with you to make a career transformation?’
The internet is also a good source of information. Using your search terms such as transformational career coach or career coach to help me to love my job. There are also several good websites to look at:
4.How to shortlist some coaches you might want to work with
Once you have selected several coaches that you might be interested in working with, you will need to find out how they work and whether they are suitable for your needs.
Here are some considerations and questions:
- What tools and models do you use?
- What are your typical client results?
- Ask them about their experience and qualifications
- The industry isn’t regulated but the main coaching bodies - AC, EMCC and ICF all have coach accreditation schemes and, if you can, you should seek a coach who is accredited.
- Another benefit of seeking an accredited coach is that they will be committed to a Global Code of Ethics.
- Also, ask to see their recommendations and testimonials. Also check their LinkedIn profile for recommendations and other social proof.
You also want to ask them the practical details:
- How much do they charge?
- How many sessions are included?
- What delivery method will they use?
- Do they have Professional Indemnity (PI) Insurance?
- Do they have a coach supervisor? This is a requirement for any coach who has achieved accreditation status.
5. How to engage a coach?
Once you have gathered your information, you will be in a much stronger position to decide whether you want to go ahead with your preferred option. At this stage, it would be advisable to have a discussion with the coach and get a sense of how you get along together and to ensure the chemistry works between you.
This informal discussion can be an excellent time to share your goals and objectives and understand the approach they will take, for example, what models they might use.
If you are happy with your choice, well done. Now it’s time to engage your coach and get started! 🚀
So, I hope you have found these points useful. You can find a summary PDF here. This 5-page guide will help you to choose a career coach that is right for you.
If you are interested in finding out more about career coaching with me have a look at my website to see the many ways I can help you in your career.
If you are unsure about career coaching, let’s have an informal chat.
