You may be a recent college graduate, or you may be a mid-career professional looking to change careers. In either case, you have been looking for a job but not having much luck. One option to help your job search, whether you are having difficulty or not, is to hire a career coach. Is it something you should consider?
Career coaches can help you with many different job goals, including:
1. Helping you to learn more about yourself, including your particular strengths, so that you can better present them to an employer.
2. To help you get motivated to give your job search that extra effort
3. To help you gain the skills you need to conduct an effective job search – things like resume and cover letter writing, interviewing and networking
4. To give you strategies for maintaining a healthy work-life balance
5. To help you make progress in your job search, especially if you find yourself in rut and not going anywhere
If you have decided that you need a career coach, the next step is finding a good one. Here you may face a bit of a challenge. The first thing to know is that career coaches do not have to be accredited or licensed like some other counselors. Pretty much anyone can hang out a shingle advertising themselves as a career coach.
So, how should you go about finding one who is competent? You can start by checking with friends and colleagues to see if they can recommend anyone. Check with state licensing boards to see if any other counselors or psychologists also offer career coaching services.
Other ways of determining if a career coach is competent and qualified:
1. See if the person is a member of a coaching organization.
2. Look at their education and experience. Do they hold any certifications relating to career counseling?
3. Check into what they charge and how reasonable their rates are.
4. Get some references from people they have worked with in the past
5. Talk to them about what kind of approach they use and what theories inform their practice
6. Check with the Better Business Bureau to see if any complaints have been made about the person
If you want to move your career forward, the people at Opti Staffing can help. We have the knowledge and the network to find the right job for you. Give Opti a call today.