A more formal definition of career coaching from the International Federation of Coaching (ICF) states that a career coach partners with you in a thought-provoking and creative process that inspires you to maximize your personal and professional potential.
The role of a career coach is to help you achieve your career goals and aspirations through a systematically planned approach and goal setting. A career coach helps you understand your strengths and weaknesses, explore different avenues of your interests and empower you to pursue your career goals.
The aim of career coaching is to empower you to reach your true potential. Typically, we have two kinds of approaches to career coaching:
If you who feel stuck, confused and don’t know what is the next move in your career, “Ongoing Results Coaching” is apt for you. If you feel a general lack of direction or lack of motivation and find your career not fulfilling as you expected it to be, then this approach can help you create more awareness about yourself and your career aspirations.
Here a career coach helps you to
This would be an ongoing process. Agenda of each coaching session will be decided by you and you may choose to discuss different issues on a need to need basis. The rates are charged on a per hour or per session basis.
If you are someone who knows clearly what your goals are, then you could benefit from this approach of career coaching. For example, increasing your annual income by 2X, getting a promotion next year, being more assertive in communication, developing negotiation skills etc
Although you may know what you want you may be confused about how to go about your goal. There may be different ways to achieve it but you may not know which one to choose. Or you may find yourself lost because there are too many obstacles stopping you from not achieving your goal.
With meticulous planning and high level of ownership from the client, goal is achieved without getting overwhelmed and balancing other activities in life.
As a coach working with this type of client requires high level of preparation. This is a highly result oriented activity and often needs extensive research, meticulous planning and external support outside the 1-1 coaching session. For example, we use coaching tools such as SMART goal setting, quarterly goals planner, SWOT, Action- Priority matrix to achieve result oriented goals.
Here the agenda for each session is pre-decided, questions and assignments are customized and the goals are well defined. These are high reward, highly satisfying hence premium priced coaching packages. Here the rates are not charged per session, but for the result.
Before you take coaching..
Set your expectations right before you choose any coaching program. A personal favorite is the result oriented coaching program. This demands high level of commitment and engagement from both the client and the coach and the results are amazing, measurable and out there. Some people start off with ongoing results coaching program and gradually transition to result oriented program once they have their goal clearly defined and feel a sense of urgency to achieve the goal.
Hiring a career coach can benefit you in different phases of your career. Most of us really don’t have the luxury to think about what career to choose when we graduate from college.
We pick up the first offer we get. It’s only after 3-4 years of enjoying the newly found economic independence we start questioning the “purpose”.
In the early stages of your career, a career coach can help you evaluate different career options available, career path and market trends for these options. A coach can help you discover your innate talents, asses your skills & interests and align you to a suitable career option.
However, at this stage finding a mentor in the area that you are willing to explore is highly recommended.
Thirties is when you are finally “settled” with family, own a car and a house. Some are lucky enough to have a healthy work life balance, growth, steady state of income and job security. If you get too comfortable with that lifestyle thenyou start contemplating “Is this what I really want?”
Most of the times, dreams remain as dreams as we think it’s too late to take a U-turn or switch careers or start something new. Also comes the fear of failure. “What if this doesn’t work out?” This is a common question in mind.
At this stage partnering with someone who is non-judgemental and unbiased can get you a new and fresh perspective.
A career coach can help you bring in more clarity and purpose in your decision making. A career coach will hold you accountable for your dreams, help remove hurdles that keep you from moving forward and make sure you stay committed to your goals.
What are your life’s principles? Do they align with the work culture of the company? What are your work-related values? Are these values compromised in your current job? These are some questions that a career coach will dwell upon to help you gain more clarity and focus.
Today people want to retire at forty, especially in a developed country like Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Youplan to work so hard till forty to accumulate all the wealth you can so that you can be flexible with the type of projects you choose in terms of time and effort after forty.
Some may choose to be consultants or advisors to boutique firms that are relevant to one’s area of expertise. Somemay continue in the work force, having already proved your worth in the organization, you may not feel the pressure to perform. In such casesit is very likely that you will experience a “saturation” in career growth and a very valid question that keeps lingering on is “What next?”
Whether you decides to become an entrepreneur or freelance consultant or writer or speaker, venturing into an entirely new territory can seem daunting.
A career coach can support you in pivoting your career. At forty you already know what you want, all you need is a little nudge or motivation to keep moving forward.
A coach creates a safe environment for you to sit and think clearly, structure your thoughts, redefine your career path and rebrand yourself.