According to Alison Doyle, About.com’s job searching expert, a career coach is “a person who will help you attain your career and employment goals. A career coach may or may not be a certified career counselor. In many locations, accreditation is not required to provide career coaching services.” Given this description, can career coaches be helpful to – and are they affordable for – entry-level professionals?
“While colleges and universities do an excellent job of training their students in critical thinking and providing certain professional skills, students often graduate without clear career goals, misguided expectations about compensation, a lack of familiarity with the various corporate cultures they may find themselves working in and without proper training on résumé preparation and interview techniques. These are all areas a career coach can help recent graduates assess and position themselves accordingly,” said Andrea Henderson of Renaissance Staffing. (Note: Students who reference this article receive a $10/hour discount on Renaissance Staffing services.)
The following are benefits of hiring a career coach:
1. Gain a better understanding of hiring managers’ preferences. “Entry-level candidates often do not have a substantive understanding of the work world, feel overwhelmed and have little notion of where to start a job search campaign,” said Judit E. Price, MS, IJCTC, CCM, CPRW, of Berke and Price Associates. “They are not familiar with the key criteria by which they are judged and are often ignorant of what determines a successful interview. Finally, students take for granted the value of internships, not appreciating that employers are looking for experienced employees.” (Note: Price offers a free, no-obligation introductory session and occasionally provides limited pro bono services under special circumstances.)
Melanie Szlucha of Red Inc., adds, “The challenge is that, in the majority of the cases, Gen Y is interviewing with Gen X. Each generation has a different idea of what is appropriate or not. A career coach explains these cultural differences between the two generations to help the entry-level candidate land the job.”
2. Being unemployed (or underemployed) costs a lot more than coaching. “Every day you are not gainfully employed costs you money,” said Miriam Salpeter, M.A., of Keppie Careers. “If a coach can get you on the right track, with a great résumé and strategy before you flounder for months blindly applying to jobs online, you'll save time, money and sanity. If your résumé isn't top-notch, you may not appear qualified for the salary that you seek or deserve.”
3. Discover your passion(s). “Individuals who take time to explore and decide on one to two well-suited career options significantly increase their chances of enjoying and being successful in their work,” said Sunny K. Lurie of Fast Focus Careers. “In the ‘real world,’ people get ahead fastest, are most successful and are happiest when they know clearly how to state what their highest and best contribution can be. The key ingredient is the ability and knowledge of how you can contribute.”
4. Develop good habits. “It’s like having a personal trainer for your career,” said Jeanine Tanner “J.T.” O’Donnell, a career coach and workplace consultant. “The sooner you get into good habits and have the right information, the quicker you can get on track to reaching and exceeding your goals. You also avoid falling into bad habits that can be hard to undo. So, career coaching is the best way to develop your career strategy and skill sets.” (Note: O’Donnell offers a free 20-minute consultation by phone to anyone who is thinking about using career strategy services.)
Greg Barrette, a CAREEREALISM intern for O’Donnell, even advises those still in college to begin working with career coaches. “It’s never too early to learn how to properly brand yourself.”
5. Avoid mistakes. “Today, more than ever before, an individual cannot afford to make an employment mistake,” said Bill Lins, CPC, of PMA Consulting. “This is especially true in the early years of a career. Like building a house, the cement of your first few years is the foundation of your estate. A career coach has the ability to guide the entry-level professional where they need to go from day one as opposed to becoming a wandering generality.” (Note: Lins does not charge for initial recommendations and advice.)
Jenny Yerrick Martin of Momentum Advantage Career Services adds, “The advice grads receive on their own is generally from peers and well-meaning adults who do not have any insight into the market or on what the grad might be best suited for. Having a professional review their skills, interests and personality traits with them, and figure out based on the market they are entering the best first step on their professional path, increases the likelihood of them finding a job that will provide them personal satisfaction and position them for career success.” (Note: Martin offers a free 10-minute career consultation or résumé review.)
Okay, so engaging a career coach is highly recommended, but is it affordable? It really depends on the service(s) you desire and the coach you choose. If getting your career off to the right start is important to you, perhaps you should whisper in your parents’ ears that a session with a career coach would make an excellent holiday or graduation present.
Find a career coach:
International Coach Federation
National Career Development Association
Professional Association of Résumé Writers and Career Coaches
Career Management Alliance
Career Directors International
International Coach Federation
National Career Development Association
Professional Association of Résumé Writers and Career Coaches
Career Management Alliance
Career Directors International
Comments
There are web sites where people can check out what employees have to say about some employers, as well.
I highly recommend people look for current and former employee comments before they accept the first offer.
For decades there have been companies in my metro area that have very bad reputations as a place to work. I made the mistake of thinking one may have changed after it got a new CEO, and went to work there. I quickly saw it deserved it's bad reputation and now I'm stuck with having them on my resume.
Resist the temptation to work at those kinds of companies.
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