There are different types of coaches and an important segment of coaching is career coaching and they can be found in schools, government institutions or as private operators. Career coaches are on every continent including African and in countries like Ghana, Nigeria, Kenya, South Africa, Liberia, Sierra Leone and frankly almost every country. Career coaching in Africa has been around for decades and is not going anywhere.
If your job search is slacking or you are not able to advance or make career shifts and attain career success, getting a career coach could be an important consideration to excel.
In this article I give you an introduction to career coaching and counselling that can turbo charge your career and move you quickly to the next level. I will cover all the critical elements you need to know in order to start benefiting from coaches.
What is career coaching?
Career coaching is a service offered by a trained and experienced career coaches and counsellors to clients to help them get a job, advance their careers or obtain promotions, earn more and live happy lives. Career coaching makes use of tools, techniques and methods to unearth talents, package talents and skills and to make important career decisions.
A career coach can help job seekers, job returners and job changers think through and evaluate themselves, plan careers, prepare career documents and prepare to take on job interviews and even support with job search strategy development and execution.
Like many other things in life career entry, retention and development are guided by principles, practices and techniques which career coaches are trained to master and help people.
Who is a career coach?
A career coach is a person with the experience and/or certification in career coaching. The career coach has expertise in career discovery, career planning, CVs or resumes, interview preparation, Job search, negotiation and other job skills. Not all career coaches have a certification but may have had several years of experience.
Below are some of the career coaching certifications that career coaches possess.
International coaching federation
Professional Association of Resume Writers & Career Coaches
Career Planning & Adult Development Network
Career Thought Leaders Consortium
Why get a career coach?
The question is why should you get a career coach at all? If you are serious about your career, there are several ways you can benefit from a career coach. Some of the most effective people including those at the top of corporations and organizations use coaches and you can benefit too using coaches.
A career coach can help you in the career discovery phase of your development as they are trained and equipped with tools and frameworks to support you choose a career path. Besides the career path career coaches can help you develop a career plan, job search strategy and hold your hand to land a dream job. At every stage of the career journey they can be helpful in advancing your career development.
Career coaches possess expertise and skills that can help you evaluate and strengthen your CV or resume and Linkedin profile, prepare for interviews, develop and execute a job search strategy, get a raise or promotion, and develop a wealth plan etc.
A career coach can take you by the hand and help you develop a robust CV or resume that will attract attention and jobs from recruiters. If you have a CV they can evaluate it for you and point out weaknesses and help you develop a strong one. If you don’t have CV or resume a coach can help you develop one with in the right format, with the right language and the right ingredients. Without a coach you CV could be flat, weak and unattractive. Mind you CV and resume writing is a skill, why not take advantage of an expert and get the best.
A career coach can help you develop you in interview preparation, hone your skills and master your interviews. The coach will help you on developing the right attitude, answer specific questions well and help you prep and prepare to excel in your interviews. A big gain for anyone looking to get a job.
Career coaches possess lots of networks, exposure and connections that can help your career. In some cases, some coaches can be recruiters, headhunters or know employers that contact them because of their experience in the field,
Also, a career coach can help clients with career guidance and support mechanisms to help you in career successes and development.
How to find a career coach?
To get a good career coach to work with there are several important factors be aware of. Not every career coach will be good for you but the following points below can guide in selecting a career coach.
1. Reviews. The first thing to look out for when looking for a coach is the reviews that other people who have used them in the past leave. A review will be an indicator on the coach and is an important indicator to use in your coach search.
2. Industry. In the career coaching world, coaches focus on working with people in specific sectors. Therefore, when looking for career coaching or counselling also look out for a counsellor that can be more effective in helping you in a specific sector or industry you are interested.
3.Services. Career counsellors are not jack of all trades and specialize in specific aspects of careers and career development. Look out for counsellors and coaches that offer specific support in the areas you are interested. There are coaches specialized in resumes/CVs, job search, negotiations, interviews and more. So, look for a specialized coach.
4. Budget. You have a budget and you should be guided by the amount of money you are willing to spend on coach. A coach could range from a few hundreds of dollars to thousands of dollars per hour. So, look out for a coach you can afford without sacrificing quality.
5. Compatibility. Job coaches take a variety of approaches. Identify which personality type and counseling approach you prefer and use those factors to guide your coach search.
