Are career coaches worth it?
From “Without Purpose, Sadly, No.” to “Career Coaches? Helpful or a Scam?”, here are answers to the question, “Are career coaches worth it? Why or why not?”
- Coaching can fire up your career transition process
- Without Purpose, Sadly, No.
- A Career Coach Can Save Your Job
- They Are Worth It
- Career Coaches Keep You Grounded
- A Career Coach is Your Compass to Get Back On Track.
- Career Coaches? Helpful Or a Scam?
Coaching can fire up your career transition process
Investing in a career coach can be worth it in specific cases. One of them is if one is trying to make a career transition. A career coach can help assess your skills and experience, set goals, and create a plan to land your dream job. They can also provide support and accountability as you execute your plan.
If you’re feeling stuck or uncertain about your next steps, working with a coach could help you get clarity and confidence about what you want and how to make it happen. Choosing a coach who is a good fit for you and your needs is essential, so be sure to do your research before making a decision. But if you’re ready to invest in yourself and your future, hiring a career coach could be the best decision you ever make.
Michael Sena, Founder & CEO, Senacea
Without Purpose, Sadly, No.
Good career coaches are expensive. Hiring them to redo your resume or update your LinkedIn profile provides poor value for money. Worse, if you hire a coach as a surrogate friend, cheerleader, or “yes man”, you’re basically burning cash.However, if the coach provides a specific service with a defined purpose, then he/she can be one of the best investments you’ll ever make. Hire one if their negotiation strategies can earn you tangible rewards or their strategic insights can help you steer clear of dead-end career paths and sidestep interview blunders. Good career coaches are more surgeon than psychologist. Before signing, make sure you know the problem and the expected outcome. If you still want to chat, call your mom.
Tim Toterhi , CHRO, Plotline Leadership
A Career Coach Can Save Your Job
I am known as the turnaround coach and am often called when an employee is put on a PIP (performance improvement plan). I haven’t lost a client yet and have saved their jobs. Just think if they had a coach before the issue arrived. How much further along would they be? We all need a coach to help us see what we are missing and how we can grow.
Lorraine Bossé-Smith , Chief Solutions Officer, Concept One LLC
They Are Worth It
Yes, I would say that career coaches are worth it. In my personal experience, a career coach helped me pinpoint the skills and talents I have acquired from work, school and life experiences, enabling me to formulate an individualized job search strategy that got me interviews which eventually led to a new job. The career coach provided invaluable resources in areas such as resume writing, networking options and interview preparation which were key components in at least partly understanding the industry you wish to join as well as improving your chances of success. It was reassuring to have someone who could evaluate my thoughts and ideas with great insight and offer suggestions based on their knowledge of the labor market and hiring trends. Ultimately, the advice I received was fundamental to helping me land an attractive job opportunity that fit perfectly with my goals.
Lorien Strydom , Executive Country Manager, Financer.com
Career Coaches Keep You Grounded
I’ve had several coaches in my professional life, and they always brought value. Their experience and advice can be extremely valuable. They’ll help you think about your career in different ways, and they’ll push you to consider options that you might not normally think about. The greatest value they bring, however, is that they keep you grounded.
By having someone hold you accountable on a regular basis, you can be realistic about your state of progress or stagnation. This helps you with being realistic about your goals, while also setting new ones to aspire to. Without someone available to hold you accountable, you could stay in that stagnation loop for a long time, or you might set goals that are hard to achieve. In both cases, progress is likely to be slow. So, consider a career coach who can help you to set goals that move you forward incrementally, and sustainably.
Dennis Consorte , Digital Marketing & Leadership Consultant for Startups, Snackable Solutions
A Career Coach is Your Compass to Get Back On Track.
The value of a career coach depends on the needs of the person seeking help. If you have a clear idea of what you want to do and how you want to get there, then a coach might not be necessary. But if you’re lost in the woods with no compass or map, then yes—a coach could be just what you need to get back on track.Coaches can help with many things: they can help you plan out your career path; they can help you find an internship or job; they can even help with networking and interview skills. The list goes on and on! But most importantly, they provide support and guidance when you’re feeling frustrated or overwhelmed by the process of finding or changing careers.
Kimberley Tyler-Smith , VP, Strategy and Growth, Resume Worded
Career Coaches? Helpful Or a Scam?
Much of the career advice and practices out there can be accessed for free at public libraries or other search support systems such as community groups, universities or government led organizations. Frankly, these resources should be explored first if you’re looking to invest in a career coach as you may be able to get your needs met without spending anything.
The industry is not regulated so for every amazing coach out there, there are some bad eggs. A great career coach asking the hard questions, helping you learn more about yourself than you were able to do on your own and assisting you with developing a strategic plan to move forward toward goals will make all the difference in your career and the length of time it takes to achieve what you set out to do.The key is to find a really good one for your needs. A good coach will offer a free consult and be as invested in you finding the right fit for your needs as you are, not just trying to make a sale for their program or course.
Nikki Ryberg, MHRLR, CPRW, GCDF , Career Coach, Ryberg Group, LLC
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