6 Ways Career Coaches Can Ensure Better Career Experiences

Have you thought about hiring a career or life coach? Perhaps you wonder if hiring a career counselor is worth the time and expense. You may wonder if someone who has never met you before can offer sound advice on how to advance your career.

Here are some ways your life coach or career counselor can help you.

Good Counselors See Right Through You

A career counselor may assist you in realizing that you have chosen the wrong job.

Perhaps you are in the wrong profession. Maybe you studied a particular subject in college for the wrong reasons. Perhaps you went into a job because of your family’s involvement in the industry. It could be that you went into a field, enjoyed it for many years, and now realize that your career needs have changed. A lot of people tend to feel this way, in fact, most people change their careers 5-7 times. A counselor will help you determine this by taking in a number of factors like going into upper management positions, whether you take initiative in your job, and most importantly, whether you feel challenged.

A good counselor will be able to ask the right questions to determine if your chosen field is right for you based on your reasons for entering the profession.

A career counselor can help you analyze your skills to find the right job

We are happiest when we are well-suited to our careers. Your career counselor should help you analyze your strengths and weaknesses to determine what job is the best for you.

A career counselor may have you take placement tests to determine what fields are right for you. The problem with career placement tests is that some people don’t have an accurate view of their strengths or weaknesses. Or they may take the tests desirous of a particular outcome and answer the questions dishonestly.

A good career counselor looks at the whole picture

Besides looking at the results of placement tests, he or she should get to know you. A career counselor should ask you about your motives for your career choice. He or she may be able to determine whether your personality is conducive to particular fields or not.

Keep in mind that the career counselor may give you the news that you don’t want to hear. He or she is not in the business of being a cheerleader or offering platitudes that “you can do anything.” If you struggled to pass basic math and science classes, you aren’t going to be an engineer.

A career counselor should be a resource to help you find training and educational opportunities in your chosen field

Once you have determined a field that you would like to explore, your career counselor should assist you with this part of your journey. That means that your counselor should be knowledgeable about local or online programs that offer training or education in particular careers.

This professional should be resourceful. If you want to job shadow an occupational therapist, he or she should have resources to make that happen. If you want to know where you can receive training to become a motorcycle repair person, he or she should be able to direct you to training programs in your area. If you had a negative experience at your last job, your counselor should be able to direct you on when you need to hire a worker’s compensation lawyers or not. This person should be an expert on all aspects of “work.”

A good career counselor should help you with writing or editing your resume

Once you have chosen a career and been trained in your industry, your career counselor should help you in writing your resume. Whether or not writing is your strong suit, it is imperative that you have several other qualified people look at your resume before submitting it to potential employers. Your career counselor should have the skills to offer valuable resume-writing advice.

A career counselor should be able to help you with your interview or presentation skills

Unfortunately, some of the best people don’t get the jobs that they applied for because they struggle with interviewing. Some candidates get so stressed that they crumble when answering even the easiest questions.

Your counselor should assist you with this process. He or she should help you practice your answers to common interview questions.

If you need health advice, you consult with a doctor. When you need legal help, you find an attorney. Why would you leave such an important aspect of your life to chance? Why wouldn’t you spend a few bucks to get advice on how to have a productive, rewarding professional experience?

Consult with a life coach or career counselor today.