David leans back in his chair, thinking about his next job. He is a Strategy Planning Manager in a consumer multinational but feels that his work is not giving him the satisfaction needed.
As time passes, his enthusiasm drops which imacts the quality of work. Something is not right. To make matters worse, his colleagues spot it and start questioning him.
They need his deliverables.
Christine is keen to switch to a new career. She works as a Secretary for 12 years. She is thinking of trying her hands at Personal Assistant for C-Suite that is somewhat relevant to what she is doing right now.
While remain currently employed, she applies for new job opportunities but did not get any response. She feels frustrated and wonder if it’s the resume that is not well-crafted.
Common challenges @ workplaces.
To gather further insights, both David and Christine have reached out to their friends and trusted colleagues who have provided well-intentioned advice.
Consider this:
Elaine, her workplace buddy for 7 years, told Christine – “Hey Christine, this is a brilliant move! Sorry to hear that you did not get any responses. What I think you can do is to get your resume fixed up. I think you are going the right direction to be a PA (Personal Assistant). Good move!”
John, David’s best friend, provides his thoughts – “David, maybe this job isn’t suitable for you. I know you for many years, you are always a People Pleaser. Maybe you should consider social work.”
Do you think the one-off advice works, or perhaps there is another approach?
For example - will the conversation be better if Elaine and John take a step back, asks more questions (even though they know them for years) to seek a better understanding first?
How to string the questions together, effectively lead the discussions to help both of them uncover the answers they need?
Let’s face it, anyone can give their thoughts. It’s not rocket science.
Question is, will the information (no matter how well-intentioned it is) be useful for them?
Friends/peer/colleagues are important. They add a layer of details that are beneficial.
But an experienced, qualified and certified Career Coach is different.
They will be unbiased, independent and possess the expertise to frame up the consultation based on the expectations outlined in the beginning.
They will use formal and informal instruments/tools to retrieve intelligence that aids them into making suitable intervention, ensuring their Client makes smart career decisions.
Career Coaches aren’t just about resumes and interviews
Based on my observation and discussion with job-seekers and the employed workforce, many people highlighted that they thought a Career Coach is just about job search strategy, resumes and interviews.
Maybe, add in LinkedIn optimization and that’s about it.
Well, if you Google right now, you can easily find the top 10 tips in writing a beautiful resume. This is only a small fraction of what Career Coaches do.
A large chunk is to dissect an individual’s profile into bits and pieces, analyze them, work closely with the person (i.e. Client) to identify their core competencies and use the intelligence to co-create solutions.
For example, to work closely in crafting out their perceived occupational interests, which can be a new profession, lateral movement within the company or a progressive pathway.
A Career Coach will also help identify local industry trends and local employment prospects across sectors. Perhaps, there are resources in the market that will be beneficial.
Predominantly, it’s to address the Client’s career/job challenge and to support him in reaching the intended outcome. This involves a series of interactive 1:1 coaching calls, pre-work and post-work.
I remember a client who is interested in Knowledge Management (KM) in IT. He is in the Info Communication field, a technical guy who is an introvert by nature.
As a Career Coach, I have zero insights into KM, so I decide to spend time reading articles related to this topic. It’s to have an overarching overview of what it means, opportunities around the world and the type of jobs related to it.
No career coaches in the world will know thousands of jobs around the globe. But he/she should ideally possess great commercial acumen and have a foundational knowledge across the various types of occupations.
So, my research skills come in handy. I prepare a document to highlight the potential beyond Singapore. My client appreciates. He is the content expert; I am here to facilitate.
On the other hand, under my guidance, my client’s pre-work is to design achievement-based statements using specific data that is being churned out from the assessment reports, as well as information fleshed out from our 1:1 conversations.
Henceforth, both of us are working together. I have also unravel his thoughts, empowering him the basic skills in designing his elevator pitch. In a way, it's based on the self-concept to shift his personality nature (i.e. a quiet individual) to be one who can internalize and bring out his potential to Hiring Manager in KM.
Someone who isn't an extrovert but understand why and how this can be done.
The outcome?
He receives job offers in KM, and become confident in articulating his capabilities. That’s because he knows who he is, and what he is known for. His corporate identity is very clear in the workforce. Therefore, he can clearly narrate to his Hiring Manager during the interview.
Here is a table about Career Coaches – what they do, and what they don’t do.
So, what’s the value of hiring an experienced Career Coach?
Broadly speaking, I can highlight the following:
1) Gain clarity across my profile, my abilities and the type of jobs that will suit me 2) Develop fresh perspectives and ideas that I never once thought of in my career 3) Transform my portfolio to increase my employability success 4) Work with me to navigate my job/career challenges 5) Boost my confidence level and know where my weaknesses are (for future upskilling) 6) Increase my job opportunities in life after identifying where I can leverage on 7) Change my mindset about career and work in general 8) Develop a plan to seize job opportunities beyond my home country
The list goes on and on….
I like to use an analogy about a bouncing ball.
You can be going upwards. Excellent work if your trajectory is positive. Once you career hits a peak, you may just spiral downwards a little but maintain the momentum. Sometimes, the ball jumps and takes another route as the air on the other end smells fresher.
However, there may be situations where the ball just drops further down and not getting back up to where it should be.
Thus, a Career Coach intervenes at your current life. He swims right into it to pick up the ball for you. He opens up your mind and heart, get your personal moving pieces together and walk hand-in-hand (and not giving the answers out, you know the best, not the Coach) to put you back to where you are, and what you hope to be.
An accomplished Career Coach has the capacity to prescribes the right intervention based on your context. This involves a confidential 1:1 Discovery Session and follow-through calls/emails after the pre-work. The Career Coach is your right-hand partner.
To do this, a thorough program is designed to get your feet back, or to resolve your work-career challenge.
The Approach of Career Go Where
This brings me to explain our approach (see diagram below).
Detailed and comprehensive. The methodology starts from "Analysis" to "Measure" in a progressive 4-step process.
It doesn't mean that every client of Career Go Where has to experience it. It depends largely on the context, your goals and the agreed content of the coaching program.
Here are some stories of our clients whom I have successfully coached and worked together.
Are you ready for a complimentary 30 minutes Discovery Session first?
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