If you are seeking an extra edge in your career, one option worth considering is executive career coaching. This is for people who feel they need help in one or more areas of their career.
Related: 3 Things Bad Career Coaches Don’t Want You To Know
Let’s look at some of the reasons you might want to consult with an executive career coach and what you can expect from it.
Reasons To Seek Career Coaching
It’s important to know why you are seeking help with your career. A coach can do more for you if you come to them with a clear goal in mind. Some of the reasons you might be seeking this type of service include:
You are currently unemployed and are seeking an executive position.
You feel stuck in your current position and are looking to make a change.
You are seeking upward mobility in your current organization.
You need guidance with a particular career challenge.
Executive career coaches can help you come up with a strategy to accomplish your objectives. It's crucial, however, to find the right coach and to have a clear idea of what you hope to get from the coaching.
What To Look For In A Career Coach
Executive career coaching can be very effective, but only if you find the right coach. This has to do with the experience and qualifications of the coach as well as the rapport between the two of you. The same coach will not be ideal for everyone. How do you find someone who can most help you achieve your objectives?
Get a Personal Recommendation -This is always a good way to find a qualified professional of any kind. See if any friends, family members or colleagues can recommend a career coach.
Check the Person’s Experience and References -You should do a little checking into the coach’s background and credentials. An experienced career coach should also be able to produce references. It’s a good idea to contact at least one of these references.
Cost of Coaching -Some coaches charge by the hour while others prefer to charge for a series of sessions up front. You should be able to have at least one session with the person before committing to a longer term arrangement.
Personal Rapport -You must feel comfortable with the coach on a personal level. No matter how qualified he or she might be, only you can determine if this is the right person to help you.
What A Career Coach Can And Cannot Do For You
Career coaches can help you with many career related issues. They can help you identify your strengths and weaknesses. They can help you clarify career objectives. They can work with you to develop a specific strategy to achieve your goals.
On the other hand, a coach is not a magic bullet that can guarantee you a better job or promotion. Coaching is not a quick fix, but a way to help you better understand yourself and what you really want to accomplish. You also have to be willing to do your part when it comes to coaching. If you find a coach whose advice you respect, it’s up to you to do your part and follow his or her advice.
In conclusion, an executive career coach can make a big difference in your career trajectory. If you find the right coach and are willing to uphold your side of the bargain, this is something that can help propel your career in a positive direction.
Is your job search turning into a grind with no end in sight? It may be time to take a step back and reevaluate your entire approach.
In cold weather climates, the beginning of spring is a time to clean the house and get organized—a practice known as spring cleaning. Through the years, spring cleaning has taken on a larger meaning with people using the time to organize and declutter things in their lives.
For professionals on the job hunt, a little spring cleaning (metaphorically speaking) could be a great way to reinvigorate your job search. Here are a few strategies your job search spring cleaning should include.
Reevaluate Your Job Search Approach
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Make a list of the last handful of jobs you applied for and see if you can identify any positive or negative trends. Consider things like:
How did I learn about this job?
How did I apply for the job?
Did I earn an interview?
What was the ultimate result?
A lot can be learned about your job search approach just by answering these questions and identifying patterns. For example:
Negative Trends
You discovered five jobs through job boards, applied to all of them via the job boards, and never heard back from any of them.
The common pattern here is applying through job boards. This isn't to say that job boards don't serve a purpose in the job search process, but they have their limitations, and you can't run your job search entirely off of them. When you apply through a job board, there's a good chance that your materials will never get past the applicant tracking system (ATS) and never be seen by an actual person.
One simple fix is to research who the hiring manager or recruiter is that posted the position and email your materials to them directly.
The more efficient fix would be to take a proactive approach by putting together a bucket list of companies that you want to work for and start making connections on LinkedIn with people who work at those companies. You may already know some people who work there or have connections that can refer you to some individuals.
This is a great way to network your way onto a company's radar.
Positive Trends
You applied to three jobs via referral, were invited to two job interviews, and made it through multiple rounds of interviews for one of the jobs before being passed over for someone with a little more experience.
The pattern here is that getting referred to a job by a professional acquaintance is a great way to land a job interview. This indicates that you're leveraging your network well and you should continue to focus on your networking efforts.
The next step is to review the interview process and determine what went well and what needs to be improved. Sometimes the interviewer will provide feedback, and that feedback can be valuable. However, not everyone is comfortable with giving feedback.
Chances are you probably have a good idea about areas of improvement and the skills you need to gain. Put together a plan for addressing those shortfalls.
The good news in making it deep into any interview process is that it indicates that the company likes you as a potential employee (even if the timing just wasn't right) and the experience could be a roadmap to a job with that company at a later date, or another similar opportunity elsewhere.
Give Your Resume & Cover Letter Some Much-Needed Attention
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Are you continuously sending similar resumes and cover letters to each job opening with only minor adjustments? If so, your strategy needs some serious spring cleaning.
The reason why it's so important to tailor your resume is that throughout your career, you acquire numerous skills, but the job you're applying for may only be focusing on 6-8 of those skills. In that case, those skills must rise to the top of the resume with quantifiable examples of how you successfully used those skills at previous jobs.
Remember, recruiters go through hundreds of resumes. They need to be able to tell from a quick glance whether or not you're a potential candidate for the position.
While updating your resume, you could also spruce up your LinkedIn profile by highlighting the skill sets that you want to be noticed for by recruiters.
As for writing a good cover letter, the key to success is writing a disruptive cover letter. When you write a disruptive cover letter, you're basically telling a story. The story should focus on how you connect with the particular company and job position. The story could also focus on your personal journey, and how you got to where you currently are in your career.
If your resumes and cover letters aren't unique, now is the time to clean things up and get on track.
Build Your Personal Brand
Just because you're looking for work doesn't mean that you don't have anything to offer. Use previous career experiences and passions to build your personal brand.
Ask yourself, "How do I want other professionals to view me?"
Pick an area of expertise and start sharing your knowledge and experience with your professional network by pushing out content on your LinkedIn and social media accounts. Good content can include blogs, social media posts, and videos.
By sharing content about your experiences and passions, you slowly build your personal brand, and others will start to notice. The content could lead to good discussions with others in your network. It could also lead to reconnecting with connections that you haven't spoken to in years, or making new connections.
You never know when one of these connections could turn into a job lead or referral. The trick is to get on people's radars. So, when you're cleaning up your job search, be sure to build a plan for personal branding.
Maintain Healthy Habits During Your Job Search
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Your job search is important, but it's even more important to know when to pull back and focus on personal health and spending time with family and friends.
There are actually things that you can do for your own enjoyment that could help your job search in the long run, such as:
Grab coffee with a friend - It's good to engage in light conversation with friends during challenging times. And if your job search does come up, remember that most people have been through it themselves and you never know when a friend may provide you with a good idea or lead on a job.
Volunteer - Volunteering is a great way to get involved in the community and help others. In addition, if you develop a little bit of a career gap while looking for a job, you can always talk about how you filled that time volunteering, if you're asked about it during a job interview.
Continue to focus on other passions - Are you a fitness nut? Blogger? Crafter? Continue to do the things that bring you happiness. And if you're in a position to profit from your passion through a freelance job or side hustle, even better!
Spring is the perfect time to clean up and improve your job search so you can land the job you want. If you're struggling to find a job, follow the tips above to reinvigorate your job search—and watch your career blossom!
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This article was originally published at an earlier date.