Career coach can point the way
Stuck in a dead-end job? Hire a career coach. By
Val Leveson
Career coach Jonathon Moy of the Career Specialists says this type of coaching is a professional service to assist people to set career-related goals and help develop practical steps to achieve those goals.
“In practical term, clients who use career services often receive an eclectic combination of coaching, counselling and education to help them with a career-related issue.”
He says people at all stages of their career benefit from this help.
“Young people can expand the range of occupations they are considering when thinking of what they might do after school ends.
“Early-career stage clients find it useful to understand more about their own preferences and values, which helps them focus their efforts on a particular career direction.
“Young people can benefit from learning about career concepts such as career cycles, job search strategies and navigating agile boundaryless careers.
“Mid-career workers who have been in the workforce for a number of years can benefit from a career coach to help deal with various causes of job dissatisfaction, unfulfilled career ambitions or significant career changes.
“While twilight-career workers, in the later stages of career, use coaches to help with complex career transition issues.”
Senior Associate Coach at Coaching and Mentoring, Patti Gwynne’s advice to people looking for a career coach is: “If you have never used a career coach, I would suggest meeting with two or three coaches for a no-obligation chat to see if they feel a good fit for you.”
Moy says, “Coaches have individual styles of working with clients. Some will coach a client over months or years continuously or on-and-off.
“Others will see a client for an intense short period. It is up to the client to choose a style of coaching that they are prepared to engage with. Costs can range from free up to several hundred dollars per hour. In Auckland, career coaches who are affiliated with CDANZ (Career Development Association of NZ) charge on average between $150 - $200 per hour.
Gwynne says length of time would depend on how far along the client was in their career planning. “I would suggest an initial three, one-hour sessions with a review to see if any additional time is required.”
Of whether it is important for a career coach to have a good understanding of a client’s field, Gwynne says: “Having an understanding of a client’s field is sometimes an advantage in understanding the challenges of a particular field, but it is not critical to the success of the coaching partnership.
“It is not a career coaches role to direct or give advice to the client on their career but rather to facilitate a conversation that enables the client to discover their career options and create a plan. So, in my view, it is more important for the coach to ask open and masterful questions to enable the client to gain insight and develop a career plan, than it is to understand the clients field.”
On this, Moy says: “A good career coach can adapt to most client personalities and needs. However, it is important that you feel comfortable with and can trust your coach so that you can work well collaboratively. Having a coach who understands your industry is important, but it is also critical that a career coach has a widespread knowledge of all industries.”
Also, career coaches should not be confused with financial planners. Gwynne says, “In my experience it would be unusual for a career coach to help with financial planning, which is a highly regulated industry and requires quite specific training and information. However, a discussion on remuneration requirements for the client in their career planning would not be unusual.
“The career coach would be considering the whole person as they coach the client. This includes a focus on the Who (who is this client and what are their values, motivation, skills, strengths, life design) as well as the What (what is there intention for the coaching).
Moy says of his background: “I used a career coach when I was unfulfilled by my previous work. During our sessions, I discovered that career development was a viable and important industry.
“At that point, I realised career coaches can inspire others and help them reach their full potential — something that resonated with me greatly.
“Working as a careers practitioner is very meaningful to me. I know that I am helping people work through difficult decisions about a part of their life that has a big impact on their identity and sense of fulfillment.”