“I have no idea what my future holds after university”

Our award-winning coach, Kim Morgan, mentors a young woman who is struggling to clarify her career prospects and find her path in life “I’m in debt and worried about getting work in the post-pandemic world”

Jenna* was halfway through her final year at university and was feeling anxious that, when she finished, she wouldn’t get a job in the current climate. Her parents had paid for her to have coaching sessions. She didn’t seem terribly enthusiastic about being coached but had agreed to give it a try.

‘This final year at uni has been rubbish because of the pandemic and I’m worried about my future. I don’t know if I will get a job and I’ve got a big student loan to pay back. I did a languages degree and recently read that people who do languages are the least likely to get jobs using their degree. I don’t know if that’s true but I’m not sure what I want to do anyway,’ she said. I asked Jenna why she chose to study languages. ‘I was good at them,’ she replied.

I asked how much it mattered to her if she didn’t use languages in her work. ‘Not at all,’ she said.

I asked Jenna a number of other questions about what she enjoyed and she gave me one-word answers.

I thought that if this is how Jenna presents herself at interviews, she won’t get very far. It felt a bit like pulling teeth. However, as a coach, I know that direct questions can sometimes feel too confrontational. People can feel safer and you can get more meaningful answers if you avoid direction questions. I asked her to draw me a picture of what her life is like now, and another of what she wants her life to be like.

Jenna was so engrossed that she asked if she could finish the picture at home and bring it back to the next session.

Overcome obstacles

Jenna was animated as she talked about the drawings of her life now and the life she would like. While drawing, she realised that she wants a job (ideally in a start-up) where she can use her creativity and have freedom to generate ideas.

‘So, what do you need to do to achieve this?’ I asked. Jenna replied with a shrug and ‘I don’t know’. I realised that we were back where we started with monosyllabic answers. Sometimes, a coach needs to ‘hold up the mirror’ to clients and tell them what they observe about them. I told Jenna that I noticed that when asked a question, she gives a one-word answer and shuts down. I compared this with the enthusiasm she showed when she was thinking out loud for herself. Jenna was upset and asked: ‘What’s your point?’

‘My point is that what happens in interviews is that you are asked direct questions! I am wondering how prospective employers will get to see the best of you.’

Jenna admitted that she had received this feedback before. ‘I have realised that I really want to work in a creative industry and I am prepared to do what I need to do to get it.’

‘What do you need to do?’ I asked. We both burst out laughing and I apologised for asking another direct question.

‘What would someone else do?’ I asked.

Jenna laughed and replied: ‘Easy. They would get some interview skills training!’

Find the fire within

I worked with Jenna for several more coaching sessions. I supported her interview skills training by doing mock interviews and practice presentations.

We worked on her confidence and self-belief. I learned that she was the youngest of five children in a noisy household where they used to play lots of games and do quizzes. Jenna had grown up thinking that she was not quick-thinking because her older brothers were loud and competitive and knew more than she did.

‘I lost my voice and my confidence when I was put on the spot. If I look back now, I realise that, of course, I wasn’t as quick or knowledgeable as they were because I was only young. But it’s time that I started to own my voice and my opinions.’

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“I lost my voice and my confidence when I was put on the spot. But it’s time I started to own my opinions