When should you seek help from a career coach?

When should you seek help from a career coach?

Whether you are starting out in your career or even if you are in the middle of your growth path; there comes a time in everyone’s life when they are speculating on what they exactly need. A coach or an expert’s advice comes in handy at these junctions or our lives. When your mind and heart both give you different signals, and you’re not sure which path to follow, especially career related; that’s when you need to look for a Career Coach.

So when do you know you approach a Career Coach:

  • When you are stuck in your career or you are starting out: A Career coach can help you take calculated steps, let you think of the pros and cons before taking a decision and in turn help you make a decision that is best for you. Intelligent questioning and provocative analysis by your coach will get you to derive at what you actually desire and help you get out of the procrastinating mode.
  • When you want to switch your career: When you realize that you are not enjoying your job since that’s not your area of interest and you want to switch your job; a Career coach can be your guide and buddy to help you walk through it with ease. She can help you identify potential opportunities in that industry with your existing skills and competency.
  • When your resume is going unnoticed and even cracking an interview is a challenge: It is frustrating when you don’t receive calls from companies after multiple follow-ups and even after going for interviews, you are not being selected repeatedly. A Career coach can bring you out of this unpleasant situation by guiding you on how you and your resume can catch the eye of the potential employer.

A Career coach can elicit your exact problem and help you derive actions that you could do to convert the problem into a solution; however working on the actions is completely a coachee’s responsibility and not the coach’s.

Kavita, an alumna of IIM Ahmedabad, brings 20 years of experience in Experiential Learning, Coaching, Personal Growth & Change. Her forte is Career Transition Coaching and Leadership Development for mid-senior individuals, helping them find success and fulfilment at work . She also teaches Career & Self Development courses at leading management institutes including IIM Kozhikode, IIM Udaipur, IIM Indore and at the IITs.