Getting The Most Out Of Career Coaching
Oct 29th, 2011 Jennifer Charleston
If you've found a career coach to help you get a job, you should find the experience of working with that coach to be helpful and motivating. Of course, simply having such a coach at your disposal is not enough to find employment. In order to truly get your money's worth out of a career coach, there are several things you'll have to do.
The first thing to keep in mind when meeting with a career coach is that you should always be open and honest. Don't just tell this person what you think he or she wants to hear. If you feel your prospects of getting a job are dim, say that. If your coach has helped you get a job interview, but you're so nervous about this upcoming event that you're having trouble sleeping, let him or her know that as well. A good career coach understands the psychological complexities of a job search, and he or she won't think any less of you if you reveal your fears and struggles. Instead, he or she will be able to provide you with psychological coping mechanisms that will help you sail through the job hunting process with the wind at your back.
The second responsibility you have is to complete whatever assignment your career coach gives to you. You can't learn the piano, after all, if you don't practice at home in between lessons. So if your career coach tells you to sit up nice and tall in front of the mirror once a day and rehearse your job interview answers in a clear, audible voice, you should do so. Or if she or he tells you to write some practice essays like the ones that appear on federal government employment application forms, do that as well. And if your coach tells you to send out three to five resumes every single day, make sure you follow this advice--even on days when you feel sick, or discouraged, or both. Your coach might also give you books and manuals to read, and you should definitely read these materials and learn from them. In short, always do your homework!
If you really put forth effort during your job search and really open up and explain your challenges to your career coach, you will find that a close bond is developing between the two of you. A good career coach is part business professional, part counselor and part friend. He or she will be rooting for you all the way, and that alone is enough to make it easier to get up in the morning and face a long day of cold calls, job fairs, interviews, resume-writing and trips to the unemployment office. Who knows? Maybe working with a career coach will inspire you to someday become a career coach yourself, so you can offer that kind of help to other people in the situation you're in right now.About the Author:
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