Quite unhappy with your current job, you have second thoughts about a career change but too scared to do it. What if you fail? What if you’re still unhappy and what if it’s not a wise move after all? The best way to deal with what-ifs is to seek a second opinion and soundboard them with someone who has been in your situation like people who have tried career coaching. You stop stumbling upon some confounding questions and make tough decisions from there.
It may be a bit intimidating to approach people, but we are going to outline the steps you need to take so you feel less anxious.
Figuring things out at this point in your career is part of the learning process. But if there is so much at stake when changing careers, here are three things you should know about professional career coaching and how this could shape your career.
Confidence is not a luck
Believe it or not, confidence is a great driver in one’s career and in life. It’s not innate for everyone to have this trait. Others have to develop this through time and with proper guidance. People who have confidence are self-motivators. They also have better judgment in complex situations where well-thought decisions are required. They are more proactive, and assertive in their careers, too.
In the workplace, we always have that colleague who has a high IQ, equipped with technical skills but lacks the ability to communicate. It is not a stereotype, but it is a common phenomenon. Usually, they do not rise in ranks compared to a well-rounded, charming colleague who can convey thoughts and ideas, present researched strategies, illustrate stories clearly (Klaus, P. (2010). Communication breakdown. California Job Journal, 28, 1-9).
Having good communication skills is crucially important.
It is a dealbreaker for organizations so everyone can work harmoniously and make informed decisions. Career coaching helps work in that area. In everything you do, success takes a greater portion of the pie. The small percentage is just sheer luck. For example, if you are browsing job boards, you cannot help but feel overwhelmed that you know there are many competitive talents out there who can hit all the qualifications and can do better during the interview than you do.
Great professional career coaches do not just prepare you for the interview. That is a common misconception and a very bad one. They help you realize your unlocked potential and how you can use this to your advantage.
Beyond the interview, a great coach can help you achieve your goals in any phase of your life. Whether you are gearing up for a promotion or you want to attain happiness and fulfillment in the workplace, or how you deal with toxic colleagues, coaches design a strategy for each individual.
Career coaches work with you on your personal circumstances to identify roadblocks in your career and help you navigate through. They can recognize challenges and how you can overcome them so you can move forward with clarity.
A good career path is by design
Going through a myriad of articles on the Internet about the best career advice is a headache. Tons of people online sell what others are searching such as knowing what to say during an interview, how to aces your resume. And while they are short fixes, they never really help you in the long run.
How will your next move position you to help meet your short and long-term career goals?
Depending on where you are in your career, a great coach has proven and successful models for change. They have tested or applied to their careers and hundreds of people they have coached. They would not just apply universal concepts because they know that each person has a different set of goals and issues facing him or her.
Sophie Leung, one of our career coaches, has helped our coachees discover their purpose to be able to make wise decisions for their careers. Like many coachees, a recent coachee – in her late twenties – shared that she had high ambitions but soon during the session realize that she didn’t know exactly what her best options were.
After her first session, it was clear what she had to focus on. And the beautiful thing was, it happened on her own terms. Sophie noticed that some coachees have more clarity in what their goals are and are motivated enough to achieve them.
Related article: Career Coaching Through the Lens of a Recruiter
Another good example of how career coaching can help is for fresh graduates looking for a job. Many still are unsure about their immediate options, which organizations align with their values, and how to present theirs.
Career coaches come in to bridge that gap and clarify their career goals. With the job market being unpredictable as it is today, career coaching can help put individuals on a more solid footing for a suitable path.
Pushing your (career advancement) luck
“Each time we face our fear, we gain strength, courage, and confidence in the doing.” — Theodore Roosevelt
Leaders or aspiring leaders didn’t launch their successful careers overnight. Bill Gates and Eric Schmidt, former CEO of Google advise that everyone needs a coach for ongoing professional development. Many top executives seek constant guidance and feedback from their career coaches to maximize their potential.
As we accelerate digitization and automation of work, we should expect that there would be an enormous impact on an individual’s career experiences. AI and machine learning are predicted to replace manual jobs in the future. No matter what people say, no one can deny that it is bound to stay.
A career coach’s mission is to develop your confidence, clear up the confusion, be more insightful and motivated, and most of all – become a better performer.
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Rome was not built overnight. In career coaching, you can leverage your highest potential to iterate, calibrate, and improve. Because the goal is to get you to become the best version of yourself, it pays to know your strengths and what drives you emotionally and intellectually in life.
Your coach is a partner and confidante. Professional career coaching has been proven to yield incredible positive outcomes that many would not have imagined possible.