If you are looking for a career change, feeling lost in your career, or maybe you are already looking for career coaching in Atlanta, getting some outside career guidance may be a good option for you. However, it is essential to understand what career coaching is and what to expect from it before deciding. Some of the main things you should know about career coaching are not always immediately apparent, so we have gathered some helpful information.
We will dispel some common misconceptions and give you an idea of what to expect from career coaching sessions. No matter what point in your life you are at, career coaching can help if you are willing to be open-minded and engage in the process!
It’s no surprise that career coaching is more popular than ever. The job market is more competitive than ever, and the average person could expect to change careers multiple times. With the right career coaching, you can gain confidence, insight, encouragement, and inspiration. You will also gain a better understanding of yourself and the job environment that fits you best to help you feel more fulfilled by the work you do.
Career Coaching: What Is It?
Career coaching is a process that helps individuals identify career goals and build a pathway to achieve them. Career coaches work with clients to provide guidance when making decisions about their careers, finding a job that fits their skills and interests, and navigating the job market. Career coaching can be the difference between people who are successful in their careers and those who are not. Career coaching is useful at any point in your career, but it is often most helpful when making a major career change or transition due to a lack of culture, management, or skill.
It Takes Commitment
Career coaching is not complete with a single session and a revamp of your resume. A career is singular to each individual, and it takes time and effort to explore all the facets of your career journey. A career coach is not a magic pill that will immediately fix all your career problems. Instead, career coaching is a commitment you make to yourself to invest in your future.
Typically, a career coach will meet with you for an initial consultation to get to know you and your career goals. They will develop a plan that is tailored specifically for you. This plan may include weekly or monthly meetings, exercises, and homework assignments. Career coaching aims to help you make progress in your career to achieve your long-term goals and find yourself in a career and on the trajectory you want.
What Are Some of the Benefits?
There are many benefits of career coaching that span far beyond a professional career. However, professionally, many people gain confidence, insight, encouragement, and inspiration from career coaching. In addition, people often find that they better understand themselves and the job environment that fits them best. Career coaching can also help you learn how to navigate the job market and make decisions about your career.
Personally, career coaching can help you clarify your career goals and what you want to achieve. It can also help you learn how to manage your time, set boundaries, and create a work-life balance that works for you. In addition, career coaching can help you understand your values and how they impact your career choices. This value assessment is something that most people don’t take the time to slow down and think about, and a career coach will help you do so with intention.
The Biggest Obstacles
A career coach is always ready to help you tackle the most significant problems. Some of the most common include:
- Confusion about what you want to do with your life
- Lack of clarity and direction about your career goals
- Uncertainty about how to make a career change
- Stuck in a job you don’t like with a boss or a company that doesn’t fit your style
- Frustrated with your current career situation
What To Do?
Figuring out what to do with your life is a career in itself. If you find yourself at a career crossroads or need help figuring out your next steps, career coaching can help. A career coach will help you gain clarity about your goals and values and create a plan to achieve them.
Career Changes Are Difficult
Or are they? A career coach can help you navigate the challenges of making a career change. They will help you assess your skills and interests, create a plan for your career transition, and figure out how to market yourself to potential employers. Career coaching can make changing careers much easier and less daunting.
Feeling Stuck?
Many people feel stuck in their job, and they don’t know how to take the next step forward or out. Career coaching is beneficial when dealing with indecisiveness. A career coach will help you assess your skills and interests, figure out what you want to do next, and create a plan to make it happen. They will also provide support and accountability to ensure that you follow your plan.
Frustration With Current Career?
You’ve been in your career for a while, and you’re starting to feel frustrated. Maybe you’re not being challenged enough, or you’re not seeing the opportunity for growth that you want. A career coach can help you figure out what’s causing your frustration and develop a plan to address it.
However, it can be difficult to change something so fundamental to your life and, often, who you are. Luckily, it is precisely what a career coach can help with by talking and coaching you through the most challenging decisions in your career.
The Right Time
There is no perfect time to begin your career coaching sessions. One common misconception about career coaching is that it should only happen when starting your career or making a significant career change. However, career coaching is valuable at any point in your life! Whether you are just beginning your career, in the middle of it, or even post-retirement, career coaching can help you achieve your goals.
Of course, the goals for your career coaching will look different depending on which stage of your career you are in:
- If you are beginning your career, career coaching can help you choose the right path and set you up for success.
- If you are in the middle of your career, career coaching can help you take your career to the next level or make a significant change.
- If you are post-retirement, career coaching can help you find a new career or navigate the next phase of your life.
No matter what career stage you are in, career coaching can help you achieve your goals.
What You Should Be Looking for in a Career
Organizational culture is the set of values, beliefs, and norms that shape how an organization functions. It includes how an organization’s members interact with each other and with the people they serve. It is important to find an organization whose culture fits your values and personality when looking for a career.
Many people don’t know how to look for the right organizational culture to fit their style, but a career coach can help them learn how to do so.
Part of this process includes:
- Defining your needs and values. How do you need to be treated by others?
- Assessing your career goals. What do you want to accomplish, and with what type of company?
- Researching organizations. What company has a culture that fits your needs?
- Ask the right questions in an interview. How can you ask questions that will help you determine if your boss and the company will fit your needs?
A career coach can help you with all these things and more. They will also give you insight into what it is like to work in different organizations to make the best decision for yourself.
How To Know It’s Working
There is no one silver bullet for everyone, and your experience is bound to be different from anyone else’s. However, career coaching can help you in several ways, including:
- Growing your confidence
- Gaining insight into yourself and the job market
- Developing a plan for your career
- Finding encouragement and inspiration
- Understanding the organizational culture and type of boss that fits you best
If your career coaching sessions build confidence and bring you closer to your career goals, you’ll know it’s working.
Additionally, there is a common rule that many people follow to know if they’re truly doing what they should be: work doesn’t feel like work. When you are doing what you love, it doesn’t feel like work. And while career coaching can’t necessarily make your job fun, it can help you find a career that is the right fit for you.
Your work should engage, challenge, and inspire you. If it doesn’t, career coaching can help you find a career that does.
Start Your Career Coaching in Atlanta Today With Career Upside!
If you’re feeling stuck in your career or just looking for some guidance, career coaching may be right for you. It can help you gain confidence, insight, and inspiration to achieve your career goals.
Career Upside is the premier career coaching in Atlanta, where we help you “know yourself” to boost work opportunities and live up to your full potential.
Contact Career Upside today to start your career coaching journey and schedule a free consultation!