Career Coaching: The Secret Weapon

When looking to make a change in their careers, professionals often turn to career coaching. Career coaching benefits both employees and employers, just like career pathing.

Career Coaching: What Is It?

An external expert, usually a dedicated coach, guides employees with their career choices and helps them with workplace challenges. Career coaches can also help with resumes, negotiations, and interviews. 

Career coaches are sometimes referred to as counselors. In spite of this, there are some important differences between the two. In a few sessions, career counselors conduct tests and interviews to provide advice. Coaching, on the other hand, establishes a comparatively long relationship with a client. Once an employee takes on a new position, the coach and client discuss a multitude of options together before deciding on a path.  

A Career Coach’s Advantages

Career advice can be obtained in a variety of ways, including:

• Finding successful peers or potential mentors within an organization
• An independent study
• Counseling and psychological services
• Managing an HR department

Unlike working with someone who already knows the employee, working with a coach is typically free of bias. Someone who knows a candidate personally might have preconceived notions about what he or she can accomplish, while a coworker may be more concerned about the organization’s welfare and accepted career path. 

Coaches, on the other hand, must be objective in order to provide effective advice. Coaches also encourage clients to take responsibility for their actions, which increases their chances of success. In addition, career coaches have a greater reservoir of knowledge because they are constantly exposed to new ideas, common dilemmas, and best practices. In contrast, the average employee only deals with career issues occasionally.  

Within the organization, career coaching is provided

Career coaches are often hired only when people feel they have run out of options in their current jobs. However, career coaching should be used before such a point is reached – even when things are going well in a person’s current career path. If you feel like you’ve reached a dead end, you may make poor decisions, such as not seeing opportunities within your current employer. When times are good, a career coach can help you make better decisions and calmer processes. The HR/L&D department should encourage employees to seek out career coaches, either on their own or through HR.

Clients can benefit from career coaching in the following ways:

• Be prepared for increased responsibilities, especially if you are promoted to a managerial role
• Consider shifting departments or moving to another location at their current workplace to explore new opportunities
• As technology advances, identify personal and professional skill gaps and preferences for certain soft skills

A career coaching program can benefit an organization in a number of ways, including higher retention rates, increased productivity, and improved management capabilities.   

Coaching as a Process

A career coaching session is typically a one-on-one meeting.  Traditionally, career coaching has been done in person. However, virtual sessions are becoming more common, and you can use a career coach from anywhere in the world. The sessions last about an hour and take place at least once a month. When an employee achieves an action item rapidly, sessions might be more frequent, which is a method coaches use to motivate their clients.

At the beginning of our meetings, we will assess your work history, discuss your personal life, and discuss your current professional challenges. Coaches often use a coaching model such as GROW or OSKAR to guide clients towards hypothetical career destinations. 

Coaching is also unique in that the client ultimately decides which path to take; the coach’s role is to investigate the practicality of each step. Therefore, the method involves more of a question-answer format than actual advising. 

With GrowthSpace, you can grow your career coaching business

Having a good personal connection with the employee is crucial to the long-term engagement of a career coach. An extended contract is expensive, so finding coaches of the highest quality is essential. It is therefore imperative to match leading coaches with clients who can easily communicate with them.

With GrowthSpace’s employee development platform, employees can connect with vetted career coaches based on their specialty, success rates, and client reviews. Using GrowthSpace, organizations of any size can find and hire the best coaches for their learning and development needs.

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