What Does a Career Coach Do (exactly)?

Career mentors and coaches are well known for their ability to offer insight, encouragement, and inspiration to help you fulfill your career dreams. A coach is there to help you navigate and design the path to get you there.

Are you seeking a new job? Need to prep for a big interview? Unhappy in your current role but unsure what to do about it? Thinking of making a career switch?

If you've ever had questions about a job search, career transition, salary negotiations or how to get ahead in your career, then a career coach may be just the ticket for you. Hiring a coach sets you on the path you are dreaming of, with expert advice and guidance along the way.

So What Does a Career Coach Do (exactly)?

Mentors and coaches help you identify your career goals and create a plan designed to get you where you want to go. Sounds simple right?

First off, coaches are highly skilled in partnering with you to set clear objectives, monitor your progress and give you expert feedback and guidance every step of the way - not something that comes natural to us all.

Before Your First Session - Think About What You Want To Achieve

Note two to three learning goals or career aspirations you have in mind. If you're not exactly sure then think of a broad category such as "making a career transition",  "professional branding" or finding the next great dream job!

By nature, mentors and coaches are solution oriented. To do that, they need to get to know the real you by asking lots of questions to assess your strengths and areas of development. The key to any successful partnership is trust and dedication. Be open to learning about and addressing your development areas. Coaches are not bosses in that they can provide you with lots of tools and resources - but it's up to you to take it all in and put it into practice.

Be Prepared To Work On It

Did we say practice? It's harder to work on things you are not so great at vs things you already know how to do well. Coaches can provide limitless encouragement but you must be prepared to treat it like a serious project and put in the time.

It Takes Some Time and Dedication, Not Magic

The time it takes to fulfill your career aspirations will vary depending on your goals. Some needs such as tightening up your resume may involve a "one and done" session but a career transition will take more than just tweaking your Linked In profile. It's a learning experience and the more you prepare, the better the result.  Your coach may also give you some "homework" in between sessions so be prepared to set clear learning goals to make tangible progress after each session.

Your Coach Cares By Being Objective and Supportive

Be assured that you're not just another job to your coach. Coaches care about your success and are there to give you objective and supportive feedback but they can't guarantee you'll get that coveted job or land that promotion.

What we can say is that people who work with a coach report that their performance, their confidence and even their happiness improved as a result, which may be everything you need to fulfill your career dreams.

Book a session here

Arche helps people architect, navigate and advance their career path with expert advice and tools to support your job search, interview preparation, professional branding, salary negotiations, and career advancement. 

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