Success Made Simple: How Does a Career Coach Help

Wouldn’t it be better if someone simply sat with you and assisted you with your professional issues? What if someone took the time to fully comprehend your aptitude, passions, and interests before guiding you along the right path for your career? Is there someone who can assist you or your child in making an apt career decision and securing a position that pays well? What if I told you it’s now feasible? Yes! There are mentors who can assist in developing you or your ward into the best version of themselves. They go by the title “Career Coaches” or “Career Counselors”. And we will talk about them today. So let’s get started right away.

Career Coach: Who are They?

A career coach or career consultant offers expert advice to candidates (students or adults) on how to advance their careers. They devote their time to helping candidates become aware of, get clarity on, and plan and strategize their career paths. An excellent career coach helps you identify and remove obstacles in your path so that you can achieve your career goals. Watch this video to learn more.

How Can They Help You?

You can benefit from a career consultant in many ways. You’ll be able to excel in your career using their knowledge, experience and unbiased opinion. They provide services at multifaceted levels.

For the Working Professionals and Freshers:

Working professionals or freshers often struggle with making the right choices, finding suitable opportunities, or dealing with career stagnation. Whether it is for higher studies, professional courses, skills development, or job-related matters,  if you are a working professional, hiring a career coach can help you with:

• Evaluating the best-suited career options in different domains and industries.
• Understanding how to find a suitable job that matches your skills.
• Improving your profile and career-advancing elements such as preparing a strong resume, building an appealing LinkedIn profile, facing interviews confidently, and learning the art of networking amongst others.
• Making a subsequent career-changing move if you want to switch your occupation.
• Building your personal brand. It makes a candidate indispensable.
• Making an informed decision about higher education or studying abroad to accelerate your career.

For College Students:

College is a time to explore and understand your strengths and weaknesses. It is time for students from the first year to the final year to build a strong profile by participating in relevant activities and extracurriculars while also maintaining decent academic records.  A good career advisor can help you:

• With Career Selection and College Planning.
• Provide guidance on College Admissions and Scholarships.
• Figure out the best internships, projects, and extracurricular activities as per your interests, strengths, and capabilities. 
• Build a personal brand by guiding you on creating visibility for yourself and helping you learn the art of networking.
• With on-campus or off-campus placement drives by providing professional training to prepare great resumes, face interviews etc.
• Take a decision regarding whether you should get a job or go for further studies.
• Study abroad for higher education: from research on best-fit colleges & courses to preparation tips for standardised tests to work on applications (including writing essays, SOPs, etc.), to face interviews, to understanding and managing the visa process, etc.
• Learn about and qualify for tests like IELTS, GMAT, GRE, SAT, ACT, TOEFL, etc.

For School Students:

School students require a separate kind of help. A career counsellor provides expertise in:

• Selecting the right stream after class 10th i.e. Science, Commerce and Arts with the help of a Psychometric assessment Test.
• Building a holistic profile and identifying the gaps between aptitude, passion and choice.
• Figuring out the most appropriate courses, colleges, and career paths for 11th and 12th-grade students for their higher education. Also, they can help you pick the best-suited career options for them after their higher education, with the help of a Career Assessment test.
• Assisting candidates who want to study abroad. They help to choose the right course, college, country, scholarships etc. and provide guidance on visa and applications etc.

Still not sure? Watch this video and discover more:

When Should You Consult a Career Coach?

Now that you have understood who a career coach or career counsellor is and how they help, it is time to think about your personal choice. Ask yourself the following questions to know when you should hire a career consultant:

1. Are you not able to figure out the right career path for yourself?
2. Are you not able to pick the right subject or stream (Science/Commerce/Arts) for yourself?
3. Are you struggling to understand and evaluate your career options post-12th?
4. Are you clueless about the courses, colleges or career options to pursue?
5. Are you looking for a job online and not getting any response?
6. Are you looking to study abroad and confused about which course and country to opt for?
7. Do you have a job offer, but think you deserve better pay or a role?
8. Have you been unemployed for a long time and now want to get a job?
9. Are you thinking about switching your career path altogether?
10. Do you have a strong resume? Are you certain you can build a good resume by yourself?
11. Is your LinkedIn profile interesting and well-structured? Are you certain you can build a good LinkedIn profile and a decent online presence?
12. Do you always secure a preliminary round but are always rejected in the final interview?
13. Are you struggling between pursuing your passion and making good money for your family?
14. Are you a working employee with multiple offers and not able to make the right choice for yourself?
15. Are you a parent and your ward is struggling with any of the questions mentioned above?

If your answer is “yes” to any of the above questions, my friend, you might just need a career coach. In the era of technology and the internet, it may seem like we have all the information in our hands, but it becomes rather difficult to filter out the right information for yourself. And that is when you need real, professional help.

How to Find the Right Career Coach for You?

Now that you’ve made the decision to seek career assistance, allow me to assist you in choosing the ideal career coach. There would be many options available at your disposal if you google about a career coach in your city or area. So, how can you find the right one for yourself?

My suggestion is to go with “mouth publicity”. Find someone who is committed to supporting you. The majority of well-known consultants frequently work with several candidates concurrently; therefore, they might not be able to offer their full support. Small-scale consultants are usually the ones to look for, who have a good success rate.

So, start knocking on the doors of neighbours and relatives who have hired a career coach and find out more.

Some YouTube channels host career coaches; attend those talks and you will learn a lot of things. Click here to watch one such amazing video.

How Much Will It Cost?

It’s time for the million-dollar question! You must be wondering how much this amazing service is going to ask. And will it even be within your budget? Am I right? Well, let me give you a rough idea here. The good news is that most career consultants in India charge nominally. Their charges depend upon the kind of service you are taking and also the complexity of your enquiry or situation. And if you are not certain yet, I have mentioned some hacks here.

Some career coaching organisations such as EnrichMyCareer, provide free consultation for the first fifteen minutes. So why not schedule a call today and explore further?

Some career coaches provide information online; follow them and learn more. Sometimes they announce offers on Instagram or Facebook and you might get a discount.

Conclusion

So here it was: everything you needed to know about hiring a career coach. It is important to understand your strengths and weaknesses. A career coach can help you with all of that. So why not get help if it takes you closer to your dream career? We spend a million on schools and colleges. Why not spend a little on these experts? Who knows, you might become the next Sundar Pichai or Satya Nadela, or my favourite, “You”.

Here at EnrichMyCareer, we care for you. Our AI-powered career assessment system identifies & understands your strengths, areas of improvement, personality type, skills, and interests. Our success stories motivate us to do better every day. So, what are you waiting for? Go ahead and call us.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1. What kind of Questions can I ask a career coach or counsellor?

A career coach or counsellor can help you with almost every aspect of your education and career. It depends upon your requirements. However, the following could be some of the questions, to begin with:

• Can you help me select the right stream and subjects after the 10th?
• How can I build my resume?
• How can I map my strengths and weaknesses?
• How can you help me with interviews?
• Can you help me with studying abroad?
• Can you help me secure my dream job?

2. How can I effectively utilise my consultation time with a career coach?

You must ask the right and relevant questions to your career coach. Here are some suggestions to follow before meeting your advisor:

• Prepare all the relevant questions and discussion points beforehand to save time.
• Have realistic expectations and discuss sincerely with your coach your challenges, pain points or confusion and the help that you seek.
• Be prepared to give it time. One session is mostly not enough. It is a continuous process. The coaching process can take anywhere between a couple of weeks to a couple of months depending on the varied requirements and complexity levels of different clients.

3. Why do I need a career coach?

There are several reasons why you might benefit from working with a career coach. But the most fundamental justification is to receive unbiased opinion and clarity and to advance your career. It is crucial to get advice from a professional because making informed decisions has a big impact.