Here you are reading an article about career coaching. So, chances are, even if it is going well, your work could be better — more rewarding. If you are like most people though, you are probably not sure how a career coach could actually help you.
You probably know someone who has used, or is using, a career coach, executive coach or life coach, but not known about it. Most people do not talk a lot about the coaching help they are getting. So, it’s hard to know what the benefits are and what the process is like. As such, you might be wondering if having a coach is worth the investment.
Why a Career Coach Matters — The Value of Your Career
We tend to think of a house as the most valuable asset we will ever have. However, our careers are worth more. If you average a salary of $50,000 to $100,000 a year over the course of your career, it’s worth two to four million dollars. If you make a change that helps you be just ten percent more successful and see matching financial rewards, you will benefit by tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands of dollars in your lifetime.
Of course, a rewarding career has benefits beyond just financial. A successful career can positively impact your life and all those around you. The importance of career makes it vitally important that you use all the resources available to you to get the most out of your work.
Address Your Individual Priorities
A good career coach will help you determine what you want to improve about your work. Not everyone will have the same priorities. For example, you could be happy with your compensation, but not with your duties. You could love your day-to-day responsibilities, but be frustrated with your boss. You might even feel your job is fine, and it is your performance that is your focus.
Just like you need something with a good SPF when you go out in the sun, you need a good SPF strategy to make sure you don’t get burned in the workplace. SPF in this case standing for Security, Prosperity and Fulfillment. Your specific priorities likely fall into one of these three categories.
Five Specific Benefits of Having a Career Coach
Regardless of your priorities, here are five specific areas where a career coach can help.
1. Increasing Your Career or Job Security
A career coach can help you find, land, keep, survive or leave a job. A coach can also help you build a strategy to build career security so that you are less dependent on any one job. Other career coach services include helping you determine what you would like to do next or decide whether options such as self-employment are for you. The goal with job security is for you to not feel vulnerable because of your work.
2. Earning More Money
A career coach can help you create a strategy to ask your boss for a raise, earn a promotion, find a better paying job or develop a more lucrative career. Whether you simply need help navigating the performance review process, you should learn how to stand out more or you need to improve your performance, a career coach can help you improve the financial rewards of your work.
3. Advancing Your Career
In addition to helping you advance in your vocation financially, a career coach can help you move ahead by developing the right plan and professional development skills for work success. A coach can help you stand out from the crowd, network in your industry, manage change successfully, resolve conflict, work confidently and lead effectively.
4. Being Happier at Work
For almost all of us, work is an obligation we make to pay the bills. However, work doesn’t have to be a grind or something you hate. A career coach can help you improve your circumstances in current job, find a new job you love or even switch careers to something you find more rewarding. A coach can assist you to determine what you want to get from your work beyond financial compensation and to implement a plan to achieve those goals.
5. Having a Bigger Impact
When we have the career basics of earning our worth and enjoying the work covered, we tend to start thinking about the difference we are making. Often people wish they could make a bigger impact. You might be interested in contributing more to the success of your employers, better helping people with the products or services you provide or even helping make the world a better place. A career coach can help you achieve these goals that bring more meaning to your life.
A Career Coach Looks at Specific Issues and the Big Picture
If you have reviewed the five benefits of a career coach, you will have noticed how connected they all are. For example, it’s hard to be happy at work if you are not being recognized for the true value of your contribution. Conversely, unhappy employees tend to be valued less by their employers. A good career coach can help you address specific issues you have, but will also help you examine the big picture of your vocation.
Of course, a rewarding career has an impact well beyond your work life. Your job satisfaction and success has an impact on your personal life, your health and your loved ones. So, a career coach can help you achieve both the career and the life you deserve.
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