What is a Career Coach?

Just wanted to share a little about my way of “coaching” 

 

Having worked in many organizational settings (including but not limited to academia, government, health care, technology, etc.) often as an internal consultant out of the HR department or as an external consultant, I’m not your average career coach.  As some like to say, “This is not my first rodeo!”

 

I see myself as a teacher/learner, guide, mentor, encourager, counselor, experienced companion on the life journey of transitions.  After all, the only constant in this relative world is change, right?

Transition can be in career, but also in a myriad of other areas like the location where you live, your relationship(s), your age, recent graduation, the state of your health, spiritual journey, your current role(s), and on and on.

I’m drawn to working with people in transition because that’s where one’s true vulnerability happens.  That’s when we are most able to see things differently and can be more open-minded (if we are not in total fear of course)!  By the way, I can be of service with that too!

I love to accompany folks through the uncertainty of change whether it’s of your choice or not.  Both can be challenging.

 

When clients come to me for career counseling, there seems to be 3 types of situations:

 

  1. They want to find or change their career direction.

  2. They have been laid off by their employer.

  3. They are having a crisis of some sort, identity, loss, injury, or of an existential nature, etc.

 

My skill set includes good counseling and coaching skills, knowledge of career development and job search skills, and the ability to see beyond the “presenting problem” of a career issue.  If the client is willing, we explore those other areas of life coaching that I call self-mastery and soul coaching.  I have explored these realms since I was just out of high school, as I was always so curious about the development of personality, connections with others, finding one’s purpose and spirituality.

Consequently, I have gathered a lot knowledge, experience, and methodologies for healing and transcending challenges in these areas.  Collaborating with clients using these different modalities has given me great satisfaction and insights for and with my clients. I have favorite authors, techniques, and ways of facilitating healing and growth that I’ve learned and experienced over the years to share so I can customize my approach and process with others.  I enjoy having an eclectic approach and (often generative) learning experiences with my clients.