Career Planning & Using a Career Coach
It’s Spring, and time to clean out the cobwebs on that resume, add new skills, and enhance existing ones…
You may be looking at changing careers, moving into a different company, remaining with your current employer and creating a succession plan for yourself in your current role, or going in a new a totally different direction.
It’s a very competitive marketplace, so how will you stand up against your competition, and attract your current employer to move you into a new role, or a new employer to hire you?
Using a Career Coach can help you define your path. Before you hire a coach you will need to decide what your career goals are: Do you want to advance with your current employer, go to a new company, move into a management role, or change careers? Will you need assistance in the job search process?
Once you have made these decisions, make a list of your current job situation by doing the following: Evaluate your job satisfaction, think about your career options and alternatives, research and read as much as you can in the career area of your choice, and look into developing new skills (this should be an ongoing annual process of at least 2-3 times per year).
Changing Careers happens sometimes by choice, and sometimes you don’t have an option. That is why it is very important keep those skills of yours fine tuned.
Your Resume - Make sure your resume is current, listing your current title, role and responsibilities, accomplishments and successes.
Plan Ahead – Make sure you have your references in tact, names, telephone numbers, email addresses, and agreement to give you a high level of recommendation.
Make a list of Likes/Dislikes – What you loved last year may have changed, take time to reflect. On your Like/Dislike columns – use this list to review your current job and career path. If you current job remains in the Likes column, then most likely, you are on the right path, however, if they fall into the Dislikes column, could be time to make a change.
Take time to think about what you want or need from your job now – Do you want to make a difference, do you want a promotion, do you want to reflect change? Take the time to understand the motives that drive your success and happiness. Make a list of your accomplishments. Plan to share all of this information with your coach.
YOU ARE NOW READY TO HIRE A CAREER COACH
A Coaching relationship is built on Trust, working together to help you focus more on your present and future goals, realistically, and to remove obstacles that are holding you back. In other words, ‘ Creating A Positive Path’.
Good luck with your Spring Cleaning and Career Planning!
