Career coaches or counselors function to help you find the career that is best for you. First, your coach will learn about your history, personality, behaviors, skills, and desires.Then the coach will help you create goals and an individualized plan of action to achieve them. Good career counselors will listen to everything you have to say, but they will also not be afraid to straightforwardly address problem areas. These professionals should also be able to help you strategize and help you stay focused on what's important. A career coach should always be a source of encouragement and support, who will champion you through the process.
Facts about Career Coaches
Education. You can trust career coaches to have solid, relevant education. A career counselor usually has a bachelor's degree in some form of psychology or perhaps social science. The best coaches will have also acquired a graduate degree in career counseling. Try to choose a coach with plenty of experience, since no residency time is required for them to begin practicing.
Cost. The cost of career coaching is highly variable and depends on the practice or individual coach. One source notes two very different costs for two career coach practices. The first charges about $500 per session, while the other charges only $200. Keep in mind that most insurance companies do not cover career counseling.
Where to Find Them. Here in the age of the internet, it's relatively easy to find a career counselor in your area. Just search for practices in or near your zip code. You can call different places and compare prices and experience. Job-finding agencies, social services, or your psychologist might also help direct you to a good career coach.
Who Might Need A Career Coach
It's a good idea to consider services from a career coach if:
- Your current job or your college major is not right for you, and you are interested in pursuing something new.
- You have worked at the same job for many years and have been laid off.
- You have never seriously pursued a career. Perhaps you have played professional sports for a long time or have been in college and graduate school for many years. Perhaps a serious illness and frequent hospitalizations have kept you out of the job market for most of your life.
- You have rusty interviewing skills or poorly developed people skills and need coaching to get you started on finding a job.
- You have suddenly moved to a new area for unforeseeable reasons and don't know how to find a career.
- You wish to start your own business and need extra guidance and coaching.