Could Career Coaching Benefit You? (part 5)

This entry is the final post in this series. In addition to the various ways that a career coach could benefit you that I already discussed, a coach is someone you can talk to about other issues that relate to your career decision, or inability to make a decision. They can discuss potential obstacles in your path and help you identify ways to overcome them.

Consider these questions:
1. Are you planning to or would consider relocating?
2. If you have a spouse/partner is he/she currently working and willing to relocate?
3. If you have already begun a job search, are you OK with the pace of your activities in your search? Or have previous job searches gone about as you had anticipated?
4. Do you have a disability that would not effect your work performance, are you confident about how disclosure of it might impact your search?

If you have read the entire series and answered the questions posed in each, you may see that there are many ways a career coach could benefit you. For almost all of the questions, if your answer was "YES", then you are pretty confident and should be able to manage your job search on your own. Although, you may still want to talk with a career coach or counselor about a specific aspect of your search.

If your answer was "NO" to many of the questions, it may be that you could benefit from the assistance of a career coach (or a career counselor). A professional can help you address issues or concerns you have about making a change and help you sort through fact from fiction abut today's world of work.


Mary Ann Davis is a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) in private practice providing coaching and counseling or life's transitions; including career change or job search, as well as loss of job, retirement planning, coping with an empty nest, and other life planning issues. She is certified as a Master Career Counselor by the National Career Development Association; a Life/Work Counselor by the National Employment Counseling Association; and is a Distance Credentialed Counselor. Please visit her web site at www.YourCareerPlan.com for more information.

To contact Mary Ann, please call (513) 665-4444 x3 and leave a personal and confidential message or send an email to YourCarerPlan@cinci.rr.com.

Could Career Coaching Benefit You? (part 3)

In part 2 of this series, I talked about the basic written materials you will need for a job search. Obviously, those materials should be designed to attract the attention of a potential employer. Although it is a good idea to check your newspaper and identify an on-line site or two where you may want to post your resume, you will not want to depend on those advertisements for the majority of your job search efforts. In today's market, the large majority of jobs that are filled are not advertised, so you must supplement that search with your own marketing campaign.

You will want to identify organizations that have your target position(s) or may need someone with your qualifications and background. Much of that research is conducted by talking to people that you know and other people they know. Your career coach can help you prepare to conduct informational interviews and to prepare for an active marketing campaign.

Obviously, you must still be prepared to handle the job interview process as a professional. If it has been a while since you conducted a job search, you may be a little concerned about how you will perform in an interview. These days, many initial screenings are conducted via telephone and more in-person interviews are conducted in a small group, not just one-on-one interviews. So, although you will need to prepare your written documents, you should also be prepared for the interview process.

Consider these questions:
1. Are you able to speak clearly and present a professional appearance?
2. Are you able to talk about yourself and your accomplishments without
sounding as though you are being boastful?
3. Are you comfortable and able to maintain your "cool" during stressful
interviews and group interviews?
4. Are you comfortable with your negotiating skills?

Again, your career coach can provide assistance and guidance as you market your skills/background and prepare for interviews. S/he can also talk with you about what might be a reasonable request in negotiating.

Check back for continuing entries on this topic.


Mary Ann Davis is a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) in private practice providing coaching and counseling for life's transitions; including career change or job search, as well as loss of job, retirement planning, coping with an empty nest, and other life planning issues. She is certified as a Master Career Counselor by the National Career Development Association; a Life/Work Counselor by the National Employment Counseling Association; and is a Distance Credentialed Counselor. Please visit her web site at www.YourCareerPlan.com for more information.

To contact Mary Ann, please call (513) 665-4444 x3 and leave a personal and confidential message or send an email to YourCareerPlan@cinci.rr.com.

Could Career Coaching Benefit You? (part 4)

This is the fourth segment of a series, Could Career Coaching Benefit You? One area of a job search that many people don't think about is their references. Many employers still ask for references from job candidates and it is important that you have professional references to provide. A career coach can help you identify people to serve as your references, if needed, and help you communicate with them so they will be of most value in your search. They can also share suggestions for ways in which you should "take care of" your references.


In today's job search, your references could be a very significant part of your background. It goes beyond asking a co-worker or your former supervisor to serve as a reference. Ask yourself these questions:

1. Are your references the RIGHT professionals for you to use?

2. Do you and your references understand their role in your search?

3. Do you know how to improve the performance of your references when
they are talking about you to a potential employer?

4. Can you make the reference-checking process easier for your references?



A coach can also help you adjust to your pending (or current) transition and assist you through the decision-making process to select your next direction. S/he can also assist you to determine the feasibility of your new goal(s) and help you develop a plan to achieve them. Consider these questions:

1. Are you considering making a change in your profession, career path or industry?

2. Have you identified your transferable skills?

3. Are you concerned that you might be 'stuck' in your current industry or profession?

4. Do you know if you have the skills needed for your desired direction?



Having appropriate professional references will add to your overall marketability, but you must help prepare them to take on that task. Once you determine the direction in which you would like to take your career, then you can decide which individuals will be the best references to use for the search. Your career coach can help you with the preparations for your search and can provide support, encouragement, perhaps information as you work through your decisions.


Check back for the final segment in this series on career coaching.

Mary Ann Davis is a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) in private practice providing coaching and counseling for life's transitions; including career change or job search, as well as loss of job, retirement planning, coping with an empty nest, and other life planning issues. She is certified as a Master Career Counselor by the National Career Development Association; a Life/Work Counselor by the National Employment Counseling Association; and is a Distance Credentialed Counselor. Please visit her web site at www.YourCareerPlan.com for more information.

To contact Mary Ann, please call (513) 665-4444 x3 and leave a personal and confidential message or send an email to YourCareerPlan@cinci.rr.com.