Finding That Balance of Support to Offer
When asked, one of the ways I look to differentiate myself from others who do career coaching, is by stressing that I am a “job search strategy” coach. Ever since my certification in career coaching in 2011, it has been ingrained in me that in the process of finding a new job or vocation you are going to do some combination of steps involving Assessment, Research, Targeting, Interviewing and Follow-Up. And, while you may ask, don’t all career coaches use that approach, I have found that different “coaches” will emphasize different aspects of the process. Some will stress the resume’, others the interview, some the Linked In profile, others the fact that they were once a job recruiter or a hiring manager. All of that is fine, and certainly those in search need guidance and support in any or all of those aspects at one point or another during the search process.
However, even before my career coach certification, I received my life coaching certification in 2009. My learnings as part of that certification were focused more so on not letting road blocks stand in your way of what you want, being positive in how you energetically pursued what it is you were seeking, and provided many tools to help one gain their focus on where one was headed. Before my concentration became predominantly career and job search related, my early clients and those I looked to attract were those looking to change their approach to one aspect or another of their life.
As 2017 was winding down, it started to become more obvious to me that the people with whom I was connecting were just as much stalled in their job searches based on “life issues,” as much as it may have been on “job search strategy technique issues.” For the last 4 years I have worked as a “Career Coach and Acclimation Consultant,” for clients moved to my area of the county due to a family transfer because of a job change for a spouse or partner. In that role, I often am providing career guidance tips, and also “life acclimation” resources. It is a role I enjoy very much. Additionally, speaking with clients that come from the spouse/partner world and those coming to me through other channels in my life, it continues to become more and more apparent, that the how people work, the where they work, and how work factors into their overall work and life dynamics is often the “help” that potential clients are really seeking.
So what does this all add up to for me as I enter 2018? I’m not sure I have it fully defined, but I sense both a need and frankly an opportunity to expand how I am able to help those clients with whom I work. Yes there will be those who may want to work with me solely for the help I can provide them with a resume’, or interview prep, or job search suggestions and methods. But, I would be remiss when initially meeting and discussing with those who reach out to learn about my services not to also inquire as to the role of how they work and what they would like to do fits into their overall life. One of the things I have been stressing to clients in the last couple of years is the ways people are working and will work in the upcoming years are not often the same as ways of the past. Items such as freelancing, consulting, checking into desks to do your work but not on your company’s property, and other such arrangements are becoming more common.
And while there are life coaches who do assist people in figuring out what it is they want to do next in their life, many often are not trained in the skills and tools that help one move forward once they determine what that may be. So, as I morph out of 2017 to 2018 I will continue my exploration in determining how to best put together the talents I offer into ways that will best help my clients. However, in the end, my coaching and practice is never about me, it is about the people that work with me. If you are at a crossroads as to what it is on how you want to spend your life, (and also help support yourself), what combination of things do you believe it would be of value with which to have help? I’d love to hear your thoughts.
