A Career Coach is a smart investment, not a luxury! (Or what does putting a grill together have to do with conducting a job search?)
True story. On a Memorial Day weekend, just after graduating from college, I bought a grill. I decided I was going to save the $100 fee to have the hardware store put it together, and I would assemble it myself! Needless to say, that is ALL I did over the entire weekend – it actually took me about 25 hours total, and luckily at the end it worked and I did not blow anything up.
If you do the calculations, because I was ineffective in what I was doing, the value of my time averaged out to $4.00 an hour – about half of what I would have made flipping burgers somewhere.
Although there are things we outsource in our own lives – tax preparation, haircuts, and maybe mowing the lawn – there are things we try to do ourselves (me putting a grill together), that are truly an inefficient use of time.
If you’re not a career expert, “going it alone” on career discovery, resume development and a job search is not only an ineffective use of time, but it may leave you feeling lost, frustrated, and perhaps even going in circles. You’ll be like me, as a college grad trying to put a grill together and getting nowhere.
Let’s look at each of these components a bit more closely, to understand how working with a Career Coach / Job Search Coach / Resume Writer might help you succeed in reaching your destination faster:
- Career Discovery
The career discovery coaching process is not just for those changing careers – it helps everyone in terms of finding the ideal environment and role that will yield success. Many of my clients who seek career discovery sessions are just unhappy in their present / past role, and are looking to make slight adjustments – such as a different industry or slightly different responsibilities. They want to put their finger on exactly what will bring satisfaction. And, they want to circle back through and think through the other options available to them – just to have them out on the table to ensure they really are on the right path. Other clients of mine just want to find out what their “dream” is and what they would enjoy doing for their career.
For both, the career discovery coaching process is valuable. It helps to have an independent, objective person help you sort through your passions, skills, interests, and even limitations, to point yourself in the right direction. Often, just getting very clear on the correct next step will accelerate a job search tremendously.
- Resume Development
Once we analyze strengths, personality traits and career interests to arrive at the correct next step, we need to translate this onto paper. The resume needs to be optimized for three audiences: 1). the HR clerk who will give it a quick scan; 2). the computer scanning system looking for keywords; and 3). the hiring manager, who needs to be visually “wowed” by the resume and have the question answered “Why should I hire you.” A stellar resume may be the difference between being one of thousands left in the “not proceeding” pile, and making in into the top 10 or so “to be interviewed” pile that is sent on to the hiring manager. It has to be THAT GOOD to be in the top 1% of resumes sent in for the position to land you an interview.
- Job Search Strategy
After career discovery and creation of marketing documents, you need to get out there in front of as many hiring managers as possible. A targeted job search is where you’ll find the 80% of jobs that are referred to as “hidden”. If you are not spending 80% of your time on a targeted search, you’ll be spinning your wheels and wondering why, 6 months down the road, you’ve gotten nowhere. Similarly, “random” networking is not going to be as valuable as focused networking that gets you in front of hiring managers.
For jobs you apply to, there are extra steps you need to take or else you will most likely not move forward and receive an interview.
Beyond interviewing well, you’ll also need to follow up in a way that puts you out in front of the other 3-5 people who made it to the final round. You’ll need to stand out in the post-interview process – we have methods for helping you stand out as being the superior candidate beyond others who are in the final round.
- Encouragement and Motivation
Let’s face it, running your own ineffective job search and facing rejection day in and day out is not for the faint of heart. It’s discouraging. It’s frustrating. Sometimes it can feel downright maddening. And you’re doing it all alone. Once a week you can share your misery with a friend or mention it to a spouse – but they really can’t help. It’s really hard to go through a job search or transition alone. I offer weekly check-in calls with clients, providing encouragement and empathy for an emotional boost. And accountability and actionable steps for motivation.
- Return on Investment
Lastly, “going it alone” does not make financial sense either. As in the grill example, my time averaged out to $4.00 an hour. Career coaches will help a person obtain a job 15%-46% faster. For every multiple of $100,000 a person makes in salary, getting a job one month faster will yield $8,000 income in their pocket. If a career coach helps you find a job even 1 WEEK faster, they have paid for themselves. Employing a good career coach / resume writer / job search strategist is really a no-brainer and the investment will pay for itself many times over.
Are you in transition and having a less than satisfactory time with your job search? Schedule a free consultation and we can decide if it is a good fit to work together.
If you’re thinking of putting off working with a Career / Job Search coach, the question is:
- Do you have 6 months of savings to live off of while you experiment with your untested job search tactics?
- Do you want to risk settling for less when it comes to your career?
- Do you want to spend another miserable decade in a job you don’t enjoy that is going nowhere?
My passion truly is to help people move forward into the life of their dreams. Life is short – and there has never been a better time than NOW to take the next step.
I have openings to work with just two more individuals in transition this month.
To schedule a consultation, email me at: info@dreamlifeteam.com or call at 440-709-4724. Don’t delay – time is money!
In my next blog post, we will talk about the types of people who use a Career Coach.
Best wishes for your success – Rebecca Bosl