Career Coaching Tips
Read these 5 Career Coaching Tips tips to make your life smarter, better, faster and wiser. Each tip is approved by our Editors and created by expert writers so great we call them Gurus. LifeTips is the place to go when you need to know about Life Coaching tips and hundreds of other topics.
6 Secrets of Career Coaching Success
Career coaches fill a special role, especially in a challenging economy. When frustrated job-seekers just don't know where to turn, a career coach can help them to get clarity and find a new path filled with purpose.
Career coaching is more art than science and is comprised of teaching, encouraging and offering practical solutions. The ultimate goal of career coaching is to help clients to make informed decisions about their careers and learn valuable tools to reach their goals. Here are 6 steps the best career coaches use:
1. Be solution-oriented. Career coaches should be focused on coming up with concrete steps to assign clients to help them overcome obstacles and achieve their career goals. While some aspects of coaching are process-driven, ultimately tangible action steps should come out of every session.
2. Make use of assessments. There are a number of assessments career coaches can use when assisting clients -- interest inventories, personality tests and comfort-zone challenges are just a few. These assessment tests can help in pinpointing what type of work the client is best suited for. You can also ask clients to get constructive feedback from colleagues, former co-workers, bosses, family members and friends.
3. Address the weakest area. There's usually one major area a client will need the most help with. Identify the client's weakest link and address it early and often. For example, a client may be struggling with assertiveness issues that underlie procrastination or other surface-level manifestations.
4. Be ready to handle common complaints. Some of the most common complaints of coaching clients include: feeling stuck in a job they hate, not knowing how to use and apply current skills, a lack of clarity about what to do next, or an aversion to using social media in their job search. Be ready with solutions and action plans for these common issues.
5. Know when to recommend counseling. In some cases, your clients may suffer with mental health issues like depression or an anxiety disorder. If you suspect this is the case, recommend professional counseling or medical help.
6. Make career satisfaction your #1 goal. Never forget that your clients are coming to you because they seek a genuine sense of career satisfaction and fulfillment. For best results, help them to align their career choice with their personal value system.
8 Markers of a Great Career Coach
As a career coach with a desire to achieve success and expand your coaching business, there are specific tasks you can do to stand apart from other career coaches. The habits and characteristics you include in the way you conduct your business will help clients identify you as a great career coach. Attract more clients to your career coaching services and achieve the growth and success you desire by striving for these eight markers that identify great career coaches.
Eight Markers of a Great Career Coach
1. You’re able to identify the underlying cause of clients’ career-related problems and provide effective solutions.
2. Remaining current with career trends is important and you read, study and research to achieve this.
3. Previous clients have identified you as a coach who helps produce results.
4. Because each client is different, your career coaching services are personalized to suit different personalities and aptitudes.
5. Your clients feel supported and understood from the first meeting.
6. Professional development is critical to success, and you’re actively furthering your knowledge and skill set.
7. Others in the careers industry respect your work and often refer clients.
8. Your track record speaks for itself; clients know you’ll help them with career success.
Get Yourself Established in Career Coaching
You can establish yourself in the career coaching business by building a strong foundation. Meeting or exceeding the above eight identifiers of a great career coach will help you achieve your goals.
How to Attract and Keep Career Coaching Clients
As a career coach wanting to develop a successful business, you're always looking for new ways to attract and keep coaching clients. There are many ways to promote and advertise your career coaching services to convert would-be clients to regularly scheduled clients. Become more effective with business-building by including these strategies and considerations into your plans for attracting and keeping new coaching clients.
How to Get Career Coaching Clients
1. Regular marketing and advertising. Get and keep career coaching clients with marketing that targets your specific focus group. Use social media, video marketing and email newsletters.
2. Offer first-time promotions. Encourage would-be clients to schedule appointments by offering exclusive promotions to those who book a consultation.
3. Be visible and available. Be active in your local or online community to establish a presence and reputation for helping guide clients toward the best possible career.
Tips for Retaining New Coaching Clients
1. Demonstrate how you can help. Use testimonials and client reviews to show potential clients the effectiveness of your coaching services.
2. Reward repeat clients. Retain clients by offering exclusive package deals or other promotions.
3. Offer a variety of coaching services. In addition to one-on-one appointments, offer group coaching sessions or occasional coaching retreats to appeal to a variety of clients.
The Importance of Sincerity and Integrity
The tips above are important and will help you build your client base. But the most effective thing you can do to get and keep career coaching clients is to be sincere and live with integrity. Follow the same guidelines you encourage clients to follow while leading by example and demonstrating sincere concern for them. In conjunction with the above tips, this will speak volumes to your clients, helping you steadily build your career coaching business.
How to Use Content Marketing to Promote Yourself as a Career Coach
Content marketing is the process of creating compelling, original content that attracts customers and helps you retain them. Ideally, this content will have the effect of changing and enhancing consumer behavior in your favor. Beyond just pitching products and services, with content marketing, you deliver value that improves your customers' lives. The goal is that they ultimately reward you with future business and loyalty.
Career coaches can benefit tremendously from using content marketing. Their clients and potential clients are in a position of needing help on their career path, and providing valuable content to them via a blog or social media account will keep them tuning in to what you have to offer. When the time comes to actually hire a coach, your name is likely to be at the top of the list.
Here are some ideas for career coach content marketing to get you started:
Blog posts that inform and enlighten. Avoid recycling generic, obvious "advice" in your postings; instead, be as creative and innovative as possible. Look for current news items and cutting edge self-help tools to report on.
Podcasts and videos. Be generous with multi-media offerings; share specific tools, insights and interviews via e-newsletters and your website. Ask for contact information in exchange for access.
Ebooks. Love to write? Consider creating a free ebook to offer to your customers as a downloadable .pdf file. Include a call to action at the end encouraging them to sign on for your coaching services.
Tip sheets. If you don't enjoy writing enough to compose a full-length ebook but love to share useful information, consider composing some snappy tip sheets for your readers. Examples titles might be, "Top 10 Ways to Stop Procrastinating" or "10 Things You Didn't Know About Today's Job Market."
\r\nBy now, you get the idea -- consistently providing content of substance will compel your website viewers and social media friends to keep coming back for more. You'll effectively brand yourself as a coach who cares, and when the time comes for them to hire a coach, your name will likely rise to the top of their list.
Benefits of Career Coaching Retreats
This shorter, more intense form of coaching can provide your clients with multiple benefits as they endeavor toward success. Likewise, hosting retreats can benefit you, making them a win-win situation for everyone involved.
Client Benefits from Career Coaching Retreats
1. An In-Depth Career Coaching Experience. The ability to attend session after session allows clients to gain greater insight into their career goals and obstacles in a shorter amount of time.
2. Benefits of Peer Support. Discussing goals and challenges with peers lets your clients know they share a common bond with others.
3. Goal-Achievement Underway. The intense career coaching experience helps clients see immediate progress and leaves them feeling encouraged.
How Career Coaching Retreats Benefit You
1. Service More Clients at a Time. Hosting a retreat with many clients in attendance allows you to guide more people toward effective career goals within a shorter time frame.
2. Add Variety to Your Services. The Addition of career coaching retreats makes your business more appealing to a broader audience.
Prepare for Your First Retreat
It's exciting and overwhelming to plan for your first career coaching retreat. Be sure to include various workshops and coaching sessions that address important issues effecting people wanting to improve or change the career their in. The opportunity to participate in group and individual coaching sessions over the course of a few days will leave your clients feeling empowered and accomplished. At the same time, your reputation as a career coach who makes a difference will continue to grow.
| Guru Spotlight |
| Patricia Walters-Fischer |
