Careers – Page 2 – WETONG Blog

Tips For Successful Career Planning

Tony Jacowski asked:

The average worker changes their career many times during their lives, so it is never too late to start planning.

Career planning is not a difficult task; you don’t have to avoid it or put it off, rather you should seek to understand it. Planning your career should always be a positive experience.

Here are some successful career planning tips:

-Career planning as a regular event- In a year, many of us have regular appointments such as a visit to an eye doctor or a dentist. Similarly, you should do career planning regularly. Take some time off from your regular routine and plan out your career. Sit in a silent place and block out all distractions so that you can concentrate. By making career planning a routine event, you will feel secure about your career choice and growth. You will be prepared to tackle any adverse situation that may surface.

-Career planning from your last career plan- While planning your career, don’t forget to start from your last career plan and spend some time jotting down your career reviews. If your career growth has lots of ups and downs, sit and analyze and plan ahead. Past mistakes can guide you towards a better future. If you are content with your career growth, then continue along the path or find a significant way to grow further.

-Don’t neglect your likes and dislikes- While planning your career, don’t forget about your likes and dislikes, since your likes two years ago may have changed. Take time to reflect on the new developments in your personal life, not just on the job front.

Make two separate rows of likes and dislikes, and then use this list to analyze your current job path. If you feel your current job falls under the like column, then you can consider yourself lucky as you are on the right path. If it falls into the dislike category, then you need to examine your career and your available options. Career planning also gives you time to think about your hobbies and pastimes. It may sound bizarre, but sometimes these passions and hobbies give you insight into what you like doing on the job.

-Jot down your past activities- Generally, people don’t keep track of their accomplishments. Some past achievements can be included in your resume and can be useful while planning your career. Sometimes reviewing your past achievements can reveal successes that can help you plan your career.

-Look for transferable skills- Search beyond the regular options for new career openings. If you focus, you may find good career growth opportunities in that area. You might have some skills that can be applied to various jobs.

If you keep these tips in mind, career planning will be less of a chore and more rewarding.

Finding a New Job: How to Use Career Training to your Advantage

Li Ming Wong asked:

Are you interested in changing careers or changing jobs? If you are, your first impulse may involve automatically quitting your current job and going right out and applying for new jobs. Of course, the decision is yours to make, but you may want to refrain from taking this approach, as there are no guarantees. Instead, you may want to take the time to find the perfect jobs to apply to, as well as use career training to your advantage.

As you likely already know, career training comes in a number of different formats. In all honesty, career training typically caters to different careers. For instance, if you are looking for a career in healthcare, you may be required to attend medical school, even just to receive certification for nursing. On the other hand, if you are interested in working as a secretary, your career training may involve courses that teach typing or office management skills. Although career training comes in a number of different formats, it can dramatically improve your chances of successfully changing careers or jobs.

As previously stated, career training courses come in a number of different formats. With that in mind, career training, no matter what classes or courses you take, is designed to help educate you on one particular career field, such as nursing, accounting, or office management. Although career training courses can vary greatly, you often walk away with a large amount of skill and knowledge. In fact, depending on the career courses or classes that you take, you may be able to walk away with a degree or a certificate of completion. These are documents that you can give all prospective employers access to for verification of your training, knowledge, and skills.

One of the many reasons why career training can assist you when you are looking to change careers or even just jobs is because it can help you stand apart from your competition. Although career training is still popular today, not as many job seekers take advantage of it. This means that you can really use career training to your advantage. For instance, if you are interested in applying for a job as a secretary, you can take a few office management classes, typing classes, or computer software classes before you start applying for new jobs. By taking this approach, your job training is new and fresh. This not only gives you an advantage over those who do not have career training behind them, but it also gives you an advantage over those who received training a year or more ago.

As ideal as it is to hear that career training can offer you assistance, when looking to change jobs or careers, you may be curious as to how you go about getting that training, especially if you are still currently employed. Career training is offered through a number of different centers, which are commonly referred to as career centers or vocational training centers. You may also be able to receive career training at your local community college. What is nice about many of these establishments is that they offer affordable and flexible training classes and courses. In fact, you will likely find that a good percentage of career training classes are taught at night or on the weekend. This is what essentially enables to you receive career training while still holding down your current job.

As outlined above, it is relatively easy for you to go about enrolling yourself in career training courses, for a wide variety of different career fields. There are also a number of benefits to doing so. Of course, the decision as to whether or not you want to use career training to your advantage is your decision to make, but if you are serious about changing jobs or changing careers, it is something that you should seriously consider. In all honesty, what do you have to lose by at least examining all of your options first?

Find Jobs At The Career Fair

Julia Sullivan asked:

Are you searching for a new job or a new career? If you are, you may have searched for jobs online or even in your newspaper’s employment section. Although these resources are great ones, you may want to think about trying career fairs, as they are a great way to find available job positions, as well as apply for them at the same time.

Although there is a good chance that you have heard of a career fair before, there is also a chance that you haven’t. If you didn’t already know, career fairs are events that are often free and held in large public places. Most career fairs are held at hotels or in shopping malls. During a career fair, a number of employers, particularly those who are hiring, set up booths. Those booths are where participating employers will have information, including pictures, write ups, and more, about their company displayed. Most career fair employer participants also often have a company representative or two on hand, to accept applications and sometimes even do onsite interviews.

As nice as it is to know what career fairs are, you may be wondering why you should attend one. As it was previously mentioned, a large number of employers often come to career fairs. The exact number will all depend on the size of the establishment in question. Even the smallest of career fairs tend to house about forty or fifty hiring employers. Using the internet or searching for job listings in your local newspaper will never be able to produce this many employers in such a small amount of time.

Career fairs are also nice because the participating employers often run different types of businesses. For instance, at one of your local career fairs, employers looking for construction workers, nurses, secretaries, or teachers could have booths set up. This is nice because it can give you ideas or cause you to examine another job or career, one that you may have not thought of before. Also, when attending a career fair, you are under no obligation to provide prospective employers with your resume or your contact information, although it is advised that you do so. This means that you could not only use a career fair to find available jobs, but you can also use them to examine all of your options or to set new career goals for yourself.

If you are interested in attending a career fair, you will need to be able to find them. As it was previously mentioned, most career fairs are held in public establishments, like hotels or shopping centers. Many career fairs are advertised at their locations in advance. It may be a little bit harder to examine local hotels, but you may be able to see career fair signs when shopping at your favorite retail stores. You should also be able find out about locally hosted career fairs by using the internet or your local newspapers, as many career fair organizers take out advertisements.

The decision as to whether or not you want to attend a career fair is yours to make, but it is something that may result in a new job or a new career. For the best chance of success at career fairs, you will want to make sure that you dress professionally, bring extra copies of your resume to handout, as well as always be prepared for an interview. All career fairs are different, but some employers are known to give prospective candidates interviews right on the spot, as well as hire new employees!

Career Clusters Close the Gap Between Schools Subjects and Careers

Mary Askew asked:

A wealth of information exists that explains the relationships between school subjects and careers. Across the nation, children, teens, teachers, and counselors use Career Interests Areas or Clusters to explore careers and to make school study plans. There are sixteen (16) Interests Areas or Clusters:

1. Agriculture, Food, & Natural Resources

2. Architecture & Construction

3. Arts, A/V Technology & Communication

4. Business, Management & Administration

5. Education & Training

6. Finance

7. Government & Public Administration

8. Health Science

9. Hospitality & Tourism

10. Human Services

11. Information Technology

12. Law, Public Safety & Security

13. Manufacturing

14. Marketing, Sales & Service

15. Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics

16. Transportation, Distribution & Logistics

States and federal agencies across the nation have created career cluster web sites and resources. We have reviewed three (3) of the best state or federal agency web sites.

Louisiana Integrated Skills Assessment (LISA)

One of the most unique comprehensive career cluster resources is the Louisiana Integrated Skills Assessment (LISA), an Internet program. LISA lets you explore career clusters, careers, abilities, training requirements, and more. Using the Lisa, you can do the following tasks:

Assessment: Explore career options using the Work Importance Locator.

I Enjoy: Find careers based upon the things that you enjoy.

Cluster: Find careers from Career Cluster Groups.

Search: Search for jobs based on knowledge, skills, and abilities.

Best Match: Use your current job to find knowledge, skills, and abilities to identify a new career.

Compare: Compare current job to potential new job.

Profile: Use this feature to create a profile from a selected career.

There are 3 steps in the LISA program. In Step 1, when you choose a career cluster, you will read the description of the cluster. When you select a career cluster in Step 2, you can select a career group. In each career group, you will see a lot of different careers. Finally, in Step 3, you see additional occupational information, such as:

Job descriptions

Educational and training requirements

Crosswalks, for example ONET, DOT, GOE, and other codes

Abilities

Knowledge

Skills

Tasks

Work Values

Labor Market Information

There is detailed information in each job profile:

Description

Crosswalk

Abilities

Knowledge

Skills

Tasks

Work Values

Occupational Characteristics Narrative

The Louisiana Integrated Skills Assessment (LISA) is an excellent tool for students to do career cluster exploration.

NCE Career Clusters and State Career Clusters Initiative Resources

The NCE Career Clusters has adapted information from the State Career Clusters Initiative to create a career education toolkit for teachers and counselors. In your NCE Career Clusters toolkit, you can find a Career Cluster Model, poster, resource booklets, At-a-Glance PDF Slices, and Plans of Study. Each resource is designed to facilitate the exploration of Career Clusters.

Career Cluster Resource Booklet

To prepare for a Career Clusters discussion, teachers and counselors use the State Career Clusters Initiative Career Cluster Resource Booklet. The brochures discuss the differences between career clusters and career pathways. The booklet outlines that career clusters are career groups from the same industry that have the same skills and educational requirements. Career pathways are specific careers that are within the each career cluster. The Resource Booklet discusses the following topics:

Historical background information

Cluster Knowledge and Skills

Pathway Knowledge and Skills

O*NET Crosswalk Report

Validation Studies

Assessment Protocol

Certification Protocol

The booklet is a “must-read” resource that provides in depth information on each career cluster. Each booklet has detailed graphs, charts, and tables.

Career Cluster Model

To provide an overview of Career Clusters, teachers and counselors use the Career Cluster Model. The Career Cluster Model simplifies sixteen (16) Career Clusters model. The center of the NCE Career Clusters model focuses on six (6) major groups. The career clusters are color-coded so that you can easily present six (6) major groups in classroom activities. The six (6) major groups are:

1. Environmental and Agricultural Systems

2. Business, Marketing, and Management

3. Communication and Information Systems

4. Industrial, Manufacturing, Engineering Systems

5. Health Sciences

6. Human Services and Resources

Here is summary of the relationship between the sixteen (16) Career Clusters and the 6 Super Clusters.

1. Environmental and Agricultural Systems

Agriculture, Food, & Natural Resources (1)

2. Business, Marketing, and Management combines:

Business, Management & Administration (4)

Finance (6)

Hospitality & Tourism (9)

Marketing, Sales & Service (14)

3. Communication and Information Systems involve:

Arts, A/V Technology & Communication (3)

Information Technology (11)

4. Industrial, Manufacturing, Engineering Systems

Transportation, Distribution & Logistics (16)

Architecture & Construction (2)

Manufacturing (13)

Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics (15)

5. Health Sciences

Health Science (8)

6. Human Services and Resources

Education & Training (5)

Government & Public Administration (7)

Human Services (10)

Law, Public Safety & Security (12)

The sixteen (16) Career Clusters systematically fit within the six (6) major groups.

Career Cluster Brochure

Another excellent career cluster student aid is the Career Cluster Brochure. The brochure is filled with photographs that show people performing the different jobs. With this easy-to-read booklet, students get an overview of the different careers, career clusters, and career pathways. Students read about:

What is a career cluster?

What is a career pathway?

What school subjects are important for a career in the … career cluster?

What is the educational or training requirement for a career in the … career cluster?

What are the necessary credentials for a career in the … career cluster?

What is the employment outlook for a career in the … career cluster?

What are some sample occupations?

Career Cluster Slices

Besides the Career Cluster Model and the Brochure, a third student Career Cluster aid is the NCE Career Cluster Slices. The NCE Career Cluster Slice identifies specific career opportunities found within each Career Pathways. Each Cluster Slice is illustrated and designed to explore areas, such as:

Cluster Description

Pathway Description

Cluster Knowledge & Skills

Career Field

Preparation for a Career in …

Examples of Education and Training Postsecondary Programs of Study

Students discover that each pathways leads to post-secondary options including:

Apprenticeships

Certificates

Licenses

Associate’s Degree Programs

Bachelor’s Degree Programs

Master’s Degree Programs

Doctoral Degree Programs

Professional Degree Programs

Career Clusters Plan of Study

At the beginning of the students’ middle school years, the students use assessments identify career cluster interest areas. With the Career Clusters model, brochure, Slices, and LISA resources, the students have explored the different careers and post-secondary training options. Students, teachers, counselors, and parents then use the Career Clusters Plan of Study to strategically plan the students’ high school course work. The Career Clusters Plan of Study provides examples of English, Math, Science, Social Studies, electives, and extra-curricular activities for the following grade levels:

7th – 8th grade

9th – 10th grade

11th – 12th grade

Examples of advanced coursework for postsecondary credit

The NCE Career Clusters web page is the gateway to the student career cluster resources.

State Career Clusters Initiative, NCE, and Lisa materials are just examples of career cluster resources. Career clusters resources have established a connection between school subjects and careers.

Resources:

Explore Career Clusters, Texas Workforce Commission/Career Development Resources (TWC/CDR), US Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration, and Louisiana Department of Labor

Nebraska Career Education, States’ Career Clusters Initiative, 2005, and NCTEF/NASDCTEc (National Association of State Directors of Career Technical Education Consortium) States’ Career Clusters Initiative, & National Association of State Directors of Career and Technical Education Consortium

State Career Clusters Initiative Washington, DC: National Association of State Directors of Career Technical Education Consortium, 2002

Discover The Essential Information You Need When Considering A Career Change

James Utterson asked:

Are you dismayed with the way your career is shaping up? More accurately, has it something to do with the lack of direction in your career management?

If that be the case, you are in need of a thorough overhaul of your career planning. You want to explore career job opportunities in areas totally different from what you are engaged in right now. While this is not impossible to achieve, one must remember that all career fields are not the same.

Often they require a completely different set of attributes and mind sets. For example, your expertise in legal security doesn’t necessarily qualify you to be a successful nurse or paramedic. This is something you need to remember before you opt for a radical career transition.

Now since all career fields are different, it is important that you do not suffer from any pre-conceived notions regarding your abilities. Feel-good assumptions having no basis in reality are the worst enemy of your career development goals.

Before seriously deciding on a career change, you need to step back a little, get a perspective on your career planning, and do some thorough research on the career fields that interest you. These may be anything from teaching, medicine, law, retail, to automobiles. The research should cover aspects like current and projected job prospects, average pay, requirements in terms of skill sets and so on. All the related career information that you may need can be obtained either online or at the local library.

Once you have zeroed in on a few career fields that you would be interested in, you may start searching for job openings. Don’t apply for those jobs just yet. Instead, it is advisable to examine these options with respect to the criteria mentioned above.

One of the primary concerns will be your earning prospects. You need to check if the salary and benefits offered in those positions are enough to carry out your financial obligations. Some circumstances like job satisfaction, additional benefits and prospects of career advancement may allow you to take a pay cut; but the onus of making the final decision rests with you.

Another such criterion in your quest for career development is the specific job requirements. You will want to examine some of the job openings in the light of required education, training, skills, aptitude, previous work experience, and the like. What is nice about this part of the research is that data in this regard is easy to come by.

You will find that most job listings, both in print and in online recruitment portals, usually outline all the requirements for the job. You will easily get a good idea as to whether or not you have got what it takes to qualify for your career dream find. If you find any divergence between your ambitions of career transition and the requirements of achieving them, you may want to invest in a few career training courses to help upgrade your expertise and experience.

Continuing with career training, you could access various kinds of courses, all designed to help you prepare for your career dream find. For example, if you want to become a successful accountant, you will have to learn how to keep books of accounts, prepare balance sheets and cash flow statements, maintain records of transactions; prepare tax returns, and so on. Needless to say, the period of training required will depend on the direction in which your career planning goals take you.

If you decide on attending career training courses to improve your chances of making a successful career transition, you will need to look for the career coaching option that will suit your requirements. Many career training courses are advertised in local newspapers. You could visit the local colleges and vocational centers to see what courses they offer.

You may also opt for online career training. These courses will cost you money, but it will invariably be worth it in the end. Hopefully the outcome of the whole exercise will be a foothold into a new career field and a stepping stone to career advancement and job satisfaction.

Looking for a Career Change?

Geetika Jain asked:

If you are bored of your current profile and looking to make a career change, you can be anything but not reckless about it. Career change has to be a very carefully thought and conscious decision that cannot be taken in a haste. Whatever be your reason for changing the job, you have to make a very informed and well thought out decision. You have to consider a lot of factors and have to be very careful on each step. You would be investing a lot of time and probably money too in this decision, so take it wisely. A career change can make or mar your future so be vigilant about it.

While making a career change, here are a few steps you should consider. These are general help tips that can help you not stumble and make a wise and careful career decision. Following these, you can be sure that your career change is successful and lets you make that big leap. Also, since a career change always comes with its share of doubts and apprehensions, it is important to take each step carefully. You wouldn’t want to do anything in hurry now that will ruin your chances later and make you regret for life.

Firstly, give a careful thought to whether you really want this career change. You may have got bored of your current job and you may want to look for a new job, which is not easy either, but going for a career change is a different thing altogether. You have to be very sure that you want to go ahead with it. Chalk out what all you dislike about your current job. Are you completely disillusioned with it? What is it that motivates about the new career option? Can you do with a small break or career change is the only thing that you want. These questions are not to dissuade you but to make you all the more sure that your decision of a career switch is the right one.

Once you are sure that you want to go ahead, next thing is to evaluate what are your chances. That means, you have to assess your own skills, interests and personality and basis that decide what would be the best option for you. Many consultancy firms and career sites offer skill assessment tests. Once you have taken a skill assessment test, it will list your strengths and weaknesses and on the basis of that it will suggest the appropriate career options for you. You can even take the services of an experienced career counselor.

Next to that, you should carefully evaluate the list of career options available to you based on your skills. There would be many options in there and you should go about eliminating first, which means that just strike out whatever you feel you cannot do at all or do not wish to do. Post that, you will be left with narrower options that enthuse you. Once you are ready with a list of four to five options, you can start self-talk and figure out what are the most appealing options in there. If there are options that you have considered earlier too and are excited about, keep them as hot favorites. There may be some new options that you didn’t think about earlier but which sound exciting to you now. Once you have a final list ready, now is the time to explore each occupation on this list. Look in detail on the job descriptions given, educational requirements for that job, future scope in that career, and of course earnings.

On the basis of these criteria, you can narrow down your choices further. While you are conducting research, you will realize new avenues and get to know more about each career option. This way, you will have a clear idea what each career holds in store.

Now, with this research you are ready to pare down your list even further. Thus, if you think you cannot invest the required amount of time and energy to acquire an advanced educational qualification for a particular career, you can rule that option out. Or if you feel the compensation offered in a particular career is not good enough, you can strike that off too. Doing all this, you will be left with one or two options from which you have to choose. You can then go about talking to people in those careers and take their first hand experience report. With all this detailed information, you will be ready to make an informed decision regarding a career change and the chances of a blunder would reduce considerably.

How To Achieve A Better Career As A Career Counsellor

James Copper asked:

Securing the help of a career counsellor if you are thinking about changing your career makes great sense. Lets explore what a career counsellor is all about, what she or he can offer in the way of help changing career, and what services are provided.

If looking for a career counsellor to help you in changing your career is fraught with anxiety, consider this. A licensed career counsellor is very qualified to objectively help you find a great career path for you. Each licensed career counsellor is especially qualified for changing career services, with a graduate degree in counselling and a further specialization in career counselling.

Not all career counselling services are the same. There are varying levels of career counselling that including career counsellor fellows, master career counsellors, registered professional career counsellors and master career development professionals. Generally changing a career is exactly what theyre trained to help with. They help folks make these career changing decisions and help get them on their way to the new career. They help people determine the education and skills that are required of the career theyre thinking of changing to, and help them find the educational facilities and tools to acquire that training.

Specific techniques and strategies for career changing that counsellors practice include group and / or individual counselling session that help clients clarify their life as well as their career goals.

Career counsellors carefully listen to the situations and circumstances that bring the individuals to the point in life that theyre thinking about changing their career.

Career counsellors administer tests that help assess career interests and skills. They interpret the results of the tests, and explain to the client what the tests suggest in the way of interests and abilities. Based on the test results, the career counsellor can advise the client on career changing goals.

Career counsellors encourage their career changing clients to complete exploratory assignments and activities that assess career appropriateness. They provide the opportunities that will help their client improve their own skills in decision making. They help the client draw up career plans and teach job hunting and resume development skills and strategies.

Before suggesting changing careers the counsellor may help the client resolve personal conflicts in the current job situation, or the potential for conflict in any new job situation through the improvement of human relations skills.

A career counsellor can also help the client and the clients family improve their work / life balance to the betterment of family and personal relationships. The counsellor can also be supportive to the person who is experience stress due to job loss, changing career due to forces beyond their control such as downsizing or termination, and just the fear of the unknown career and work environment.

To help those changing their career a counsellor must have at least a Masters degree in counselling, which includes the completion of at least two years of supervised counselling experience.

Advance Your Career With the Help of an Executive Coach

Ralph King asked:

Are you planning to make a career change? If so, you might want to consider working with a career coach. A career coach can help you create a plan for achieving your career goals while also providing you with the support and encouragement you need. In this way, you can achieve your career goals and finally work in a profession that makes you happy and provides you with a handsome income.

What is a Career Coach?

A career coach is a person that has been trained in helping other people develop their career goals. Even if you are unsure your career goals, a career coach will work closely with you in order to help you determine where you would like your career to go and to develop a plan for achieving those goals.

If you have dreams of landing a job as a manager or executive, you might want to work with an executive coach. An executive coach is a specialized type of career coach that focuses on helping a person work up the chain of command within his or her field. With the help of an executive coach, you will learn how to obtain the training needed to climb the corporate ladder as well as learn more about how you should perform in the workplace in order to get noticed and to receive the promotion you are trying to get.

Who Needs a Career Coach?

Anyone that wants to advance in his or her career or that is looking to make a career change can benefit from the services of a career coach. Whether you are just getting started in your career or have been working on your career path for many years, a career coach can help you hone your skills and make the right career decisions. Even if you are in college or are trying to determine your major in college, it can be beneficial to consult with career coach. This way, you can get assistance with choosing the classes that will put you in the best position for landing the career of your dreams once you graduate.

How do I Select a Career Coach?

When searching for a career coach, however, it is often a good idea to find one that has experience helping people within your specific field. This way, the career coach can provide you with assistance and support that has to do with the career path you have chosen.

A career coach can help you get on the right path toward landing the job of your dreams. If you are looking to climb the corporate ladder, a specialized type of coach called an executive coach will be able to provide you with the guidance you need to make the right steps in your career.

How To Transform Your Career, Claim your Power and Get Unstuck in Today’s Turbulent Market Place

Integrity Career Transitions asked:

A career development centre can be a service, or a group of programs that provides people with any level of education, whether they are undergraduate, a graduate, or an alumni, to plan for or deal with career transitions that inevitably arise in the life of any person. Each career development centre will have a career counsellor even though the centres may operate differently. All career counsellors provide guidance through personal interaction.

We spend nearly 100,000 hours in our lifetime working. Wouldn’t life be different if you loved your work, rather than dreading Monday mornings? How could life be different if you felt energized in your current job or your next career move, so energized that work did not feel like work anymore?

Whether you are currently working or in transition looking for your next job opportunity you do not want to miss this special briefing – a briefing that will change the way you approach work forever.

If today’s turbulent job market is creating roadblocks for you that you cannot seem to overcome no matter how hard you try, you’ve done everything and still can’t find the job or career you want, or you are concerned that the next job you take you will just result in another layoff before you know it, then you MUST plan to attend next week’s invitation-only event!

In this exclusive briefing on Tuesday, June 28th, 2009 at 7pm, we will share with you some critical insights into:

* How you can identify your true work passion

* How and why you must consider yourself self employed and manage your career that way even if you work for someone else

* How you can overcome the challenges created by the recent economy and still capture top dollar for your talents

* How living your passion will significantly increase your sense of financial freedom

* Why you cannot afford to wait and must start taking action now due to the changing landscape of the workforce

* The art of the job search has changed – how you can uncover the majority of the new opportunities that are never advertised anywhere

* The power of your personal brand and its impact on your career success

* How to not let fear stop you, replacing it with a mentality of limitless possibilities.

* And More…..

The fact that you are reading this, means you are ready for a change. 90% of Americans are trapped in unfulfilling careers, find out how the other 10% are living the art of bringing work to life. Visit http://www.integritycareertransitions.com/featured/seminar/careertransformation.htm to know more about Integrity Career Transitions and to join the career transformation teleseminar.

Need a Career Coach? – 10 Ways a Career Coach Can Help You

Karen Williams asked:

The word coaching is synonymous with sports teams. A coach can help athletes to develop the mindset to achieve, to set and achieve goals that to many people seem insurmountable, but with focus and clarity, can be met or exceeded. They can help a sportsperson to reach their full potential by planning structured training programmes, providing feedback on performance, and helping them to become more effective.

However, coaching has become more prevalent in other areas. Life coaching has developed significantly over the last few years, with many coaches specialising in niche areas such as health, financial and career coaching to name a few.

To concentrate on the rising demand for employing a career coach, why should you choose a coach to help you to progress in your career?

A career coach will help you in many ways. Like in the description of a sports coach above, they will help you to develop and reach your potential, be successful and achieve results. A career coach will normally work with you on a one-to-one basis and will often offer group workshops, teleseminars and e-books to support you to progress in your career.

A career coach can help you in the following areas:

Career exploration and discovery

You may be unhappy or dissatisfied in your job and feel that there is something else out there, but are not sure what it is. A career coach can help you to discover what is important to you in your job and make sure that it uses your talents, skills, and strengths, and provides you with the reward you deserve.

Understand your strengths and weaknesses

A career coach will help you to develop an insight into your strengths and weaknesses. This will allow you to understand yourself better and support any decisions you make in your career. It will highlight areas you may not have considered before and you can address any weaknesses that may be holding you back or use them to your advantage.

Develop your career vision and design your career

A career coach can help you to structure a plan to progress your career. By helping you to understand your skills and abilities, they can help you to plan your ideal job and how you are going to get there.

Develop confidence in your own ability

You may have a plan for your future, but you may be consciously or subconsciously holding yourself back. A career coach can help you to develop greater confidence in your ability as well as providing you with the support and motivation to help you to achieve your goal.

Provide job search support

A career coach can help you during all stages of your job search. From helping you to develop your CV, to finding the ideal job and then succeeding at the interview, a career coach will support you every step of the way.

Help you to get ready for promotion

You don’t need to want to change your career to benefit from employing a career coach. They can help you to get ready for promotion, plan for the next step in your career, and support you to develop your talents.

Support you in the workplace

If you are unhappy at work, there may be many reasons why this may be so. A career coach can also help you to deal with difficult situations or people and become more assertive. You can increase your profile at work, build better relationships and improve your own personal effectiveness.

Make sure that your goals are congruent with other parts of your life

A career does not exist on its own and is part of your overall life. It is important that a career coach makes sure that your career goals fit in well with other parts of your life. For example, if work/life balance is essential for you, they will ensure that you consider this when planning or progressing your career.

Provide you with greater self awareness

Some career coaches will use psychometric tests or other techniques that will help you to develop a greater self awareness of yourself. A greater self awareness will help you to understand yourself better, build stronger relationships, and communicate more effectively.

Support you every step of the way

Like other coaches, career coaches will support you every step of the way.

Their role is to:

– Challenge you and ensure that you commit to making the changes you desire.

– Hold you accountable to the actions you want to take. You will need to report on your results, which means that as well as being accountable to yourself, you need to demonstrate what you have achieved to your coach.

– Question you and challenge your ideas and thoughts.

– Listen to you without any agenda for themselves, which gives you a chance to come up with your own solutions which are right for you.

– Celebrate your successes and recognise when you have overcome difficulties or challenges.

– Keep you motivated even when the going gets tough!