4 Things a Lot of People Get Wrong About Career Coaches

Some people could really benefit from career coaching but don’t opt for it because they don’t completely understand what it is. This is a shame because career coaches have helped thousands of people in this country get their careers back on track and realize their full potential. Hiring a career coach early could also help you avoid mistakes and know if the path you envisaged is the right one for you. Let’s take a look at a few things a lot of people get wrong about career coaching.

It’s Expensive

One of the things that stop people from getting a career coach is wrongly assuming that it’s going to be expensive. But the reality is that you can find coaches at virtually any price point nowadays, and this is partly thanks to the advent of digital life coaches and life coaching agencies. These services allow you to access top-shelf career coaches from all around the world at a fraction of the price. Services like Placement, for instance, will connect you with a career coach in minutes and choose exactly how much you can afford to pay. All the career coaches on their services have been pre-vetted and you’ll get the chance to engage in face-to-face virtual sessions with them. You’ll get roughly all the benefits of working with a live career coach as well as services like resume and LinkedIn profile reviews, among others.

It’s a Waste of Time

A lot of people are also skeptical about the usefulness of career coaches and wonder if hiring one is worth their time. If you are having trouble finding a job right now or you’re just out of college and you want to start your professional career on the right foot, hiring a career coach might be one of the best time and money investments you ever make.

If your issue is not being able to land a position, you’ll be able to tell exactly why you can’t get the job of your dream or any job at all. If you’re just starting out, you’ll be able to take a look at multiple career paths and learn about opportunities you would never normally consider. You will learn some basic interpersonal skills and interview skills as well.

Hiring a career coach that is involved in the field you are eyeing could also come with connections and access to their network. Don’t think that career coaches are recruiters, however. They are only there to help you and give you the tools to become the best candidate you can be and see if you have the qualifications and skills needed for the career that you wanted.

Another thing people assume is that you’ll have to spend weeks and even months working with a career coach. However, it could take only a few sessions for you to get everything you need and have a much clearer vision and path for your future.

Career Coaching and Mentoring are One and the Same

Both career coaching and mentoring share similarities, but they are not exactly the same thing. With mentoring, the person you’ll work with needs to have expertise in your field so they can impart some of their specialized knowledge to you. While it can help to have a career coach in the same field that you’re in or are thinking of entering, this is not a prerequisite. Career coaches don’t need to have expertise in your field to help. All they need to know is how to make you a better candidate and how to help you reassess your current path if you’re going in the wrong direction. Career coaches are also great motivators and can help you with things like organization and developing certain soft skills.

Career Coaching is Like Therapy

You also have people who see career coaches as therapists, but again, the jobs of a therapist and career coach are very different. The main difference between therapy and coaching is that therapy is backward-looking, and coaching is forward-looking. A coach will not care as much about the past as they will about your present and where you want to be. They will look at the skills you have now, your mindset, your goals, and the steps you’ve taken to move towards them. They will then help you build a roadmap while explaining some of the obstacles and obligations that might get in your way.

So, don’t expect a career coach to help you heal scars from the past or even touch on the subject. Career coaches are focused on your future first and foremost, and this is the mindset you should have when seeing one.

Now that you know a bit more about what career coaching is and isn’t, you should consider whether consulting a coach could be the right decision for you right now. They could be all that is needed for you to get back on your way to where you have always wanted to be.