The hustle to find your next career move can be exhausting because searching for a job can feel like a job in itself. But thats where a career coach comes in. A career coach can help guide your job search process. From resume writing to advice on asking for a promotion, they can provide the tools and skills you need to make your job search easier. We spoke with Lashaunique Plummer, a global HR business and operations leader and the founder of Balangize, a career coaching program, on the value of a career coach to professional success.
“While it can seem like a costly investment, you should consider the return,” says Plummer. “After having a coach for three months, I was promoted three times. I also became more grounded in my values, learned to use my voice, and made progress toward my goals.”
Here are three reasons you should hire a professional career coach.
They Usually Are 10x More Open Than Your Manager
Even the best managers have bias toward the company’s interests. A professional coach focuses 100% on what you want. Your values and desires are at the heart of every conversation.
“With a professional career coach, you are able to reove the noise of societal pressures, work obligations, or even ideas you have developed that you think you ‘have to’ pursue,” Plummer says.
They Will Help You Create Manageable, Meaningful Goals
Plummer explains that a career coach will help you learn to be proactive, plan ahead, and push you to your most inner desires. Most people tend to complete tasks when they have a rhythm or cadence of reviewing tasks with someone else. It’s about accountability. Without that accountability, we tend to put our personal goals on the back burner. If you want to progress on bigger goals, you can work with a coach to create meaningful and manageable tasks that support big-picture goals.
“The best part for me about having a career coach is when my coach helps me find smaller tasks that energize me,” Plummer says. “Otherwise, I am more likely to procrastinate on my larger goal.”
They Will Help You Navigate Professional Muddy Waters
You are bombarded with many decisions, challenges, setbacks, and feedback throughout your career. While therapy is a useful tool to support you through life’s burdens and seasons of overwhelm, at other times, a career coach will support what you need.
“I use therapy to manage anxiety and depression while I use my leadership coach to help me learn to speak up more, put my ideas into the world, and dial in on my personal pursuits,” Plummer says.