The truth is that there are more career coaches than you can shake a stick at. But it is also true that there are far fewer career coaches who are more interested in helping others succeed than those who are only looking to line their pockets. If you’re really wanting to be a quality career coach that really changes lives and helps to shape the workforce, there are some things that you should know.
1. Have the Skills and Experience
In order to be a great and effective career coach, it helps to have experience and skills. You have to know what a killer resume looks like and understand what employers are looking for in new hires. Some things only come with experience, so surround yourself with the right people and take the necessary steps to be the best career coach you can be. Clients will want a coach they can trust and that they can learn valuable career lessons from.
2. Find a Niche
With such a heavily saturated market, you’re going to need to find a way to stand out from the career coaching crowd. Maybe you want to work with new college graduates or domestic violence survivors. If you’ve got a knack for the financial sector, go with that! Narrowing your audience helps you focus your marketing efforts, website design and more. Niching down is highly beneficial, so don’t be afraid of alienating potential clients. You won’t. You’ll make yourself more visible to those looking for tailored expertise.
3. Have Boundaries
Creating boundaries is important for any career coach. It’s very easy to get caught up in a client’s life story. When you want to help people it’s difficult to draw a line, but doing so will help you better serve your clients. Only taking calls and emails during a set time is just one way to create boundaries. If you don’t want to do pro bono, don’t do free work. Stand by your pricing, no matter what. Stand by your requirements and the way you operate.
4. Be Patient
If you’re new to the idea and don’t have many skills for coaching other than a desire to help, give yourself the time and space to get to where you want to be. Patience will also need to be extended toward your clients. Some people are skilled at what they do, but need an attitude adjustment. You’re not a miracle worker, so you may need to help clients work through some things in order to get the outcome they’re looking for.
5. Professional Development
Don’t forget to invest in yourself. When opportunities arise for you to better yourself for your business and your clients you should take them. Keeping yourself sharp and on top of trends in your niche is only going to help grow your business.
Running your own business is great, but running a quality based business with value added is a great business. There’s a lot of joy and fulfilment in being a career coach. And it’s helpful to know that there’s more nuance to joining this field than one might think. Understand what’s expected of you and be ready to meet the challenge. You’ll be great!
