5 Tips from a Career Coach

Five Tips From A Career Coach

A career coach is a magician. They can take a person who is invisible in any given market, and magically make them appear! Career Coaches are professionals trained in both helping you find and utilize the most effective tools in your search for a job, a career, or any professional move you might be considering.

Career coaches can be many things to many people, and it is important that you understand that all coaches, just like coaches in any sport or activity, are not the same. Their services can involve helping you write a rock-star resume, teaching you how and where to network, advising you on current trends in specific industries, or suggesting practical ways to help you edge out your competition. Some specialize in specific areas but generally speaking most coaches can offer advice they have to offer tends to fall under the same umbrella of related topics. The more you can fit in your suitcase, the better off you'll be in getting to wherever it is you want to go.

Like all good advice, it becomes more valuable when the source delivering it knows as much about you as possible, so should you have the opportunity to work with a coach, be prepared to share all about yourself at that first meeting. Being vulnerable is key and could include background information that includes your job history, your goals, your professional and personal accomplishments.

Your coaching may be formal or informal, or a mixture of both. All people have layers of personal and professional experiences, and your coach will help you dig into those layers and offer practical ways on how you might start down the path of success as you define it. Good career coaches provide both general advice and specific tools that will move you from point A to point B, or X, Y, or Z! Where you're going is up to you, and if you're not sure, a career coach can help you figure that out as well. Once you've pointed out on the map where it is you'd like to get to, your coach can provide invaluable insight into how to best get there.

There are hundreds of ways you will benefit from the counsel of a career coach. Here are 5 tips from a career coach that will get you started:

1. Know Who You Are Or Be Open To Exploring Who You Are: Aristotle once said, “Knowing yourself is the beginning of all wisdom.” Being in touch with your inner-self is sage advice for anyone seeking change in their life. We are often so busy that we forget to press pause and do a little self-evaluating. Sometimes we don't fully realize that we are trying hard to be somebody we're not! We do this naturally when we start to see our job descriptions as the story of who we are as a person. That should never be the case. Your identity comes first if you want authenticity in your life. So "know thyself" and allow for the opportunity be yourself and then measure that against how it matches up with your job description. That doesn't mean get up and leave your current job immediately, but if this is a reality for you, it most certainly is reason enough to start exploring other options.

2. Two Minutes To Land The Job: Whether you are networking or interviewing, the first two minutes can either be your best friend or your worst enemy. Accurate or not, most people form their judgment of you within the first 120 seconds. Don't allow that reality to scare you or make you more anxious and nervous than you might already be! Knowing the importance your first impression gives you a leg up on your competitors. Use this to your advantage by practicing how to make the most of this window of opportunity. There are two steps to follow in making a great first impression; research and practice.

Knowledge breeds confidence, so do your research. Investigate everything you can about the business and person /people that work there. Of course, networking provides less opportunity for that because you won’t always know who it is you might meet. Most of the time, however, you will have a pretty good idea of the general demographic of who you might be running into at any particular networking opportunity. Your research should include the following:

· Learn everything you can about the company you want to work for and compare what similarities and differences you may have with their current employees. You will begin to form a vision of how you'll fit into their business culture/working environment.

· Figure out what their “problem” is and know why you are the solution.

· Memorize and understand their mission statement.

· Your goal is to have everything you say in those first two minutes resulting in everyone nodding their head in agreement that you know where you are and why you chose them. Just like a boxer studies their opponent or a football team watches film of their next opponent, you will exude confidence if you do the same in trying to land a job.

Believe it or not, the more you practice, the more natural and less rehearsed you will come across. Unless you have experience on stage or have acted before, this may feel counter-intuitive at first. Trust me, the more you practice your two minutes, the more comfortable you will become in letting your authentic personality come through. How do you practice?

· Compose a list of questions you might be asked and get some help from family and friends to do a mock interview. Make sure to get their feedback as well! We don't always come across like we think we are. Their feedback is invaluable.

· Be sure to tell them to ask you a few questions that aren’t on your list! You probably have a pretty good idea, but you never know when someone might throw a curveball question at you, so this is a great way to practice thinking on your feet!

In your "dress rehearsals," never miss the opportunity to ask questions. No doubt you will be given an opportunity in an interview if you have any questions about the company or the position for which you are applying. Having an arsenal of questions at the ready will show that you have a genuine interest and curiosity about your potential job and the company. Their response to those inquiries will also help you decide if you want to accept the job when offered.

3. Focus: Big dreamers are awesome people who are often passionate about what they do. But sometimes they don’t always carry a map with them on how to reach their dreams. In other words, the goal is great, but the details are lacking. Understand that your dreams are not just dreams. Dreams are existing realities just waiting for you to find them. In that respect, never see yourself as a victim that is stuck permanently in a place you don't want to be. Rather, see yourself as a pioneer who already knows your treasure is out there and all you have to do focus on reading the map. You have to know not only how to read one, but also sometimes how to create one depending on just how big or wild or seemingly impossible those dreams are. Here is the secret: NOTHING is impossible. But you will need to be able to read or create your personal map!

4. Social Media Is Your Friend: Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, and many other social media platforms can provide valuable connections to others in your field. If you are not using them, I highly suggest you start. The competition in most current job markets is fierce. Maximizing your social media tools can open up opportunities for both networking and referrals, not to mention it is the primary source for recruiters to search for potential employees. You can also get outside of your personal bubble and see what others in your field are doing and how they are accomplishing it. Don’t skip over social media. If you are uncomfortable or unaware of how to use any particular format, take a class or ask a friend to show you how they operate. They are all user-friendly and will result in benefits you might not even know!

5. Use Your Body: Every personal encounter is an opportunity to communicate. Often, we get caught up in saying the right thing by using the professional vernacular or choosing words and ideas we think are perceived as, "Hey, look at me and how much I know! You'll never forget who I am!" Yes, they will. Or at most, they might remember you for all of the wrong reasons if your body language negates your spoken language. Don’t get me wrong, both are important, but exuding confidence, showing genuine interest through active listening, and simple posture can make or break any impression you may be trying to make. If you know this is a weak area for you, I suggest you take an acting class of some kind. Before signing up, let them know why you are taking the class. You will walk out of that class with more knowledge about communication than you ever expected.