You might be in a well-paid job with all the perks that make you stand out from the crowd. However, you feel there is something that does not quite fit with your plan to achieve a stellar career. Or perhaps you’re a graduate struggling to find a foothold in a very competitive market.

Regardless of where you stand in your professional career graph or what job you do, hiring a career coach could be exactly what you need. Most people tend to think that career coaches are only needed by people who cannot land their dream job. On the contrary, people whose career is on a rising trajectory could also benefit from using the personalised services offered by our career coaches.

When do you need a career coach?

Contrary to popular belief, a career coach is not only useful for newbies who are just getting started in their career. You might be a professional with years of experience but need some guidance from a career guru at various junctures in your career. Let’s now look at some possible scenarios where you might need the advice of a professional coach.

Scenario 1: You are stuck in your search

You are straight out of university and have been unable to decide which step to take next in your career. A career coach can:

• Give you information about the top opportunities in your field currently
• Help you evaluate yourself to assess where you stand with regard to these opportunities, and what skills you would need to secure them

Scenario 2: You want to make a career change

You are considering shifting your career from one area to another: perhaps you would like to start managing people, or want to quit your permanent job and start freelancing. A career coach will then tell you:

• Whether you have the relevant skills to make the career switch
• Which sector has openings you could target with your adapted skill set
• What remuneration you could expect

Scenario 3: You are looking for a culture match

You are considering moving into a new setup but do not know how to select companies with a work culture that suits you. For example, if a work-life balance is important to you, a company that requires you to work night shifts or extra hours might not be a good match.

• Do you know what you appreciate the most in a company's Employee Value Proposition (EVP)? Is it a good salary package, leading market position or maybe camaraderie and family atmosphere? A career coach can help you define what is important for you in a workplace so you know what to look for in your job search.

• Depending on what information you are looking for, you may need to use various channels and research strategies. A good coach can help you answer these questions.

Our platform MyNextCompany can be one of your avenues of research - the company presentations include many "behind the scenes" details, such as information about team events, candid photos and video material that's not published on companies’ website, all in one place.

Scenario 4: You seek to present yourself better

Of course, you know everything that is required to crack that interview once you get it. But it never hurts to know what else you might need to present yourself best so as to attract potential employers. A career coach can then help you with:

• Creating your personal brand. You will be guided on how to sell yourself best on the job market and ensure your profile gets seen by the right employers. 
• Upping your interview skills. You can get expert advice on everything from how to dress to what to say to make a perfect first impression. Needless to say, interviewers are human and your first impression does tend to be the last or lasting one.
• Responding to tricky questions. Consider the question: What is your weakness? Such questions need to be answered so you present your limitations in a positive light.

Scenario 5: You want to secure a good salary package 

You have a nagging impression that you could be earning more, but you are not finding confirmation to this hunch? You've come to the right place - career coaches have access to remuneration details of many positions. Therefore, a career coach can show you how to:

• Find out if your salary expectations are realistic
• Quantify the value you bring to the company's customers
• Propose other perks to build your benefits package, if the salary alone is not up to par

Benefits of working with a career coach

A career coach can help you take your career to a new level by making the most of the value proposition that you, as a qualified and skilled person, create for your employer. You would then receive:

• Unbiased feedback on your strengths and weaknesses and guidance on how to improve your standing in the job market
• An action plan on what exactly you need to do and where you need to go to make improvements in your skill sets and personal life
• Relevant advice to minimise your anxiety and stress when shifting from one job to another

Limitations of working with a career coach

When all is said and done, a career coach is not a magician who can create a dream career for you. It would be unfair to expect miracles. Remember, a career coach will not:

• Actually sit an exam for you to improve your skill set. They will simply guide you to take the exam.
• Change your career overnight. The changes will need to be made in a progressive manner and will thus happen consistently over a period of time.
• Get a job instantly. Rather, this will happen after you go through the sessions and make the changes advised by the coach.

How to find a career coach

Working with a career coach doesn’t have to impact your bank balance. MyNextCompany is one of the very few organisations, if not the only one on the Belgian market, that offers career coach services free of charge.

MyNextCompany is a platform created by ClearSource, a recruitment company. We have recruiters who work daily screening and qualifying candidates, so they know the tricks of the trade that can help you land the best jobs and freelance missions. Want to know more? Sign up for our free coaching session! 

As highlighted above, a career coach will not help to create a remarkable change instantly. But we can assure you that interaction with a career coach will create a positive and lasting impact on your career. This will then help you surge ahead in your professional life.