How a career coach can help you in your career change

By Melanie Castles

Posted in: How to make the change
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What is a career coach?

A career coach is a life coach who has chosen to specialise in helping people to have what they want in their working life.

What a career coach is not

A coach is not a counsellor or therapist. Coaching is not based on analysis of your past or navel gazing. It concentrates on the present and how to move your life forward in the direction you want! Coaches are usually non-directive but facilitate progress through exploring alternatives and supporting their client through making the change - the client is the one in control and the one who creates the change.

Why use a career coach?

There are numerous reasons why you might choose to enlist the services of a career coach depending on where you are in the career change process.

If you do not have a ready made support network around you or you need to look at your career change more objectively or from different perspectives a career coach may be just what you need.

A career coach will also be able to work with you to:

  • identify your motivations
  • recognise your preferred ways of working
  • weigh up the importance of different factors in your preferred career (e.g. salary, benefits, working hours, working environment, advancement, job content etc.)
  • identify sources of information about your chosen career
  • set goals (interim and end)
  • keep you motivated to maintain your planned progress.

This is not an exhaustive list but gives you an idea of some of the benefits.


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What people are saying about Careershifters

"Careershifters helped me realise that there were many small steps I could take towards improving my job satisfaction. Gaining greater focus has given me a renewed enthusiasm for my work, giving me the confidence to negotiate a one year sabbatical."



Cath Rooney

“Thanks to Careershifters I'm shifting my career! Have been thinking for a while about the direction I'm going in and after looking at your website and reading some of the advice I realised that I've got to go for it.”

Justine

“As of yesterday, I officially have a new career and start my new and exciting role next week! So a massive THANK YOU to all of you at Careershifters for your support. You really do deserve every success in what you're doing.”

Liz

“After attending a Careershifters workshop I had the energy and drive to start researching how to get into teaching. I applied for a course, had an interview, got a place and left my old job in less than a week. It was so easy when I finally decided to go for it.”

Nikki

"The Careershifters workshop helped me realise that it’s never too late to change your career, that these advances take time and, I am confident that if I stick with my ‘plan’ I won’t make another wrong career move."

Claire Coveney

"The Careershifters workshop started me on the path to changing from the Practice Manager of a GP Practice to Community Engagement work that meets the needs I identified at the workshop."

Diane Cassidy

"I had a career in sales and now I run my own sales training company.  The Careershifters workshop gave me the motivation to get on and do things, as well as some good direction with regards to the sort of activities I needed to put in place."

Matt Hayden

"This website has been a lifesaver for me over the past year!"

Lindsey

"For 17 years I worked in the travel industry. In the period of unemployment and after attending the Careershifters workshop I retrained and am now employed as a trainer and coach. I'd recommend the workshop to anyone who may not know what they want to do."

Paul Kensett

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