So, you want to increase job satisfaction? But you are wondering how to go about doing it and are considering hiring a career coach. What can you expect from hiring a career coach?
Let’s face it, all of us have had jobs that we didn’t really enjoy.
Yet somehow, we stayed with them for altogether too long. Perhaps it was for the pay, perhaps it was because the job wasn’t all that bad, or perhaps it was because we couldn’t find something better to do. And as a result of feeling stuck, and the desire to increase job satisfaction, professionals like us often consider hiring a career coach. Here is what you can expect from working with a coach, and how that decision will increase your job satisfaction:
Get clarity on where you are trying to go – If you are like most people, your current functional role and industry is more a function of chance than deliberate planning. A series of chances got you your first job and then things just sort of evolved from there. What a career coach can help you do is give you a sense of direction, a higher goal that you are looking to achieve. If you can clarify the image of what that career goal is, you may be able to use your current role to gain the skills you need to accomplish your longer-term ambition. Or you may realize that it is time to move on. A career coach can give you objective guidance on how to evaluate that decision.
Help you take back control of your life – Let’s face it, for most ambitious professionals, work will take every ounce of energy it can from you. Yes, I know there are a few firms out there where people have great work/life balance. I’ve worked at one of those, but as soon as my ambition came to light it became pretty all encompassing. The point is that work will take all you have to give and leave nothing for your interests, your family or your leisure. A career coach can increase your job satisfaction by helping you create strategies for taking control back (see my blog How to say “No”). The net result is that you have a way to restore sanity to your career.
Create an approach to overcoming obstacles – Career obstacles are many. Whether managing up, surviving interdepartmental political moves, or excelling in your first 90 days in a new role, the challenges in business are never ending. A career coach can help you increase your job satisfaction by helping you craft a unique approach to overcoming challenges. In many cases helping you see your circumstances from a unique perspective, in other cases giving guidance on what behaviors and actions might result in the greatest success. In either case, a career coach is there to help support you through the process of overcoming these challenges.
These are just a few of the benefits to working with a career coach, but the benefits are always custom fitted to your unique needs.
For more details on hiring a career coach serving the San Diego California area and beyond, click here.