Playing The Career Coaching Game Can Help to Accelerate Your Results!

We all like games.  What about playing the Career Coaching game?  When I read the Washington Post article, A career coach might just be the kick your job search needs, it reminded me of the game show, The Dating Game.  The show created the “perfect match” between bachelors and bachelorettes. They asked a series of questions to each other without first seeing each other.

What’s that to do with career management? 

Here’s my rendition called The Career Coaching Game:

You want to participate in the Career Coaching game because you know you need outside help.  Your quest to identify that perfect career path is not working with you as the only game show participant. You want and need other perspectives beyond your own. Support to go the distance (what athlete do you know who doesn’t have a coach?) is necessary and welcome. Having someone to help keep you on track with your goals and promises will ensure that you get it done.

So, why the game?

You want to play the Career Coaching game because you want to be sure there’s a good match between you and the coach you hire. Coaching is a relationship you will build over time. It deserves as good a start as you can give it.

What are the most important questions to ask a prospective coach to ensure a good fit?

1. What career paths and challenges have they faced?
   We’re looking for synergy here, someone who walked a similar enough path that they can empathize and understand your perspective.
2. Why do they think they can help you?
   Someone who has “been there, done that” and came out on top of the game can help to guide your thinking beyond the circumstances you face.
3. What new perspectives can they offer?
   Coaching is not a “telling game”. The focus is on asking powerful questions to encourage the client to dig deep for the answers that are already there. By asking questions that challenge our routine way of thinking, and giving us the space to think them through, new perspectives emerge. When these answers emerge from within, the chances of our success increase dramatically over being told what to do.
4. Will they hold you accountable to yourself?
   Generally, human nature dictates that we put everyone and everything else before ourselves. This includes commitments we make to ourselves. They can be the first to fall to the wayside.   This is despite what we know about filling our own cup first.  A good coach will help you keep the promises you make to yourself without playing the blame game.  It’s what I call nurturing accountability.

What other elements are important to consider when choosing a coach in the Career Coaching game?

The other elements that you want to learn about are experience, expertise and style.  By reviewing profiles on their website and social media platforms, you will get a glimpse of their fit to your objectives and learning style.  You can use these profiles to create questions you want to ask them to explore and assess the coaching fit further.

The end game is to select the Coach who fits your style, one who will propel you from thought into action to pursue the career path of your dreams!

To increase your chances of selecting the right coach , I invite you to schedule a personalized strategy session with me. This session will allow you to ask these career coaching questions to know if we are a good fit for each other. Check out the other bonuses that I offer with this session. Get your game in gear!