Should I be a career coach?

Navigating a career change can be exciting yet challenging.

Do you want to help people find their own career path?

Photo by Mimi Thian on Unsplash

A career coach can help people achieve their career goals, whether it be landing a new job or switching to a different industry or field!

A Career Coach Can...

• Help clients create a personalized career plan designed to meet their goals

• Help clients understand their skills and strengths to identify roles that are a fit.

• Give constructive feedback on resumes, cover letters, and LinkedIn profiles

• Help improve clients' interview skills and networking strategy

A Career Coach Can't...

• Do all the work: the client must apply the strategies if they want to get results

• Change lives overnight: helping clients work through self-doubt and lack of confidence may take time to overcome

• Get the client the job: a career coach is not a magician — they don't guarantee job placement

A Career Coach:

• Focuses on using a solutions-oriented approach to help clients create a strategy for job searching or landing a promotion

A Career Counselor:

• Advises clients by identifying issues such as mental wellness and/or mindset issues holding them back from pursuing their career goals

Degree/Certificate Requirements

While there's no degree requirement, Career Coaches are typically certified through one of these institutions:

• International Coaching Federation (ICF)

• Co-Active Training Institute (CTI)

Experience

You can gain experience by doing:

• Human resources, recruiting, or career counseling

• Volunteering at organizations that focus on workforce development

Self-Employed

• You’re hired by individuals to help them achieve their career goals

• If you’re in it because you love helping people find their dream careers and get paid more, this model is a great option

Companies & Organizations

• You work directly with a company (nonprofit or private) to help its employees

• If you love helping people develop skills and building team culture, this could be the model for you

The annual salary for a career coach in Canada ranges from $37,000 to $79,000 (CAD).

The annual salary for a career coach in the USA ranges from $29,000 to $71,000 (USD).

• Enjoy working with people one-on-one

• Are a strategic problem solver

• Are a strong listener

• Like to ask probing questions

• Are good at encouraging others to overcome obstacles

• Are uncomfortable with ambiguity. Career coaching requires guiding clients through complex questions and situations.

• Prefer to work independently. While there is some degree of independence, the majority of career coaching requires interacting with clients.

If career coaching sounds like a good fit for you: