Should You Get a Career Coach?

Career growth is a personal goal, yet most people’s paths tend to have some common ground. Individuals need guidance as they grow in their careers. And for leaders and business owners to produce great teams, they need to feel confident, too. 

Therefore, finding a career coach may be a great option for anyone, especially those ready to make professional changes. Career coaches — or career counselors or job coaches—can offer insight, advice, and specific steps to take in your career progression.

Here are four reasons you might consider hiring a career coach. 

You’re struggling with your job search

If you’re sending out resumes with no bite or find yourself unable to get past the interview stage, a career coach can help. In these cases, you may need help connecting your personal experiences to each specific job. 

A career coach is professionally trained to help you achieve your goals. Sometimes, that requires helping you find out what exactly those goals are. Career coaches help you discover your strengths and teach you how to articulate those strengths to prospective employers. 

On the flip side, coaches can also help you uncover your weaknesses. 

“It’s hard to really look at yourself in a mirror and say, ‘I’m not good at something,’ and to have that self-awareness,” Glenn Laumeister, founder and CEO of CoachMarket, said in a press release. “A career coach is trained to figure that out.”

Additionally, a career coach can help you answer tricky questions like, “You haven’t actually done (xyz) before?”, refine your answers to other common interview questions, polish your executive presence, and practice with you, so you feel comfortable.

You don’t know what the next career step is

If you’re feeling stuck in your career, you’re not alone. According to recent research, 75% of workers feel professionally trapped and say they don't have enough opportunity to advance their professions (25%) and are too overwhelmed to make any adjustments (22%).

More often than not, people aimlessly search LinkedIn, Glassdoor, and other job sites realizing that every job feels like a job they can do, but they aren’t sure what they want to do. While the job market has cooled, the world of work is still in constant change.

If you don’t know which career or job will bring you fulfillment, a career coach can help you consider possibilities that might be a departure from your past experiences or that you hadn’t considered.

You want a better work-life balance

Finding and maintaining a work-life balance seems nearly impossible in our fast-paced, money-driven society. Many struggle with long work hours, inflexible schedules, and lengthy commutes. Therefore, family commitments, time with friends, and self-care get pushed aside. 

Out of 1,000 respondents on a work-life balance survey, 94% of workers stated that they work over 50 hours a week and 48% consider themselves workaholics. Additionally, 77% reported that they had experienced burnout at their current jobs at least once. 

Unsurprisingly, people with a better work-life balance have increased productivity and the ability to work longer. Therefore, life coaching on work-life balance can help clients explore ways to get more satisfaction out of their life domains.

You’re not advancing

If you have held the same position for more than a few years and feel stuck at the bottom of the ladder at your company, it might be time to look at yourself. Career coaches aren’t always there to help you find a new job; many can help you understand why you aren’t advancing at your current company. 

“I see many clients trying to move up, who are being groomed for leadership and need help navigating politics in the office and organizational change,” Rita Friedman, JCTC, JCDC, CLC, a certified career coach, said in a March 2022 press release. 

A coach can administer a 360 review or decode your performance feedback to uncover behaviors you need to adjust for continued career growth.