Do I Need a Career Coach?

In such a shaky economic time when the job market is faltering and competition is at its highest, you may be asking yourself, ‘Do I need a career coach?’ A career coach is a person who has been there and done that and then some. They often come from a human resources background and have been around the corporate block a time or two. They can offer you a great insight into what the job market is looking for and more importantly can give you a great insight into yourself.

Career coaches can help you in more than just finding a new job. Many career coaches are experts in helping you to assess what needs to be done in order to further your career right where you are. This of course is going to cost you money and you may be waffling on whether or not hiring one is really worth it. So when do you know if you need one or not?

Look over the following examples and see if any apply to you. If you are finding yourself saying yes to any number of these examples then you may need to consider a career coach:

• Disharmony in the workplace: Do you hate your boss or does your boss hate you? This type of disharmony is counterproductive for all involved.
• Feeling of instability: Do fear getting that dreaded pink slip on a daily basis? Living in constant uncertainty can lead to a whole host of other problems.
• Underpaid: Are you being paid significantly less than those that are in your area of expertise? Don’t settle for less than you are worth.
• Overlooked: Have you just been overlooked for a promotion only to see it go to someone you feel is less deserving than you? What do you need to do to stand out at work?
• Lay off: Have you recently been laid off and have no clue where to go from here? This can be especially tough if you are up in age and are lacking self confidence.
• Business start-up: Do you want to start your own business but have no idea how to go about that? Before you quit your nine to five to start your business you have to consider many factors.
• Emotional distress: Does your stomach constantly hurt when you think about going into work? Are you taking out your work frustrations on your family? No amount of money is worth your health or losing your family over.
• Progress stalled: Has your progress in looking for a new job or excelling at your existing one stalled? You have to know where to look and what to do in order to be successful.

If any of these scenarios described you then you may be in need of a career coach. Do you need one? No. Plenty of people have successful careers without them, but many others find that there is nothing better to help get their lives back on track. Many people are reluctant to go with a career coach because of the cost, but you have to think about a career coach as an investment in yourself and your future. The cost can be well worth it if the career coach can help you to once again believe in yourself and can help you to succeed in a cut throat job market or excel right where you are.

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