Written by; Juli Geske-Peer
Certified Professional Coach and Certified Emotional Intelligence Coach
Graduate of The Coach Training Academy
You know it’s time. You haven’t felt fulfilled by your career for years, and yet you still stick with it, unsure of how to make a change. The thought of giving up everything—all the time you’ve invested in your current career, the steady paycheck, the certainty—and diving into something new is as daunting as standing on the edge of an unexplored forest.
What is Career Transition Coaching?
Every person should be clear about the fact that career coaching is not similar to the recruiter. Every individual might know about coaching and coaches, but when you get deep in terminologies, the concept may get the muddy perception.
A Career Transition coach is someone that brings you with entire change regarding your career by giving you the best career advice that no one else can do for you.
This type of coaching or coach helps the person to opt for the perfect career according to their level of interest. A person can become a Career coach after a layoff or reduction in force (RIF) to help the client to choose the perfect career according to their interests.
How do you effectively navigate a Career transition?
You’re not the only one who has reached the edge of the forest and wondered which way to turn. As a career coach, I’ve worked with dozens of clients who have struggled with finding their new path and figuring out how to traverse it. Oftentimes, my clients aren’t even sure of what factors they need to consider when they’re gearing up for a major career change.
That’s where Career coaching comes into play. An experienced Career Transition coach will ask the right questions and utilize the proper tools to get to the heart of the client’s career aspirations. This includes:
- Helping to build self-awareness
- Unearthing areas of strength and identifying skills gaps
- Pinpointing core values
- Uncovering preferences and tendencies
- Recognizing specific roles and work environments to AVOID
- Identifying the next steps in the career transition process
It is my standard practice to get to know my client’s preferences, tendencies, and ways of thinking before discussing concrete actions, such as résumé revision or networking. We need to explore the internal elements that will propel the career search.
Considerable questions for career transition
While above mentioned internal elements are crucial, they are not the only factors that will come into play. It is necessary to consider questions such as:
- How will this transition affect your family or support system?
- How will your finances be affected by this transition?
- What is your timeline for obtaining a new job?
- Will you have to do any additional education or training?
- Can you remain in your current job while actively searching for a new one?
These are huge questions and it’s difficult to tackle them on your own. A truly effective career transition Coaching involves much more than revising your résumé or writing a killer cover letter. It requires doing your due diligence—researching, job shadowing, working with a career coach—in order to land a great new career in a company you love. It’s a long-term journey, not a jaunt down the sidewalk.
Every person’s professional aspirations are unique and require an individualized strategic plan. How will you move forward with your career transition? What factors play the most important role in your situation? No matter how you decide to proceed, it’s a good idea to pause, assess your situation, and spend time reflecting on the reasons you’d like to make a switch, in addition to how you’ll move ahead. This clarity of mind will help you to define your best route forward.
Just like when you buy a new pair of work shoes or sign up for a networking group, hiring a Career Transition coach is an investment in your career. It’s an action that says, “I’m serious about my future and I am committed to making a positive and healthy transformation.”
Your dream career is waiting. How will you navigate through the forest?
Juli Geske-Peer is a Certified Professional Coach and founded Peer Performance Solutions (PPS) in 2014, after 20 years’ working for others as a leader and consultant. PPS offers a unique blend of services that help to maximize strategic, leadership (including personal leadership in any role), and operational success. As the company’s principal consultant, coach and trainer, Juli’s aim is to enhance and maximize on strengths already in place, whether working with an individual, a team, a division, or an entire organization.