If you were a major league baseball player, you would have a pitching coach, a hitting coach, and a fielding coach in addition to a head coach. All of these coaches have one primary objective: to bring out your full athletic potential. In the same way, a career coach can help you bring out your full career potential. While baseball is a game, on many levels, a career is where you will spend far more of your time. Thus, a career coach can be that much more valuable. Here are my top 10 reasons to hire a career coach:

• Construct a personalized and strategic career plan that looks 1, 5 even 10 years out.
• Create an effective career transition strategy and process.
• Establish a personal brand through resumes, interviews, LinkedIn, etc.
• Learn up-to-date career management skills in today’s market including job search, interview, networking do’s and don’ts, etiquette, communication, etc.
• Develop a structured approach to your job search along with the accountability to create and finish concrete action steps.
• Obtain an expert opinion from a professional who is neither a family member nor a friend and who is not directly impacted by your decisions.
• Identify weaknesses in career development that will require learning new skills before taking the next step.
• Understand how skills can translate from a current occupation/industry to other industries.
• Develop stories to demonstrate strengths in a specific area.
• Unblock potential pitfalls that keep you from your dream job.

Career coaches are skilled at evaluating where you are in the process and work with you to identify a personalized plan to help you get unstuck.  Many people need the one-to-one interaction of a coach to take them from point A to point B. So, carve out some time this month to review your career goals and the steps you need to take to achieve them. To learn more, try a complimentary consultation to find out how a career coach can help you.

Think.Inspire.Change.Grow.