CAREER

10 Benefits of Engaging a Career Coach

On the path to professional fulfillment, the right coaching partnership can help you navigate new achievements and unearth beneficial self-knowledge.

“Coaching is about taking you where you are right now and moving you towards where you want to be — who you want to be,” says Amy Peloso, a certified coach and career & life makeover artist. Describing her role further, Amy explains that a coach does “not tell a client what to do, but rather helps draw those answers out from within.”

Each coach is unique and offers a nuanced strategy for reaching professional milestones. NYWICI member and coach Diane Baranello, a personal branding/career coach and speaker at Coaching for Distinction describes herself as “a catalyst for enabling clients to discover a new level of confidence and express themselves in a dynamic way.” Diane collaborates with her clients to helping them discover their true motivations and aspirations. “Clients take an active role in peeling back the layers of their professional and personal lives to uncover subtle differences that stand them apart and make their light shine bright.”

The best benefit in partnering with a career coach “comes to those who fully engage in an honest and robust exchange, are willing to move into their discomfort zone in order to push through obstacles that can often derail a career, follow through on assignments, and put new skills into practice,” says Diane.

Learn by facing challenges. Working with a coach can be hard. You have to dig deep, confront yourself and take ownership of your current situation.
Identify actionable strategies.
Keep track of your progress.
Find relief. Working with a coach can make you feel heard and understood, like someone is in your corner. Someone that cares about you and your goals as much as you do.
Develop a fresh mindset.“Seeing [clients] let go of stress, anxiety, worry, doubt, and fear and becoming happier and bolder. And watching that new attitude get them what they want,” that’s one of Amy’s greatest rewards as a coach.
Identify your unique value proposition. Diane brings out “the essence of a person’s brand — what I call a personal ‘blend’ because it’s a composite of so many facets of one’s personality…that unique spark, presence or image that illuminates their brand essence.”
Refine your authentic personal brand.
Gain confidence.
Express yourself more dynamically. To do this well you must “believe there is distinction in how you tackle a task, present an idea, develop a point of view. The most difficult part of positioning yourself as a brand is differentiation, [which] comes from having a vision, making a difference and managing your reputation every step of the way.
Dream bigger than you can on your own. And, “dreaming, after all is a form of planning,” according to Gloria Steinem.

Realizing a professional triumph takes time and effort. A typical coaching stint lasts six months and is commonly a combination of in-person and phone meetings. Though partnerships can often extend beyond the initial term to address new goals and concerns on an as-needed basis. “If you already have an established relationship, you may choose to engage for only a couple of sessions around a specific issue,” explains Diane.

— Deanna Utroske