Blog Post: How to Determine When its Time to Hire a Coach

  …is a question every job seeker should consider.  The following is an excerpt from a presentation scheduled for the August Jobing.com Job Fair in Tampa , Florida .  Presented by Russ Haines, CPRW, and President of ECI Careers.

As with any serious decision in life, this one must be made with eyes wide open, objectively as possible and only after you complete your due diligence.  The decision to engage the services of a career coach should be based on your individual needs, your financial situation and what you are seeking in a job or career goal.

Begin with your career goal statement, the one hopefully you have established for your job search.  

"To obtain a challenging job as a (your title or responsibilities here) for a (industry or company type here) within the next 180 days.  I will be earning a salary that is commensurate with my abilities, values and what the job market will bear."

Do you have a similar goal statement?  If not you will have trouble with a job search because you will not be able to plan a strategy.  Your job search will be reactive instead of proactive.  A coach can get you through this critical step.

Can you meet your career goals the Tampa Market within six months?  Yes. Can you do it on your own?  Maybe.  Do you need a coach?  Maybe.

Securing a position in the Tampa Market at the salary you deserve, in the industry you desire, within a six-month period is possible! 

Just read any career how-to book, you will see the strategy, tactics, and the tools necessary to find your ideal job.  You will learn all about résumés, cover letters, networking, interviewing.  Most of the information is accurate and for the most part effective when executed in the context of the individual job seeker.  The problem with the how-to books is that they are not able to provide customized feedback to the job seeker.  For instance, if networking is not working for you, the book cannot tell you why, networking problems can be caused by many factors that are impossible to capture in a book.  A career coach can determine the cause of the problem and coach the job seeker through the issue.

The cost of hiring a coach will vary, the most expensive is not necessarily the best and the least expensive is not necessarily the worst. Many good coaches and career management firms available can meet specific client needs at reasonable costs.  A general rule of thumb is to look at how much it is costing you to do the search on your own.  Industry rule states on average it takes 4 weeks of searching for each 10,000 dollars of salary being sought.  Therefore, if you are a $100,000 professional it will take an average if 10 months to find a $100,000 a year job, which is costing about $2000.00 a week or 80,000 dollars to learn how to find work.  Remember it only takes 20 minutes to get a job; it takes 40 weeks to get the interview.  A good career coach can significantly reduce the number of weeks needed to get the interview.  Cost may not be as high as you think.

Attend the "Should I Hire a Career Coach?" Workshop at the August 12th Job Fair.  Learn how to determine if a Career Coach will be a good addition to your career search efforts.