How to Find A Job Search Coach To Fit My Needs – 3 Tips

At Priority Candidates, we exclusively focus on coaching young adults through the process of launching and accelerating their careers. Searching for your first job (or second) is complex and overwhelming. College students and graduates want to do well at this and their parents are often not sure how to help them. There are so many steps to take: mapping out a strategic plan; building professional materials like your resume, LinkedIn, and cover letters; and accruing the skills and confidence to interview successfully. Seeking out a career coach can be the optimal first step to navigating this daunting job search process.

What is a career coach?

We often think of career transitions as something for people at mid-life; but college students and new graduates who are looking to make their mark professionally, need to think about their career transition in a focused manner. Moving from a student mindset to a working professional requires navigating in uncharted waters. A career coach can help build a strategic and executional program in partnership with you that will help you land that first internship or full time job, while also setting the stage for your future career transitions.

How do career coaching services help?

If you are a rising or recent college graduate or trying to figure out how to change careers, career coaching services will give you the support you need for your job search. Private career coaching services can provide tailored guidance for post-graduation job searches. Additionally, a critical foundation to finding the best career path often starts with a career assessment coupled with coaching which can unlock career clarity. Formal career assessments go far beyond a quick career quiz to answer the question: What Career Is Right for Me? These experts will also address important skill-building decisions as well as develop your crucial career materials, including crafting a memorable resume, LinkedIn profiles and cover letters. We pride ourselves on an innovative approach to all aspects of personal branding. Career Coaches will ensure that you are prepared thoroughly to find a good career path and help you with getting ready for interviews, correctly identifying target job opportunities, and staying effectively organized in your post-graduate job search.

Should you hire a career coach?

Utilizing job search coaching services is an opportunity that everyone can leverage. Often, people think that the only support they need is interview coaching. It is important to consider all the job search components that your career coach should help tailor for you to succeed in your job search. The college graduate job seeker who will most benefit from right-fit career coach partnership, is someone who regularly welcomes constructive feedback, ask questions to ensure actionable outcomes, and puts in the time to generate results. By leveraging private career coaching services, which are appropriate for recent and post-college graduates, you will jumpstart and accelerate your efforts to be on the right track to career success.

How to choose the best career coach for you

TIP 1. HIRE A COACH WITH RELEVANT INDUSTRY EXPERIENCE

Before choosing a career coach, ask about their client history and experience. They should have firsthand knowledge of the roles and industries that you are seeking, as well as job market experience in finding jobs for college graduates near you. Ask these questions:

• Does the coach work exclusively with college graduates and/or post-college job seekers?

• Are they knowledgeable about colleges and your degree type?

• Do they have success stories in guiding clients to find a job after college?

• Are they able to rapidly identify target companies to pursue?

By finding a job search coach who can answer these questions appropriately, you can be reassured that you are taking the right steps toward getting a job after college.

TIP 2. ASK ABOUT YOUR CAREER COACH’S NETWORK

Your coach should have a network of professionals that can be instrumental in making potential job search introductions and helping college graduates learn about different career paths.

The best career coach will have familiarity with roles, connections, and companies within the field you are seeking. Your coach should be an expert at cultivating their own network, and help you examine and build your network. The goal is to uncover treasured job search connections to identify and engage current internal company advocates for you.

TIP 3. DETERMINE COACH-TO-CLIENT COMPATIBILITY

It is essential to your career success to find a career coach that pairs well with your work style. Evaluate your own job search approach. Ask yourself these job search style questions:

• What helps you succeed, stay motivated, and maintain positive momentum? Consider what has worked best for you in the past: professors, tutors, coaches, peers, or even colleagues.

• How will your coach accommodate your job search needs, in terms of timing and availability? You may be a strong academic writer but have no experience preparing job search communications and materials. You may present well in your college classes, yet you might be anxious about interviewing with senior people one-to-one.

By determining your style and being upfront about it with your career coach, your partnership can be tailored to ensure job search success. Finally, seek to uncover if the coach only advises, or is also entrenched in the job search as if it were their own.

Your coach will become your partner, creating a team dynamic, to drive your job search to the finish line, to find a job after college graduation.

If you are trying to plan for a future career path or find a job after college, reach out to us. We offer guidance to those seeking job search coaching services.

While our roots are in New York City, we successfully work nationally with job seekers who are college through post-college age, for their first job or career transitions. Exclusively focused on young adults, we offer comprehensive highly personalized programs to get our clients hired. You can learn more about our various programs and services on our Priority Candidates website.