Career coaches guide professionals from all walks of life to success by providing them with the advice, training, and motivation they need to achieve their goals. Whether in skills or knowledge, the best coaches can also help professionals accelerate in areas where they’re lacking. Although mentoring is an invaluable resource for career growth, it’s not always clear how to be a good career coach. Here are some guidelines that will help you provide more effective coaching.
Lay out expectations
Good mentoring relationships are built on trust, respect, and clear communication. When you begin a coaching relationship with someone, be sure to lay out the expectations of what you’re both going to bring to the table and hope to accomplish together. Trust and accountability are vital – you want to make sure that the person you’re mentoring knows that you have their best interests in mind, so set agreements about how often you’ll check in with each other, what your individual roles are, and how much time you’re both putting into the relationship.
Know when to take a step back
As a career coach, you are likely to have plenty of people looking to you for guidance. The key to helping them is empowering them to find the solutions themselves. By providing an example of how you would approach a problem or challenge, they can learn more about the specific tools that may help get them started with their own solutions. It is important to not get too attached to outcomes or micromanage their work. The best mentors let their mentees find their own path and explore what works best for them.
Learn from each other
It’s important to keep in mind that there’s no one-size-fits-all when it comes to career coaching. Listening to your mentee and understanding their perspective is vital to helping them achieve their goals. When you respect your mentee’s individual experiences, goals, and skills, you help them appreciate their strengths and identify areas for improvement. Without a supportive, encouraging environment where they feel comfortable sharing their ideas, asking questions, and openly communicating with you, your mentee won’t be as motivated to make positive changes in their career.
Celebrate the little wins
Success doesn’t happen overnight and the most beneficial coaching relationships are often built on a series of small victories. These victories may seem like small steps to the end goal but recognising and celebrating these accomplishments help people feel good about themselves, keeping them motivated throughout even the toughest transitions. By letting your clients know how proud you are of them and by using their accomplishments as a basis for future goals, you both reinforce the hard work they’ve put in so far and inspire them to keep moving forward.
Conclusion
Being a career coach is a great way to build relationships with people and grow as a professional yourself. Whether it’s helping your mentees meet career ambitions or to simply figure out their direction in life, it’s important to not only be able to give good advice, but also to constantly improve your own skills so that you can bring about the same results for others. Here at Quest Discovery Academy, we provide career coaching workshops and career coach certification programmes in Singapore that can help you become a more effective career coach and equip you with the skills to help others in their quest for a satisfying career. Reach out to us to find out more!