If you’re unsatisfied in your job, bemoaning your salary, not seeing a clear career path ahead of you, or stressed out at work for a variety of reasons, it might be time to start looking for greener pastures, whether those pastures are within your current company or outside of it. Should you hire a career coach? Or, should you take advantage of the opportunity if your employer has hired a coaching firm? Our answer to that, of course, is yes. A career coach can help you outline your next chapter by illuminating a new career path at your current employer, or blaze a new trail toward a career elsewhere. It’s about job fulfillment, being satisfied and happy with what you do every day, and stretching your skills in order to grow.
But it’s also about cold, hard cash. Using a career coach could get you a big bump in salary. Here’s why:
Reflection. A career coach can hold up a mirror, showing you your strengths and weaknesses in the workplace. Do you have the skills necessary for the future of work? Are there areas where you can beef up your knowledge and experience?
Discovery. Do you really want to make a lateral move to the same job but with a different company, or are you interested in discovering a different career path? A seasoned coach can help you develop a career management plan that creates a path toward aspirational goals and lays out a phased approach to acquiring the soft skills, technical skills, and experience necessary to get there.
Resume. It’s not just about a laundry list of past employment any more. If you’ve been out of the job market a while, you may need to revamp and rebuild your resume, tailoring it to exactly the type of position you’re looking for, whether that position is within your company or outside of it. A great coach is an expert resume writer for today’s marketplace, and a well-crafted resume is the foundation for you to ask for a higher salary.
Interview prep. If you’ve been in your job awhile, you may be rusty on interviewing. A coach can make sure you’re ready with the answers to interview questions that you might not have anticipated, allowing you to put yourself in the best possible light.
Salary negotiation. You’ve put the knowledge you’ve gleaned from your career coach to work for you, and whether you’re interviewing for a new job or walking into your boss’s office to ask for a raise, your career coach can give you the tools, language and confidence to help you negotiate the new offer.
At GetFive, we specialize in career coaching to give you an edge in your current position, or a leg up on the competition for the next one.
