More Job-Seekers Turning To Career Coaches
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MIAMI (CBSMiami) -- Finding a job in this current economy can be tough. And the tougher the job market, the tougher it can be to make yourself marketable. That's why some people are now turning to career coaches for guidance.
After 18 years of the corporate life, John Yerkes was ready for a change. But he wasn't sure how to get started.
"I had some trepidation about what the future held."
So Yerkes decided to hire a career coach to "have somebody on the outside looking in and give me a perspective on what they saw in me."
A study by the International Coach Federation found 60 percent of professional coaches had their client base increase over the previous 12 months, which is something professional certified coach Kim Specker has seen firsthand.
"I think it is due to the fact that people are looking to find greater satisfaction with the hours they spend at work," Specker says.
That's true, especially for recent college grads. In fact, another recent survey found workers ages 25 to 34 were more than twice as likely to consider coaching than older candidates.
Cassidy Perry hired a coach to jump-start her post-college career.
"I was looking long-term. I wanted to make sure that I wasn't living day-to-day and then waking up 20 years later and realizing that was 20 years just gone," Perry says.
And Perry's coach says resumes and interviews prepare just the beginning of what a coach can offer.
"We help the clients identify with who they are, what they want, what are their strengths and their passions? Their values, and how does that tie into what they might do with the greatest majority of time in their day?" says Specker.
Not all coaches are created equal, though, because there is no licensing for career coaching.
"Just about anyone can hang out a shingle," Specker says.
Experts suggest you look for a coach who's certified by a reputable organization. You can ask for a complimentary session to see if the coach is right for you.
"It's no guarantee that you're going to get the job, but at least you know that your money's well spent," says Joe Madden, president of the National Association of Personnel Services.
And if you do opt for a coach, Madden says it's important to not appear too rehearsed when meeting with prospective employers.
"They don't want some manufactured individual that's been dressed up, that's been coached to say the right thing in a meeting," he said.
As for Yerkes, he left corporate life behind to start his own business and credits his coach for his success.
"To have somebody to bounce ideas off, somebody that can be that outside lens to provide encouragement, redirect you, motivate you. It's just an incredible investment," Yerkes said.
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