By Ed Adamowicz
I recently participated in a webinar with other career coaching professionals in which the tenor of the conversation centered on how difficult it must be to stay motivated if one is unemployed, and few prospects are on the horizon.
The discussion turned to why people turn to professionals for assistance when struggling with having to pursue job opportunities, possibly for the first time. Many registrants continue to consider this a jobless recovery.
The sentiment empathized with how difficult it must be to “go it alone.” Logically, talk evolved into how if one is affected by the continuing economic challenges. Family, relationships with friends, mental attitude enter a downward spiral…all because of job loss. Lack of confidence and borderline depression are likely to follow.
It’s been a while since I’ve addressed the issue in this forum, but considering the online discussion and time of year, I thought I would revisit the subject.
I’m guessing you have a cadre of professionals at your disposal for a myriad of life essentials. The list most likely includes a doctor, dentist and lawyer, and perhaps a financial planner, tax consultant, insurance agent and possibly a hairstylist and maybe even a personal trainer. Of course, my colleagues would suggest the insertion of a professional career coach. After all, beyond your physical well-being, career security for most of us triggers the need for an adviser. If one’s expertise is lacking in this area, it could be a worthwhile endeavor.
Let’s first talk cost, since it happens to be the primary concern for individuals who have been displaced by Corporate America. To engage the services of a certified professional, it breaks down to about one week’s pay depending on recent compensation level. Is that too much to have a second set of eyes monitor your peak performance and guide you through the choppy waters of a career-search campaign? How about that motivation factor?
Do the math. A survey conducted by Talent Management Magazine found that those working with a coach find their next logical career opportunity in approximately one-third the time as those choosing to go it alone. Taking into consideration that it’s been averaging a career-seeker six to nine months to land a suitable position, the math suggests the investment to be well worth it.
Another consideration is qualifications. There have been a number of organizations created recently since the expansion of the professional coaching industry, so it becomes challenging even for me to suggest that one holds more esteem than another. However, I would recommend to anyone that they cross-reference a coach’s credentials as best as they can. Obviously, contacting the issuer of the credential should provide one with some sense of the level of expertise. I happen to be a certified professional career coach and certified empowerment and motivation coach, per the Professional Association of Resume Writers and Career Coaches.
This organization was the first of its kind created in 1990. But since that time, several other groups have launched that I’m sure take the utmost pride in turning out only the most qualified practitioners. The others can be found simply by searching the Internet and will reveal several reputable organizations.
One attribute to look for in a career/life coach is an ability to motivate when rejection becomes the order of the day… who out there responds positively to a plethora of no’s when going it alone? From personal experience, I can attest that certain individuals, especially the ones not very used to being in the position of having to seek a new opportunity, can be extremely challenged and need a coach to empower them through what is viewed as an excruciatingly painful regimen.
Although the webinar’s focus centered on the unemployed, another query surfaced, this one about the gainfully employed individuals ready at the first sign of the economy improving to make the change. The question arose from a survey recently completed by the executive search firm Korn/Ferry International. It reported that more than 50 percent of professionals surveyed were unhappy with their current situations and the speculation was that when the business climate improves, there would be a great number of defections. I believe it.
We discussed how Corporate America seems to be more bottom-line focused than ever before — also probably true. When this occurs, business hierarchies tend to neglect their most valuable asset, the human being. I even heard of an human-resource executive say, when asked about the impact of recent layoffs on the existing workforce — and I’m paraphrasing — “so, where are they going to go?” In my professional opinion, that’s a rather shallow perspective coming from a company leader. But it’s true nonetheless.
Some businesses pro-actively looking to stave off such an exodus have realized the importance of bottom-line revenue but not at the expense of the future. Some companies have mandated that the human capital be nurtured and have contracted with professional coaching firms to fill in the void, thus enabling them to continue to prosper in tough times but not at the expense of their human talent.
The evolution of the coaching profession has not only arrived in time for individuals in need of employment, but also aids in addressing the corporate necessity of retaining top talent by providing the kind of mentoring the human element craves in their search for a rewarding and purposeful career/life.
Ed Adamowicz, CPCC, is founder and CEO of TOTAL PACKAGE Professional Coaching (www.totalpackageprocoach.com), a Boxboro-based provider of career/life coaching, résumé writing and corporate consulting. Readers are invited to submit questions/comments via email to eadamowicz@totalpackageprocoach.com.
