The unemployment rate in the United States is 4.9 percent, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. During a job search, some people turn to the expertise of a career coach. The career coach’s responsibility is to help job seekers make informed decisions about the future of their career. Career coaches may help people improve their resumes and use other tools such as LinkedIn to help their marketability.
Ultimately, the main objective of career coaches is to help their clients stay informed about what choices they have in their career or in a possible different career. They use different tools such as aptitude tests and achievement assessments to help clients understand their abilities and skills, discovering where their interests lie. Career coaches help clients with their job search skills as well as networking and interviewing. They may provide assistance with applying to educational programs to obtain credentials or degrees for certain professions.
Career coaches should understand as much as they can about the business industry. What are employers looking for on a candidate’s resume? How well would the candidate fit into the field? What are the most useful traits in a certain business? Earning an online Master of Business Administration degree, such as the one from Concordia University Texas, can greatly improve the understanding of a successful career coach. MBA programs are designed to help students gain advanced business skills such as those required in marketing, advertising, international business, finance and other fields.
Earning a degree in counseling is often mandatory to enter the career counseling field, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. A bachelor’s degree is standard, and earning a master’s degree allows for more job opportunities and higher salary.
All career counselors should seriously consider becoming licensed, especially if their ultimate goal is to open their own private practice. In the United States, each state has its own licensing board with educational requirements and supervised fieldwork.
The type of clients seeking career coaches can vary greatly. Some career counselors work at colleges, while others assist clients who have already entered the workforce. Those already in the workforce may need advice on their current career or whether they should be considering a new career and how to approach a new field.
Other career counselors work in outplacement, where they assist those who have been laid off with transitioning into a new job. Some corporate career centers employ career coaches to help their own employees make decisions about their careers within the company.