by Nicole K. Webb | Featured Contributor
When you think of a coach, the first thing that typically comes to mind is a sports coach: the individual you see clapping their hands on the football field or nodding their head on the basketball court. They’re the ones wearing the nice suit, providing direction to the team that’s working together to gain a victory. It’s common for coaches to have previous experience as actual players, which gives them direct insight on each player’s role. As a career coach, my responsibilities are very similar. A career coach’s role is to empower clients by providing them with the guidance and strategy they need to reach their goals.
After working in human resources for over ten years, I have had my share of experiences recruiting employees, navigating coworker conflicts, and facilitating terminations. On the flip side of this, I have also had my own career, where I have prepared for interviews, accepted job offers, declined job offers, and resigned from organizations. I’ve even walked away from a job without having a new one lined up, and was then forced to search for employment without knowing what was ahead. These professional and personal experiences have built the foundation I use to guide clients who struggle in their own careers.
Determining when you need a career coach is not always clear. Coaching is a fairly new industry, so the term “career coach” isn’t common among most professionals. While career coaches can be valuable throughout unemployment, there are plenty of other circumstances where a little support and bit of guidance can go a long way.
Here are 5 key factors that indicate you need a career coach:
- You have no idea how to proceed in your current job and overall career.
- You have a major decision to make concerning your job, whether it’s accepting or declining a position, or relocating for a new opportunity.
- You experience conflict at work and need guidance outside of your manager and human resources department to help you address the situation.
- You come to the realization that you are no longer satisfied in your career field, and want to transition into something totally different but have no idea how to start.
- You want information from an experienced third party who is familiar with human resource processes and can educate you on the “games” that are often played within the workplace.
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Nicole K. Webb is a former “Perfect Patty” who was committed to doing everything by the book because of her fear of failure. However, in 2012 she faced some life-changing decisions that revealed to her that although you can try your best to do things perfectly, it’s impossible to be perfect at everything. For the first time in Nicole’s career, she struggled with a job in which she was not a good fit and was able to recognize this for herself. Nicole decided to resign from what many would consider a dream job in human resources in order to take time to figure out what to do next.
After being unemployed for two months, she found herself a great career opportunity in the human resources field. She also began to follow her dream of becoming a business owner. She opened her very own human resource consulting and career coaching business, NK WEBB GROUP LLC. Since launching her business, she has authored The Workplace Playbook: Strategies to Help New Employees Win In Their Careers.
Nicole has over 10 years of experience in human resources. She has an MBA from University of Baltimore and a BA from Coppin State University.
