Employer Take a Liking to Career Coaches
You might think that most employers would be at best ambivalent about a candidate’s decision to hire a career coach or get career counseling especially if the candidate came to the employer’s attention after they completed their career coaching or career counseling sessions. Well, if you thought that, then you’d be wrong.
Workforce Management reported that an increasing number of college seniors and recent graduates are turning to personal career coaches and getting career counseling to help them decide on an appropriate career path. While some might argue that these services are unnecessary because they’re typically offered by the college career service offices for free, others beg to differ. Some career service offices are so woefully understaffed that they simply do not have the time to offer such services to students who want more than a cursory discussion about their competencies, interests, and values. Other times the candidate doesn’t realize that they need help until after they’ve graduated and perhaps moved halfway across the country. And of course there is always going to be a wide disparity in quality in any profession so some college career service office professionals will offer exceptional career coaching and counseling while others, well, won’t.
But it isn’t just people like me who recognize that career coaching or career counseling is a wise investment for some students and recent graduates. My opinion is also shared by some highly respected business owners. Scott Testa, CEO of software company Mindbridge, is a fan. “I think if a candidate believes a job here is important enough that they want to be coached to handle the interview process, they probably take other aspects of their life and career seriously too.”
All students should receive career coaching and counseling. Preferably they get the help they need before they graduate for free from their college career service office. Many do. But there are always some who fall through the cracks no matter what the situation is and this situation is no different. For those students and recent graduates, I am thankful that there are some pretty good alternatives out there for students and recent graduates who recognize that they will be more successful and happier after working with a good career coach or career counselor.
Source: Campus Career Counselor
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