The power of career coaching: Finding purpose

Working adults are aware that they will spend most of their waking hours during a week at work and about five years ago, The Independent, a respected British-based newspaper, highlighted that Britons work - in their lifetime – an average of 84,171 hours. That’s a lot, I’m sure you’ll agree and, if it’s that much, don’t you deserve to be happy and thriving at work?

Unfortunately, there have been increased challenges for employers with the Great Resignation, greater demands from younger workers and more openness about absence due to mental health issues increased by workload pressures, loss of motivation due to environmental factors, a difficult boss or teammate, conflict at work, no career prospects and several other factors. 

If you resonate with this and are at a crossroads in your work, or unhappy with how you feel about work, career coaching may be just what you need. 

Understanding career coaching 

While career or leadership development coaching is often sought by employers for employees to help develop the employee for a more senior role, this typically has the company agenda in mind; it’s, therefore, good to know that you can hire a coach yourself, being assured of 100% confidence.

The beauty of career coaching is in how it helps you to achieve your career goals by having a coach entirely invested in you – your coach has no vested interest in influencing you to stay where you are if you do not want to and is entirely impartial. Your conversations are confidential and, for me, this has enabled clients to be the most authentic they’ve ever been.

Alex, for example, was stuck in a job that she felt coerced into by childhood pressures and, now aged 35, wanted to break free and revisit dreams of working in fundraising. She first had to unravel if this was, in fact, still her dream and if it was aligned with her values and practical needs. Together we explored (and dug into) her strengths and values from an impartial yet supportive place. Identifying then with her passion, her needs and newly expressed goals, she was able to confidently remove the obstacles in her way, develop a stronger sense of self, nurture a more meaningful mindset that served her and seek the most ideal job for her. Being in a safe space to be herself, to be authentic was like a breath of fresh air for her.

In coaching, you will learn how this is the most important aspect of finding the right job/promotion for you.

Through powerful questioning techniques and additional exercises, your coach helps you to accurately identify your purpose and passion within your career, can assist with career transition objectives and can help you craft the most effective CV/resume that opens doors to the opportunities that stand out for you. Coaching helps you to understand your skills, your values and your purpose which, collectively, help you to make better choices for your future.

There is also a ripple effect once you secure an opportunity that makes you feel valued and happy. Your personal life can flourish too. This is because, as you see and feel the benefits of career coaching, you will naturally project greater confidence and proactiveness towards personal goals, too.

Coaches work with you to understand your goals, motivations and purpose within your career. They help you to unravel the key ingredients that will support you to seek out the best opportunities for you – or perhaps to seek out the entrepreneurial route!