Whether you’re looking to land a new job, grow into a leadership role, make a career pivot or reenter the workforce after a break, working with a career coach can be a game-changer. Once you’ve decided to take that first step, the real work begins.
Career coaching can look differently depending on your coach, your industry or long-term goals, but how you prepare for that first session is constant across the board. Your primary “homework” for your first coaching session is reflection.
- Where have you been? Be prepared to discuss your previous roles and relevant experience, including what you enjoyed (or didn’t) about each. Did you thrive most in a team setting, or as an individual contributor? What types of work gave you the most fulfillment? Are there types of people with whom you’ve worked most effectively?
- Where are you now? Think critically about your current position and what made you seek out career coaching. Are you feeling stuck and wanting to go faster? Does your current work culture align with your values? Have you received feedback that you want to address?
- Where do you want to go? Of course, the ultimate goal of career coaching is to drive change and propel you toward your future. Imagine yourself in 12 months – how do you want your life to look different? Now take that one step further and consider the end of your career – what do you hope you’ve accomplished? Having both short and long-term goals will help to articulate a clear path forward.
Honest conversations with ourselves are often the hardest, but thinking critically about your goals and experiences are the most effective tool for building career-focused action plans. Clarity paired with commitment to invest in yourself will drive your growth.
If you’re having trouble figuring out where to start, reach out to your coach. They can provide you with a list of prompts to help start the reflection process. Every goal you write down is a step toward turning reflection into direction and possibility into reality.