How Can A Coach Help You Figure Out What’s Next In Your Career?
- May 15, 2024
- 4 min read
Updated: May 20, 2024
Written by Anna Kmetova, Transformational Coach
Anna Kmetova, a Co-Active coach, transitioned from corporate life to entrepreneurship to guide individuals toward a more fulfilling career and overall existence. Faced with a crossroads at 30, despite a successful career in Amsterdam, she discovered her true passion lay in empowering others.
Do you find yourself stuck in your career, but no matter how hard you think about an alternative path, zero viable ideas come up? Perhaps you are considering hiring a career coach to help you move forward but feel skeptical about whether they would be able to help you. After all, you have been fruitlessly trying to figure things out for ages! You might be visiting career coaches’ websites to see whether coaching is what you need right now, wanting to make sure you will get a decent return on your potential investment but feeling skeptical about how someone who doesn’t know you can help you get unstuck.
I hope this article will clarify the tangible benefits a coach can offer and can provide clarity and encouragement in what might seem like a career dead-end.
1. A coach can help you to get clear on your direction, even if you have no idea where to start
It’s important to know that before working with most career coaches, you don’t need to know what you would like to do, and part of the work you will do together will be focused on figuring that out. So if you have no idea where to start, don’t be afraid to reach out to a coach – they have plenty of experience helping people in a similar situation and the ability to ask you the right questions to get unstuck, come up with some ideas and help you “validate” those ideas, making sure that you will not end up in a similar situation a couple of years down the line.
2. They can help you identify your possible fears and blind spots holding you back from moving forward
I don’t want to scare you, but once you get more clarity on your desired career (re-)direction, you may freak out a little bit: “What if it’s impossible? What if it’s too late? What if I’m not good enough? I can’t do it because of XYZ!” Don’t worry; this is an expected part of the process, and it will help you uncover possible reasons why you feel stuck. Yes, it is not always possible to do anything we want, but it is important to clearly distinguish between real obstacles (and choose what we want to about them) and our fears or limiting beliefs that are not serving us. A great coach will help you do that, and as a bonus, you will be equipped with some priceless tools that will help you to move forward any time in the future, no matter what challenge you face.
3. They can help you identify the steps to get where you want to be
Coaching can be theoretical as well as very practical and action-oriented – depending on your specific needs. Once you know what direction you want to take and have a clear vision, you can identify the steps to get there and create a plan. Your coach will help you with that, and together, you might address not just things that need to be done but also questions to be addressed and fears to be overcome, and tackle those step by step.
4. They can help you grow your confidence
Sometimes, we know exactly what we need to do, and we genuinely want to do it but simply don’t. Instead of guilt-tripping yourself and getting even more frustrated, a great holistic coach will help you with some deeper introspection and exploring what’s going on. Everyone has different triggers and challenges, and once you start understanding yours better, you can start giving yourself exactly the type of support that you need. Positive reinforcement goes a long way, and you might notice you are not such a bad person as the punitive inner voice tries to convince you. You’ve got this!
5. They will push you to take action and make it happen
Having a witness when committing to our plan can be empowering and makes this real, and having someone who keeps us accountable every step of the way even more so! There might be days when you are excited and motivated and others when you doubt yourself or get distracted. Your coach is there for you, supporting you without judgment and helping you realign with yourself so you can keep moving forward and celebrate every step of the way.
In conclusion, a career coach ultimately serves as a supportive partner, assisting you in gaining clarity on your career direction, helping you explore potential paths, identifying possible fears and blind spots hindering your progress, facilitating the formulation of actionable steps toward your goals, pushing you to take action and stay committed to your objectives and support yourself on the way.
The support of a skilled career coach can be invaluable and help you realize not just your true potential and career aspirations, the coaching process empowers you to foster your confidence and self-awareness that stay with you beyond the coaching journey and your potential career transition.
Life is too short to be stuck in an unfulfilling career, and you deserve to have a well-balanced life that honors and celebrates who you are and what you value most.
Anna Kmetova, Transformational Coach
Anna Kmetova, a Co-Active coach, transitioned from corporate life to entrepreneurship to guide individuals toward a more fulfilling career and overall existence. Faced with a crossroads at 30, despite a successful career in Amsterdam, she discovered her true passion lay in empowering others. Originating from Slovakia, she coaches clients online from all around the world in English, Slovak, and Czech. Beyond coaching, she immerses herself in life's vivid experiences, from exploring Thailand as a digital nomad to savoring Amsterdam's city life. Anna is devoted to helping clients discover their dream careers, inviting them to explore their full potential and realize their dreams.
