The ABC’s of Career “Coaching”

In this excerpt from What Can You Do With a Law Degree, law career consultant Carol Kanarek explains the role of the career coach in the job-search process:

Career coaching — a relatively new phenomenon — is related to career counseling but with more of a focus on specific problem-solving as a catalyst for career growth or change.

The ideal career coach is the functional equivalent of a mentor; he or she serves as a guide, teacher, sounding board, or troubleshooter. Usually your sessions are conducted by phone and/or email. A coach provides feedback, monitors performance and experience, provides advice about career decisions and workplace dilemmas, and generally encourages professional development. You may wish to consult a career coach if you feel “stuck” in a job that has been generally satisfying, if you are encountering political barriers in your workplace, or if you have received negative feedback regarding your relationships with co-workers or clients.

Working with a coach for a few months may help you to decide whether dissatisfaction you are feeling can be cured by taking a new approach to your current work environment, or whether a more fundamental job or career change is needed. Many career coaches are also career counselors or licensed clinical social workers or psychologists. However, the coaching profession is not licensed, so anyone may call him or herself a coach.

Here are some suggestions about how to choose a career coach:

– Inquire about their specific credentials and experience in order to determine whether or not he or she will be attuned to your specific situation and needs. (Note: for lawyers, the appropriate coaches will most likely have graduate degrees — an MA or Ph.D., though not necessarily a JD).
– Because you will be seeking advice on important issues that arise on the job, it is critical that your advisor be well-versed on the written and unwritten rules of your particular workplace culture, and that he or she has a strong knowledge of the demands and requirements of a professional service career.
– If you are depressed, worried about substance abuse, or facing personal issues that are exacerbating your professional problems, you may wish to choose a coach who is also a licensed psychotherapist. In most parts of the country there are coaches who work exclusively with lawyers, and many coaches will provide services by telephone or email to clients who are geographically remote from them.

Career coaches usually charge by the hour, and many are willing to be flexible in terms of availability to deal with critical situations as they arise. As is the case with psychotherapists, some coaches have a long-term orientation, while others are more comfortable with a short- term, goal-oriented approach. Be sure to discuss your needs and desires with the coach at the outset of the relationship, so that you can determine what time frame and approach will work best for you.

Coaching sessions are generally highly interactive, with the client generally summarizing events that have occurred since the previous session, and then requesting advice or assistance in resolving current dissatisfactions or conflicts. Unlike a mentor from within your own workplace, a coach has no connection with — or obligation to — your employer. Consequently, he or she is someone with whom you can speak freely, without fear of personal or professional repercussions. If you have career goals that are inconsistent with your employer’s desires for you, a coach is usually a better and safer confidante than someone from your current place of employment.

– Carol Kanarek, JD/MA/MSW (www.kanarekandbrady.com) — Ms. Kanarek is a New York-based law career consultant with a national coaching practice.