What is coaching: 7 situations where you will need it

Would you say your current job situation is ideal? Or are there any aspects you would like to improve? Just consider that, according to Eurostat, 35% of European professionals are dissatisfied with their job.

If you can identify, then it's likely that you have yet to find your vocation - because you're either working in a sector you dislike, or you feel you don't get recognition at our company, or there might be workplace conflicts, or you feel that your career has stalled. Whatever the reason, the fact is that you don't have to just accept things the way they are. Do you know what coaching is? Its main aim is to help you achieve your goals in the professional field.

If you want to fulfil your career dreams, then it’s time to turn to a career coach. However, are you unsure what these professionals can offer you and what career coaching benefits you can reap? Find out what coaching is, how to use this technique to boost your professional development and which steps to bear in mind to ensure the process is a success.

What is coaching?

Are you asking yourself what coaching is? In general terms, it refers to “partnering in a thought-provoking and creative process that inspires people to maximize their personal and professional potential”, according to the definition by the International Coaching Federation (ICF). Therefore, career coaching covers any initiatives focused on boosting skills and achievements on a professional level. 

However, this technique should not be confused with training or consulting. With career coaching there's no attempt to change you, either in terms of your personality or skills. Instead, it focuses on facilitating the tools of self-analysis in order for you to discover how to improve for yourself. 

Harnessing the greater self-awareness achieved through the coach's help, the person taking the career coaching sessions (”coachee") can develop new skills and strengths, acquire greater efficiency in their performance, improve their work-life balance, make decisions in a meditated way, boost their self-esteem and self-confidence, dare to pursue the goals that really motivate them, and expand their job opportunities.

Fields of application in which you can reap the benefits of coaching

Now you know what coaching is, it’s time to know its benefits. In fact, there are many career coaching benefits that justify the growth this tool is experiencing among organisations and professionals, particularly among younger people. In this regard, the 2022 Global Consumer Awareness Study, from the ICF and PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), reveals that half of all millennials have turned to coaching at some point, while eight out of ten understand the reach it can offer. 

In this sense, what is coaching has different fields of application: 

• Job hunting. If you are in the process of looking for a job, coaching provides you with the necessary tools to steer your career and get through the recruitment process. This technique is particularly recommended if the reason you're looking for work is because you're not happy in your current job, as the coach can explain how to overcome burnout. 
• Fitting into a new role. Maybe you've just started a new job or have to take on new responsibilities at work. In such cases, career coaching can also help you to tackle these new challenges, giving you the skills you need to carry out your work more effectively.
• Skills development. As you know, the current job market demands a lifelong learning mindset. In partnership with a coach, you will discover your strengths and weaknesses, as well as aspects you need to work on to improve your skills. 
• Promotions. Would you like to move up within your company and take on positions of greater responsibilities? Another branch where coaching techniques can be applied is promotions. Specifically, it's very helpful to identify where your career is heading and to develop leadership skills. 
• Salary increase. Career coaching is also used by workers to learn how to evaluate their situation in terms of salary, and to come up with the right arguments to request a raise.
• Improvement of team cohesion. This tool can be used individually or in groups. In the second case, career coaching might focus on conflict resolution and improving team dynamics, with the coach fostering teamwork.  
• Boosting overall performance. Lastly, another way to apply career coaching in your work life is to improve your performance. Remember that, by increasing your potential, optimising time management and clearly defining your goals, you will become more efficient and achieve better results. 

How to get started with career coaching

Now that you know what coaching is and some coaching benefits, it's important to take various factors into account when planning for it. The most important thing is that you are clear on the precise goals you want to achieve. Consider that you may feel you need to change company when, in fact, you just need to enhance your skills to feel more comfortable in your current role. So, reflect on your goals, and where possible, ask your colleagues and bosses for their opinion. 

Once you've got everything clear, it's time to contact a professional coach. It's best if they are specialised in career coaching and have experience in helping others in situations similar to yours, so ask them to provide their training credentials, as well as their availability. Requesting references from the coach will also allow you to find the most suitable professional. 

Lastly, it's vital that together with the coach, you establish a process to track and assess the results. To do this, you will need to identify which KPIs to monitor in order to evaluate the effectiveness of the career coaching, and thus get the most coaching benefits from it. 

In short, the goal of career coaching is for you to identify your strengths and weaknesses, then develop an action plan for continuous improvement. This also includes opportunities to learn and grow, as well as identify goals and strategies to achieve these. In this sense, it is a tool that encourages a mindset of improvement and continuous learning, which is essential in a job market as competitive and ever-evolving as the current one.

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