What's the best way to schedule your career coaching sessions?

1 Assess your goals and needs

Before you book your first session, you need to have a clear idea of what you want to achieve with your coach. What are your short-term and long-term career goals? What are the main challenges or gaps you want to address? How do you prefer to learn and communicate? These questions will help you define your coaching objectives, and also help you find a coach who matches your style and expectations.

2 Choose a suitable frequency and duration

The frequency and duration of your coaching sessions will depend on several factors, such as your goals, availability, budget, and progress. Some coaches offer fixed packages, while others allow more flexibility. Generally, it's recommended to have at least one session per month, to maintain momentum and accountability. However, you may need more frequent sessions if you're facing a pressing issue, a career transition, or a deadline. The duration of each session can vary from 30 minutes to 2 hours, depending on the depth and scope of the topic. You should choose a frequency and duration that suits your needs, but also allows you to digest and apply the insights and feedback from your coach.

3 Prepare for each session

To make the most of your coaching sessions, you need to prepare for them in advance. This means setting a clear agenda for each session, based on your goals and priorities. You should also review your notes and action steps from the previous session, and update your coach on your progress and challenges. Additionally, you should gather any relevant information or documents that you want to share or discuss with your coach, such as your resume, portfolio, performance review, or feedback from others. By preparing for each session, you'll be able to focus on the most important issues, and avoid wasting time and money.

4 Follow up on your action steps

One of the key benefits of coaching is that it helps you create and implement an action plan for your career development. However, this requires you to follow up on your action steps after each session, and track your results and outcomes. You should also communicate with your coach between sessions, if needed, to ask questions, share updates, or request feedback. This will help you stay on track, overcome obstacles, and celebrate your achievements. Moreover, it will help you build a trusting and supportive relationship with your coach, which is essential for effective coaching.

5 Review and adjust your schedule

As you progress with your coaching sessions, you may need to review and adjust your schedule, depending on your changing needs and goals. For example, you may want to increase or decrease the frequency or duration of your sessions, depending on your pace and results. You may also want to change the focus or format of your sessions, depending on the topics or challenges you want to explore. You should discuss these changes with your coach, and agree on a schedule that works for both of you. You should also ask for feedback from your coach on how you can improve your coaching experience, and provide feedback to your coach on what you appreciate and what you expect from them.

6 Plan for the end of your coaching

Finally, you should plan for the end of your coaching, and decide when and how to wrap up your sessions. This will help you avoid dragging on your coaching unnecessarily, or ending it abruptly. You should have a clear idea of how you will measure the success of your coaching, and what criteria you will use to determine if you have reached your goals. You should also discuss with your coach how you will maintain and sustain the changes and improvements you have made, and what resources or support you will need. You should also thank your coach for their help and guidance, and celebrate your achievements and learnings.

7 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?