Career Coaching - The New Cottage Industry

There has been an explosion of Career Coaches in Singapore - I just did a search on LinkedIn to find the exact number in Singapore and it kinda gave up on giving me the actual number, stating "More than 1600+" instead.

In recent years, there has been an explosion of interest in #CareerCoaching, which I am personally delighted about, as I have always believed that everyone needs a #GoodCareerCoach.

But the ease at which someone could just take a couple of afternoons to get themselves certified to become one has been both a boon and a bane to the industry.

A boon because there is always room for great talent.

However, I have encountered cases where bad advice actually led to terrible outcomes...here are 2 such stories.

Case 1: Isaac, 52, Supply Chain Director, retrenched for 7 months and still looking for a role.

He approached a 'Career Coach' who told him that it would not look good for him to be unemployed for so long, and any job would be better than his situation. He helped Isaac land a job as a Security Guard in a Petrochemical Plant at Tuas where he did the night shift after dark, and went for job interviews in the day.

"I was demoralised and falling into a depression." Isaac shared."I could not take the fact that my salary dropped from $15K/mth to that level, and I had no energy or intellect left for interviews."

We took over his case, got him to quit his security job, and he landed a similar role within a month.

Case 2: Jonathan, 47, Finance Executive wanting to pivot to Operations

Jonathan was retrenched from his Finance Manager role, but wanted to pivot to an Operations role - he had done some Ops work for 4 years, 2 jobs ago, but went back into Finance.

He sought the advice of a Career Coach and she advised him, "To pivot into Operations, you need certifications or the companies won't hire you. Take this 1 year Masters in Operations Management - it will put you in good stead."

"But I can't afford it." Jonathan said.

"It's okay - you can take a loan - it's only S$24,000."

And he did - only to discover a year later that he still couldn't get an Operations job as he lacked the experience, and worse of all, was in debt for that useless certificate.

What Types of Coaches Are There?

There are basically 3 types of Career Coaches, summarised above, and you really need to select the right one for your exact situation.

1. Career Counsellors are usually for younger executives who are unsure of what jobs would suit them best. They will use a complement of Personality Tests (e.g. MBTI) and other Career Assessment tools to see what jobs would be best for you.
2. Job Hunting Coaches specialise in resume writing, interview training, and even ATS hacking so that you can land the job faster. If you're an urgent job hunter on a budget, this one's for you.
3. Career Strategists are Career Experts who have deep industry knowledge that can be leveraged to help you gain deeper insights into your Career Strategy for the years ahead. They are usually former Headhunters who have worked in your industy and know the nuances and where the pockets of demand are. They help you finetune your thought processes so you can enjoy Career Clarity for your next moves.

You need to select the right category of Career Coaches to ensure the best fit for your pressing Career Situation at hand.

But How Do You Choose A Good Career Coach?

1. Career Coaching is Highly Technical skill and it would be highly advantageous if the coach had deep recruitment experience.

In the same way you wouldn't hire a swim coach to teach your child tennis, you need to make sure that your Coach has the right skill-sets for you.

If you want to progress or pivot into the Technology Sector, make sure your Coach has intimate knowledge of that industry, and that they have contacts there who can help you get insights or leads, that they know the difference between SaaS and PaaS.

2. Get an experienced Coach - because coaches only get better the more cases they handle, getting one with a long track record is critical for success.

The huge variations in cases that they encounter daily means the more clients they have managed, the better experienced they are to serve you.

3. Choose one you're comfortable with - because you're going to be working closely with them for a while.

The Coach needs to demonstrate his competency in understanding your situation and draw up plans for your next steps - you have to be able to TRUST his wisdom on that.

And if something looks a bit 'off', like advice that sets off alarm bells (e.g. Take a loan to do your Masters to land a better job), run for 'em hills!

4. Price Matters - what you pay is what you get

As much as a good Coach is a fantastic investment to have on your side, one that gives you poor quality advice can prove costly to you, as in the cases we mentioned earlier.

A good Career Coach pays for itself - If your coach was a former headhunter, they should be able to advise you on how to negotiate for a better salary or perks - often, the ROI justifies itself at this stage.

5. Ask for a Referee Who Is Similar in Seniority or Industry as You

If your coach has the depth of experience as he claims, ask to speak to a reference client of theirs who has a similar profile as yours to see if they were satisfied with the outcomes.

Besides getting first-hand information, you can also gauge whether their clients would be engaged enough to take a call to endorse that coach - it would be a good sign of confidence indeed.

In this fast-evolving world where anything could happen, having a versatile and experienced Career Coach on Retainer could prove a Game-Changer for you.

Whether it's regarding Office Politics, Getting Promoted, or seeking 'Alternate Exit Routes', a Career Partner who's only a call away will give you a strong peace of mind for you to enjoy the other parts of your life that is NOT your Career, as you rightly should.

And if you have any career issues, just DM me here at LinkedIn or email me at info@careeragility.org!