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Are you looking to develop your career in the public sector further? Are you finding making that step onwards difficult? A career coach can help you work out the obstacles to your advancement and help you get that job or position for which you are yearning. The rewards come with moving up the pay scale and having more responsibility and power.
Stuck in a Rut
Lots of people feel that they should just keep their head below the parapet and wait for job offers from their current employer. Asking your line manager to advance you can sometimes feel like being pushy or rude. So, we get stuck in the hamster wheel and end up getting frustrated.
Looking for a Career Coach
Having someone to help you work through your work-life issues and assist you to move up the career ladder is great. So, how do you find a career coach? Sometimes, there will be a colleague at work who has moved up and is willing to coach you. However, this is not always the case. Googling will provide you with a number of career coach options. However, you may need a more specialist coach with experience in the public sector.
What Attributes to Look for in Your Career Coach
In my career as an HR professional, I worked in a number of public sector organisations. These spanned Health, Housing, Government and Local Government. I have a keen appreciation of how recruitment processes work within these types of organisations. I also understand the cultural mindset of these institutions.
In selecting the right career coach for your requirements, firstly look for someone with knowledge of public sector recruitment. They will understand the right application processes and where to look for the right position for you. The application process and criteria can be very different from the wider working world.
Your career coach should be able to work with you on your Curriculum Vitae and help to redress any issues to give you a head start when applying. He/she will help you with your online presence, utilising LinkedIn for example.
They should work with you on interview techniques. They should also guide you on the appropriate answers and which questions you should ask in return.
If being headhunted or given a number of job offers, your career coach should be able to help steer you through the offers to make sure you make the right decision for you. This is not always the one with the highest salary.
What Can You Expect from Myself as Your Career Coach?
At first, you will be asked a number of questions, so that we can work out where things are not working for you in your current role. We will also talk through what you want from your next role. We take your lifestyle and family situation into account too. These can be factors when choosing the right career path. It is important to understand your motivations. I will explore whether knee-jerk decision-making is taking place, or whether your next role will really fulfil you in the longer term. We may examine your values to be sure your next move will not lead to disillusionment further down the track.
On a practical level, we will look at how you are presenting yourself, both in-person and online. We will help you make appropriate adjustments. We then work through application and interview stages to provide the best chance of securing the role you want.
Once you have the next job, you and your career coach will want to have a plan in action to continue on your career path.
If you would like to talk through anything with a career coach, then please contact me to for an introductory call about your options.