How do you coach professionals through career transitions?

A Career Coach can be a valuable resource during career transitions. (1) Professionals can work with a Career Coach to set SMART goals—Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-bound. (2) Through powerful questioning, a coach can help them as they assess their current skills and align them with their target role, including resume and professional profile updates. (3) Professionals can collaborate with a coach on strategies to bridge gaps and build their personal brand. (4) Finally, they can create a detailed action plan with their coach's guidance for success, ensuring accountability throughout the process.

"By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail." - Benjamin Franklin ?? Before coaching, gauge your coachee's transition stage and emotions. Use tools like Bridges' Transition Model to tailor your approach. Ready to fine-tune your coaching game? Drop your insights below! ???

I'm a big fan of starting with establishing the client's "why" as a foundation for any additional discussions. Why? Because 1. Most people only have a high-level idea of their why and have never explored deeper and 2. Assessing readiness, developing strategic career plans, personal branding, and more can be ineffective if they are targeting the wrong "why." Once the client really understands their core values (their why) then we can start to explore options that will take them in the right direction. With the mental and emotional drivers aligned there's usually a clear acknowledgement of readiness. If not, then we can explore sources of resistance. Start with the end in mind and most will be ready and motivated to begin the journey.

When someone wants to change jobs, the first step is to ensure they understand their reason for the change. Without clarity and alignment with their desires and purpose, they risk ending up unhappy or needing another transition. Once their "why" is clear, we assess their strengths, values, and goals for the new direction. We then create a detailed action plan with short- and long-term goals, develop essential skills, and build confidence. Regular check-ins ensure progress and allow strategy adjustments. Emphasizing networking, I encourage clients to connect with industry leaders and peers. Through personalized support and actionable steps, clients navigate their transitions successfully and achieve their career aspirations.

One of my career coaching clients, laid off after several rounds of RIF's, was emotionally exhausted and disillusioned with her industry. Starting her own business had been a long-time vision, but the challenges felt overwhelming. We began by exploring her "why" and core motivations, giving her a renewed sense of direction. We reviewed her strengths and set concrete goals, including a detailed action plan with multiple revenue streams. As her confidence grew, so did her sense of empowerment. Regular check-ins kept us on track and allowed for strategic adjustments. Her business launch was a huge success, within the first month, she had secured 10 clients, developed a growing funnel, achieved repeatable income, and exceeded KPI we set!

A career transition is no small thing--it's the proverbial "What do you want to do when you grow up?" that we find asking ourselves, even into our second-half of life. So how does one decide? Get direction first by rooting your career transition into your foundation. 1. Know the essence of your Purpose. You don't have to wordsmith a purpose statement perfectly but know what it is you're made to do. 2. Know your strengths. What are you best at, better than anyone else? Oftentimes, aligning your job/career with your strengths provides the most fulfillment. 3. Identify your values. Making sure your values align with a new career is crucial to selecting the right one. Knowing your purpose, strengths, and values is key to career success.

I think clarifying the vision and values is out of order here in the #2 slot. Without an understanding of your vision and values (your "why") it's hard to assess readiness and make progress. See my note in #1 (Assess Readiness) for more thoughts on establishing the "why" - it's foundational to every step in building a strategic and actionable career plan that you will be motivated to pursue.

I see this step is far too often overlooked, yet it provides the most clarity on the mentorship relationship. Each person and each career shift is different, everyone doesn’t have the same goals within their current or future career field. Many times, just asking a person their interest and goals may be the first time they say it out load and appropriately actualize their interest. From there, collectively we can build a growth plan with achievable milestones.

1. I know you’re anxious. Relax. 2. Let’s do your SWOT Analysis. “Weaknesses” is now called “What’s Missing,” BTW. Write down your transferable skills (on a screen or paper). Writing it takes it out of your head - and reduces the drama. 3. Meet with people in the new field in which you’re interested and get advice. And be okay with discovering that the transition is not going to work. 4. If you’ve learned that it makes sense to proceed, return to the SWOT and write down “What’s Missing.” 5. Commit to moving “What’s Missing” into the “Strengths” quadrant. 6. Meet with the people in #3 again. Tell them what you’re doing to gain credibility, and ask for introductions to others in the field. 7. Let your new colleagues guide you in your quest.

Career transitions are one of life's biggest challenges. To navigate them successfully, having the right support is crucial. Start by stepping out of your comfort zone and discovering your authentic self. Embrace the self-doubt, fears, and emotions that come with this journey. Understanding your core motivations and aligning them with your career goals is essential. Develop a structured plan for your career objectives, identify the necessary skills and set milestones. Track your progress and adjust as needed. Engage in continuous learning to stay current with industry trends. Build a supportive network of mentors and peers for guidance. By staying focused, adaptable and with actionable steps it will lead you to your true career goals.

Knowing your "why" becomes a litmus for exploring options and opportunities. Want to change "I want to make more money" into a meaningful career strategy? Start by asking yourself how "making more money" supports and feeds your core values. This is just a simple example to get you thinking. By knowing how your actions and behaviors are feeding or choking your personal values you can identify some sources of passion or barriers you may be overlooking or simply unable to see because you're focused on a non-foundational target. Yes, SWOT, brainstorming, and others are good exercises that will help you explore but do not forget to set the solid foundation and test each option/opportunity to make sure you are feeding your "why."

Once you have clarity on your values, strengths, and interests, it's time to assess your transferrable skills. A great way to start is by examining your hard skills and soft skills. To identify the transferrable skills you most exhibit, read through job descriptions of roles you're considering, reflect on life events, and what the day-to-day was like in your previous employment. Consider: What skills have you been doing the longest? What comes easy to you?

Are you developing an action plan with random goals or are you developing a real strategic career plan? Most people focus on goals for the short-term (1 year or less) and spend little time thinking about how these goals do or do not contribute to their long-term career strategy. What is strategy? First, hope is great but it isn't a strategy. "I hope I get that promotion." - great, what are you doing to make sure you get it? Do you know the top 3 success criteria for the new position? What additional value do you present for the position that your peers and outsiders do not? Building on your "why" you can build a true career strategy that you'll be passionate about working on daily - not just some goals you'll ignore most of the year.

Coaching professionals through transitions requires a holistic approach: - Provide constructive feedback and encouragement. - Use coaching techniques like active listening and powerful questioning. - Foster self-awareness, confidence, and efficacy. - Celebrate successes and learn from failures together. - Help them adapt to changing circumstances with resilience and optimism.

One of the biggest myths in the workplace is that you have to do everything yourself or you're somehow not eligible to consider yourself "successful." In reality, it's just the opposite. The most successful people get assistance and support - leveraging both to their advantage over their peers (who are still believers in the DIY myth). As a coach I find it maddening that "coaching" is often viewed as a punishment for those on the ladder below the C-suite but a reward (even a necessity) for those in the C-suite. Find an independent career coach ensuring you a "career safe" space for exploration and find an advantage that 95%+ of your peers will never experience in their careers. Yes - it really can be that much of a differentiator.

As with any coaching session, reviewing and reflection are the cornerstone of the learning process. Especially during the changing (transition) period, where people will be easy to feel pain, fear, and uncertainty about their future. My suggestion is to start the Coaching session with a small Prework to make your learners analyze their opportunities and threats (use the SWOT model) and end the session with a self-reflection. This practice will help your learners recap the actions to do, reviewing the session reinforces commitment to the goals set at the beginning, enhancing motivation to achieve them, and reducing stress. Moreover, it will be support the coach to have insights for the next sessions.

I find that developing an action plan and setting goals is most effective when it's personalized and flexible. I find it beneficial to not only use frameworks like SMART or GROW but also to incorporate regular check-ins to adjust the plan as needed. This ensures that the goals remain relevant and achievable, and it helps maintain momentum and motivation throughout the transition?process.

Transitions of any kind can be taxing, both mentally and emotionally. Make sure you are leaving space to celebrate the wins with your client! Acknowledge where they started and where they are now.

I tend to coach people through career transitions a little differently. Firstly.. we work on letting go of the role/career they are leaving behind. This is a very important phase of transition. When the new position starts it’s about ‘keeping powder dry’ and not getting tied up in trying to prove yourself. I coach people to communicate that they will be ‘observing, learning and engaging’ for the first 30 days with an emphasis on earning trust. No changes should occur until after this time.

One thing to realize is that quite often it's a *job* transition—not a career transition. Know the difference. If it's a "career" transition—that's a whole other consideration. That's the time to look inward and inquire about what really matters in your life.

Having personally navigated career transitions, I understand the complexities and emotions involved. Coaching professionals through these moments requires deep empathy and a holistic approach. Career transitions are rarely isolated events; they often coincide with other significant life changes. I create a safe, supportive, and nonjudgmental space where clients can express themselves and their concerns. By laying everything out on the table, we can collaboratively develop a plan that guides them through their career transition. Together, we identify their goals, strengths, and aspirations and craft a strategy that aligns with their vision for both their career and personal life.