If these conditions apply to you, it's time to push your professional growth with career coaching.

Coaching vs counseling

Career coaching and career counseling are two terms that are often used interchangeably, but actually differ in meaning. To put it simply, the main differences of these two activities can be seen as follows:

• Career counselorProvides you with industry information and advice to help you find a job. Occupations include school counselor.Takes an educational, directive approach at building your tools for acquiring a job. Often uses the MAPP (Motivational Appraisal of Personal Potential) test.Helps assess the current employment landscape by providing information such as industry trends, employment statistics, salary expectations and more.
• Career coachDoes what a counselor would, but also takes a deeper look at your life as a whole, paying attention to your values, strengths and interests.Focuses more on your personal strengths, talents and values and helps you build your ideal career path based on these fundamental factors.Works with you to find your true calling in the workplace—the career that will give you true meaning and purpose.

In short, the goal of career coaching and career counseling is one: to help you land a desired job. While counseling is more targeted towards newcomers in the workforce, career coaching is often pursued by professionals with more experience.

Learn more about the difference and similarities between the two + some success stories for reference, in the full article here .

Signs to look out for

Though popular among longer-term professionals, career coaching and its counterparts are also beneficial for those who don’t necessarily fall in that category.

Here are 5 signs you need to start researching a career coach to advance your career:

1. You feel dissatisfied and stuck at your current job. If you don’t see yourself growing in your current job profile and are at a loss as to how to navigate possible changes, you might need a career coach to guide you.
2. You are unable to get to the interview stage. If you have been applying to several jobs but not hearing back from any, this is the time to finetune your job search strategy with the help of a coach.
3. You are struggling with accountability and motivation. An experienced coach might help increase self-confidence, suggest methods to combat procrastination and lethargy, offer honest feedback, and help you keep a track of all your goals.
4. You are unaware of your own strengths and weaknesses. A career coach can initiate the process of self-discovery to help you comprehend different aspects of your personality and then teach you how to use them to your advantage.
5. You need a fresh, unbiased perspective on your professional life. A career coach acts as a third-party individual who is not emotionally attached to you, and recommends solutions based insights that are data-driven and practical.

If you resonate with any of the criteria above, you might need the helping hand of a career coach. Read more on the importance of a career coach here .

Preparing for your first session

Career coaching might not be the top-of-mind solution for most professionals when they feel stuck, especially in Indonesia. You could probably count with your fingers the amount of colleagues who have gone to one.

Though it might seem a little daunting, there are a few thing you can expect when meeting your career coach for the first time:

• Be prepared to take a career assessment. You’ll possibly take an assessment that identifies your strengths and weaknesses, like the Whole Person Assessment test.
• Discussions on long-term and short-term goals. It’s okay if you don’t have them ready. The coach needs to sense your aspirations even when you’re still unsure.
• Talks about challenges or obstacles in your career. Whether big or small, share any concerns you have. Could be an upcoming project or if you feel at a dead-end.

Before making a commitment with the coach, you should first make one with yourself by doing some self-work such as reflecting, adopting a growth mindset, and committing to the work.

Find more in-depth information on what to do before your first career coach session in the full piece here .

Do you know anyone who has gone or has suggested you to go to a career coach?

Just like all the other coaches in life, a career coach is there to guide you. The goals and methods will still be up to you at the end of the day.

Feeling ready to conquer this upcoming week with now after reading Monday Mavens? Spread the word around!

We’ll see you next week for even richer insights.