The career coach : your ally in professional change

What is a career coach ?

A careercoach is a professional who specializes in supporting individuals wishing to develop or evolve their career path. Their role is to help the coachee clarify his or her objectives, explore options and overcome obstacles. He or she will help the coachee draw up an action plan to achieve his or her professional goals and ambitions.

It's your guide to advice and support, to help you manage your professional trajectory and develop your career.

What is career coaching?

This can include retraining, advancement within the company, change management or skills development. It helps professionals identify their aspirations, define a strategy and implement it.

How much does a coaching session cost?

The price of a coaching session varies according to the professional, his or her experience and the duration of the session. In general, for individuals, prices in Geneva range from CHF 100 to 250 per session. It is advisable to contact coaches directly for precise rates, packages or complete programs.

Professional retraining

Changing jobs, professions or business sectors? Has this question ever crossed your mind? Then one morning you feel the irresistible urge to redefine your professional life. It's time to align it with your aspirations, your values or your new realities.

This process can be motivated by several reasons, such as :

• Dissatisfaction with your current situation
• The will to take on new challenges
• The need to adapt to a changing job market
• The desire for a professional life more in line with your passions or skills
• The need to find meaning in what you do

This involves a period of reflection and preparation to ensure a successful transition to a new career. Depending on your current skills, it may require the development of new capabilities through training and coaching. A careercoach can help you define your project, identify milestones and overcome any obstacles.

So what are the steps involved in reconversion?

It generally begins with a career assessment, the stages of which are :

1. A preparatory interview: contact to define needs and expectations and organize sessions.
2. Information gathering: analysis of career path, training, experience, skills, successes and difficulties encountered.
3. Self-reflection: identifying values, motivations, interests and career aspirations. This is done through exercises or tools (questionnaires, tests, SWOT method, psychometric analysis, etc.). A skills assessment is generally recommended
4. Analysis: putting the information gathered into perspective to gain a deeper understanding of your profile and potential.
5. Projecting and defining perspectives: developing possible career scenarios, identifying new avenues to explore.
6. Drawing up an action plan: taking concrete steps to make your career plans a reality.
7. Feedback and support: feedback on results, advice, support in implementing the chosen strategy.

These stages may vary according to the service provider or the needs of the beneficiary, but they form the framework for a structured assessment.

Turning my project into reality

Like the construction of a new building, the terrain is analyzed, the materials defined and the introspection completed. The plans are drawn and calculated: the strategy is established.

It's time to put this second project into action. My aspiration to evolve in my current position or in a new structure, can be organized in stages such as:

Finding the right job for me: it's essential to precisely define your profile and your career objectives, in order to effectively guide your search. By targeting offers that correspond to your project, you maximize your chances of finding a suitable position. For example: if you want to work in digital marketing, look for growing companies in this sector. Try to use precise keywords in your job applications.

Master my self-promotion: develop key messages that highlight your skills and achievements in a sincere and authentic way. With regular practice, you can make your speech fluid and convincing. In this way, you'll strengthen your credibility with recruiters or partners. During an interview, briefly present your past successes, such as a sales strategy that increased sales by 20%.

Control the impact of my communication: adapt your tone, vocabulary and posture to suit your audience and the context. This ensures that your message is clear, relevant and more easily perceived, thus reinforcing your influence. A common example: when talking to a manager, use a concise, confident, professional vocabulary. This will demonstrate your seriousness and understanding of the issues at stake.

Optimize my prospecting file: Personalize each contact and take care with the presentation of your documents to quickly attract attention. By ensuring the coherence and relevance of your file, you increase your chances of attracting the interest of recruiters or prospects. For an unsolicited application, adapt your CV by highlighting experiences directly related to the position or company. Then back up your CV with a cover letter that focuses precisely on the job and includes your personal examples.

Refine my oral communication: by practicing your speech, structuring your ideas and building your confidence, you'll be more forceful and convincing. For example, to a recruiter, briefly present your background and skills, then end with a question to start the discussion. If you're networking with people outside your field, explain your job, skills and assets in a few words. Remember to give examples that correspond to what you're looking for in your career plan.

Maximize my networking capacity: establish sincere and regular relationships with your network, by being attentive to others and providing value. An authentic approach will open more doors and strengthen your credibility. For example, after meeting someone at an event, send a personalized message to keep the contact going. You can suggest that we talk again about a common project or idea.

Human Coach or AI?

Could I do it on my own, thanks to "my friend the AI", which encompasses millions of experiences?

If you know how to "collaborate" with it, the AI can produce detailed career transition plans for you. It can ask you questions about your aspirations while analyzing your file.

But does she have that other experience of the coach who has sensed your deepest desires, your real conscious and unconscious motivations? Will it be able to detect the "ghosts" that hold you back by your self-sabotaging mechanisms? Of course, AI can help you or your coach if you've mastered its use.

This is where the "human coach " comes in: he or she will focus on active listening. He'll bring his emotional intelligence to bear on yours, and then work with you to devise a strategy. This strategy will be based on the techniques of his profession, and on tools that may or may not include AI. The coach, like a chef who has honed his own creativity over the years on the basis of collective experience. He will draw inspiration from the work of many men and women to create his own unique recipes. You, him and his utensils will be the winning trio of the personalized fruit of your success.

If you'd like to find out more, or to see if coaching might be right for you, don't hesitate to contact me for an initial discussion: Matthieu Laburthe

For further information, please also contact : Fabienne Revillard

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