Every week, NETSHARE hosts Ask the Coach, a phone-in coaching session with leading career management experts. Here is an excerpt from this week’s session with Nicola James, Managing Partner of Thomas Brooke International.
NETSHARE has been hosting these weekly Ask the Coach sessions for a few years now, and the reason they are valuable to members is because the coaches genuinely want to help job seekers achieve their goals. However, job seekers often find themselves confusing the role of a career coach and a recruiter. Both can be extremely helpful in getting you a job placement, but you always have to remember who they are working for.
The career coach is paid by the job seeker, which means you can expect their help and attention to define and achieve your goals. The recruiter is never paid by the candidate but rather by the hiring company, which means they are willing to assist you as long as you seem to be an ideal fit for the opening at hand. After all, it’s in their best interest to get you placed in the position since that’s how they get paid.
If you remember the distinction it will clarify your relationship with both the career coach and the recruiter. The coach will always be happy to talk to you since you are paying for the privilege. They want to help, since that’s how they prove their value (and why you will refer them to others in your network). The recruiter is happy to talk to you as well, as long as you will fit their needs. That means they will either be coaching you for an interview or helping you determine if you are the right candidate for their current search, or if you can direct them to someone who might be a good fit. If you can’t help them, then you are wasting their time.
And just as fit is important when looking for the right job, it’s also important when seeking the right career coach. Some coaches specialize in certain areas, industries, or executive roles. Others specialize in different aspects of job search, like helping you reposition for a new career, or helping you get your marketing documents in order. Many times, if you haven’t looked for a job in a long time, you won’t know where to start – you don’t have a current resume, you aren’t sure where to look, or what to look for, or what position to shoot for, or how to negotiate your compensation. The right career coach can help you sort through all those things and develop a strategy to help you achieve your goals, but you have to find someone you can work with. Fit is key. You need to find someone you can work with and whose “style” meshes with yours. They must have the same values. Trust your instincts.
Nicola notes that it is very important that the coach have a thorough understanding of the position you are looking for. They should have experience working with candidates at that same level. So ask questions. If they don’t have the right answers or understand the basics, then it won’t be a good fit. They may really be able to help executives in other areas, but they won’t be able to help you. You can always ask for a referral to find the right career coach, or get a recommendation from NETSHARE or a coaching association.
