How to prepare for a career counseling session Pause and reflect. Think about what you would like to gain from the coaching experience. Identify what you like (and what you don't) about your current job. Send confirmations and reminders Prepare yourself mentally to be in the best possible shape for your customer.
Executive professional coaches work the same way, but instead of focusing on financial goals, they focus on professional goals. Some coaches specialize in job search strategies, while others can help you discover a new understanding about you and your aspirations. Their ability to communicate openly with their coach will help them achieve their professional goals more quickly, as it will allow both of them to reevaluate their objectives and make the necessary adaptations for their personal journey. Even once you've established this “personal snapshot,” it can be difficult to match your self-concept and values with a position in the workforce that gives you the best chance of having a satisfying career.
The coach can also use this session to gather data, information, and insights from the client, so that they can help immediately in their first session. When a client doesn't pay for counseling on their own, as it may be offered by the workplace or their university, the client may be less committed and more likely to cancel. However, the executive professional coaching process involves challenging you, rejecting you, asking appropriate questions and providing feedback that no one else will receive. You might be nervous before your first professional coaching session with your first client, so take some time to relax before the session.
Many coaches will take notes during the session and some will even provide them to you at the end. During the training session, tell your coach if you are interested in using the evaluations to help you in the career planning process. A professional advisor can discover gaps in your employees' branding that you might otherwise overlook. Most training agreements include a clause according to which the cancellation of an appointment must be made between 24 and 48 hours and, if this has not been met with the session, it will still be chargeable.
It also helps you to be organized and professional, which is essential to maintaining a good reputation as a professional coach. Executives can often be blinded by their own thoughts and opinions, and may not see the barriers to future professional success.
