What Will Career Coaching Do for You?
An Interview with Kate Wendleton

by Susan Pieper-Bailey

Ed. Note: Kate Wendleton is the founder of the Five O'Clock Club, a nationwide network of career coaching resources. She is the author of the Five O'Clock Club's three-part career development and job-search series and has been a career coach since 1978. A former CFO of two small companies, Ms. Wendleton has over twenty years of business experience and an MBA. She has appeared on The Today Show, CNN, CNBC, Larry King, and National Public Radio.

What is a career coach?

A career coach is a professional who has received special training to assist people with making career transitions or getting more out of their current position. In general, there are three types of career coaches: interpersonal, assessment, or job search coaches.

Interpersonal coaches assist you in developing the necessary skills to advance in your career. These coaches sometimes solicit feedback from your peers and subordinates, then provide you insights from this feedback. Although interpersonal coaches have historically worked only with senior executives, it is becoming more and more common for ambitious, young middle managers to use these coaches. Typically, these coaches have a business background.

Assessment coaches focus on just that - assessing your skills, strengths and interests. These coaches usually have backgrounds in psychology, social work, or career counseling. Many assessment coaches have developed their own tools, though there are a variety of good tools available on the market. In fact, it's usually not the tool, but the skillfulness of the coach providing the feedback that provides the value of working with an assessment coach.

Job search coaches specialize in resources and a process to help you identify and secure a new job. Most career coaches have experience in the job search area through jobs in placement, executive search or human resources.

Why is career coaching so popular today?

The average American has been in his/her job for only four years. Companies are increasingly willing to dump an employee for a variety of reasons outside of the person's control. As a result, many people are realizing the need to take control of their careers. They are developing plans so that they are not left vulnerable to the layoffs, management turnover, and corporate restructuring. Career coaches help you to formalize your career plans and guide your job changes - even when you didn't expect to make a change.

What is it like to work with a career coach?

Working with a career coach is different from seeing a therapist where you see a person once a week for years. In fact, career coaches are NOT family therapists. If a coach sees someone with special needs, he/she will make a referral to a therapist.

Typically, you have a few meetings (3-5 sessions) with a career coach in a very short period of time to assess your needs, get some feedback, and make a defined plan. Following these initial meetings you set off to pursue your plan. However, because you now have a relationship with a career coach, you can choose to meet again periodically or during challenging times to reassess your plan and ensure that your career is on track.