Six Ways To Transform Your Career in 2017

You spend 57 percent of your waking time at work so it is incredibly important that you actually enjoy it and get paid well for it.

But too many people spend hours, days and years in jobs that leave them unfulfilled and unhappy.

Why not seek help to guide your way toward career fulfillment?

Successful CEOs, entrepreneurs and busy corporates eagerly partner with coaches to keep their career aligned with their long-term goals. That’s because they understand the value of a sparring partner that can push them to the next level both in terms of responsibility and pay. Let’s face it, no one wants to be at their retirement party thinking they wasted 45 years in the wrong career or stuck in a position beneath them.

So you if you are currently unhappy with your work life, here are six things a career coach can help you achieve:

1. Get Unstuck. You know you are in the wrong place career-wise, but you don’t have the insight or energy to plot your next move. A career coach forces you into motion by challenging you to face the reality of your current situation against where you really want to be.
2. Utilize Your Passions and Purpose. Do you feel like your talents are utilized in your current position? If your greatest joy is leading and encouraging people, but you are trapped in a cubicle facing a computer screen all day, then you are going to be miserable. A career coach can map out your abilities, passions and purpose so that you can channel your true self into your future career.
3. Get Paid What You are Worth. Don’t sit around complaining that you are underpaid. A life coach can help you package your talents and abilities into an attractive offer that employers are willing to pay top dollar for. Everyone knows that is easier to get a higher salary and an increase in responsibilities when you move companies than staying where you are. A good career coach will research the market to find out what position you should go for that will get you the salary and role you deserve.
4. Achieve a Breakthrough. Having a coach ask you tough questions can get you to think out of the box and achieve a major breakthrough. Having worked more than 20 years in the financial services business, after working with a coach myself, I realized that what I really wanted to do was to run my own private practice coaching others. To achieve a major breakthrough, you need to talk to an expert.
5. Face Your Fears. It’s scary to think about changing your career. What if you are not good enough? What if you hate the new career more than the current? These fears are normal. A career coach will help you lessen or obliterate these fears completely as you begin to sort through the pros and cons of staying vs. venturing into a new arena. In terms of ability, most people are qualified for the next level, but need a push to go for it.
6. Job Search, CV, and Interviewing Skills. Once you know what you want to do career-wise, you’ll need a strategy to achieve it. A career coach will help you write the cover letter, customize your CV, and have you practice answering interview questions in several mock interviews. Before I became a coach, I was a leader in the corporate world screening CVs and cover letters. I knew immediately within the first five seconds of reading a CV as to whether the person was a viable candidate. I was also able to detect within the first 3 minutes of an interview if a person was in the running or not. Having a coach share these bits of wisdom with you will enable you to stand out from the competition.

A career coach isn’t a magic bullet, but it often yields very positive results. Just the act of hiring a coach means you are ready and committed to change. Once you are ready, it is easy to take calculated steps toward a career you love.

Lindis Courtney is a strategic life and business coach who helps clients set and achieve their most important goals. Click here to read more about Lindis Courtney's life coaching strategies or for information on how to schedule a private consultation.