Working every day with people all around the globe and meeting clients from various professional and cultural backgrounds made me realize that there are some misconceptions about the entire job search process, about what a career coach/advisor actually does and about what help should you expect if you work with one.
When you are starting your job search, the first thing you do is brushing up your resume and updating the info about your past experience, right? In today’s ever-changing job environment and with the influx of modern technology, even having a perfectly written CV will not necessarily put you on top of the game and help you conduct an effective job search. So, a great CV is obviously not good enough to land a job. But it is the first step, and when you are not sure if your resume reflects all your qualifications and skills for the job you want – a career adviser can be your friend in this and help you optimize your chances by optimizing your CV.
When you are starting your job search, the second thing you probably do is go online, apply on every possible job posting, go on LinkedIn and search for any person that has words “career” or “HR” in the title and then send your CV with a request to find you a job. Let me tell you honestly, this rarely works. Make sure you fully understand the difference between a recruiter and a career coach/adviser. A recruiter can find you a job, a career coach cannot.
What a career coach can do for you build you a powerful and relevant resume, tailor that resume to any specific job for which you are applying and help you understand the current situation on the job market at least. A career coach will also give an objective opinion about your career path and suggest appropriate steps for your development and success. He/She will help you regain your confidence by understanding your strengths and working with you on any shortcomings you are experiencing. You will be also guided through further steps in the process – like a job interview preparation for example.
Depending on your specific situation, you will probably have more than one career consultation session. And no, it is not possible to resolve all your challenges and dilemmas after only one consultation or improve significantly your chances to find a desirable job.
As I said previously, searching for a job is a process and some people are well prepared at the start, some are not, and some are more insecure than others. If you find yourself in the group of those who are pretty much lost at the beginning, don’t despair. Find the right career advisor for you and let him/her challenge your thinking a bit (or a lot) - I am sure you will be thankful at the end when you see how much progress you made as a professional and an individual.
Read about finding a job in The Netherlands here.
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