4 Ways to Find a Career Coach

1. Look Around You

One of the easiest places to find a career coach is at the place you work. Look for someone who is successful in a career you want to pursue. Contact the person and ask if he will provide coaching for you. Ask specific, open-ended questions to find out how your new coach has grown into the person he is and about the methods used to reach his current position. Oftentimes, leaders in companies are looking for people to invest in and are willing to be career coaches if someone will ask for help. A good place to start is with the Human Resources person at your job.

2. Hire the Help You Need

You can hire a career coach to help you make the right decisions to fulfill your career goals. Avoid the trap of viewing the hiring of a career coach as an expense you can't afford. Instead, realize it is an investment in your future. As your career goals are reached, you should notice the increase in salary or enjoyment in your career more than covers your investment in hiring a career coach.

3. Attend Career Related Conferences

As you are starting or making changes in your career, you can attend career related conferences to provide you with insight into your chosen field. Conferences also allow you to meet people in your desired field who can provide valuable insight for your career choice(s). Choose conferences providing a variety of break-out sessions and networking opportunities.

4. Contact a Headhunting Company

You may think a headhunter is only good to help you find a job but a good headhunter can also provide career coaching. The headhunter can help you explore new career paths and the qualifications needed to pursue each career, as well as help you identify training opportunities to learn new skills. Some headhunting companies provide coaching services as a separate specialization of the company.