What? America's Job Coach says NOBODY needs job coaching? That doesn't make sense, does it?
Yes, I did say nobody NEEDS job coaching.
Why not? Because most of the information is already "out there." There is no shortage of free, cheap, or expensive advice about what to do and who to do it to regarding your career transition or small business start-up.
www.GOOGLE.com will enable you to spend weeks strolling through cyberspace to find advice on career transitions or business start-ups.
www.Amazon.com recently listed 614,890 titles when queried on the subject of "careers" --including the new book from America's Job Coach!
www.BING.comreturned 251 MILLIONmatches when queried about "career advice" (and this site is one of them)!
www.Ideacafe.com is a treasure trove of helpful small business start-up advice and much of it is FREE.
You read that right -- TWO THIRDS + get jobs THROUGH someone they know or someone connected to someone they know!
BUT...
Maybe you don't have or can't find an "insider" to help you get that hidden job behind the curtain...
Maybe you don't have weeks to sift through all the fluff out there (even though some of it is very good fluff)...
Maybe you have maxed yourself out on books, seminars, blogs, online tools, job postings, helpful uncles, outplacement services, neighborly advice, online job applications...
Maybe you are contemplating a career change, a business startup, or a completely new venture in an area you don't know how to market youself in you new field...
If you fit any of the maybes above, it might be time to CONSIDER a professional job coach.
BUT REMEMBER, job coaching is like every field--there are good people in it and bad people in it. There are free ones, underpriced ones and overpriced ones. The barrier to enter this line of work is low, so be sure you are not jumping in with some "Johnny-or-Julie-Come-Lately" job coach or career counselor.
If you have a bad feel about a potential person or firm who wants to be your job coach, TRUST YOUR GUT FEEL. Run, don't walk away! And watch out for the slick ones (the branding "specialists" or the "career marketing" firms) that smoothly separate you from thousands of your dollars.
I used to charge more money for job coaching. But, I lowered my prices and narrowed my scope of services realizing MOST people don't need a $75,000 car to go to the store to get a jug of milk. I have plenty of business because I sell people only what they need.
Discovering your best vocational path (with or without the help of a professional) is not some big dark mystery that needs to cost thousands of dollars and dozens of months.Most folks just need a kick in the right direction with some quick, cost effective guidance.
See my FAQ (Questions) for what to look for in a job coach. And here's more food for thought regarding why you should consider the services of a professional job coach:
The IRS tax code is available for free but millions of professionals (especially high net worth people) use CPAs/Accounting firms to sort out and optimize their tax returns and personal or professional bookkeeping needs.
Most legal precedents are available online for free somewhere or available for minimal cost. And almost anyone can represent themselves legally. Yet attorneys continue to be plentiful and are usually expensive (unless they win for you--then they are a bargain!). Successful businesses and people who have something to loseretain attorneys every day to help them sort through the justice/legal system and protect themselves.
There is no shortage of financial planners/insurance professionals, stockbrokers, and paid wealth creation "experts" This is despite the fact that Yahoo Business and other search engines provide extensiveFREE business reporting. Highly credentialed experts/analysts recommend stocks, mutual funds etc. and tell when to buy them and sell them. This information is available to anyone with an internet connection! Even though mountains of data exists, millions of high net worth individuals entrust their investments and insurance needs to specialized professionals.
The point is obvious: MOST successful people utilizeEXPERTS to...
save them TIME
save them MONEY
MAKE them money
provide NICHE EXPERTISE
If you are a high net worth person and want to stay that way, or are not in that league yet but want to be, remember this:
MAINTAINING OR INCREASING YOUR INCOME IS THE FASTEST WAY TO BUILD WEALTH...
"Duh!" you say. Isn't that obvious? Unfortunately, I have dealt with hundreds of people who have lived in "LA LA Land" and thought "everything will work out." Or they believed their job was secure, or that their resume and career marketing materials were actually effective. I recommend that you NOT be surprised out there when it comes to your marketability in this economy. Don't ASSUME that an acceptable income source for you will always be waiting for you!!
So, does it make sense for you to consider APPROPRIATELY PRICED professional services to help you INCREASE or PRESERVE your income?
Secondly, I advise you to check out the FREE career advice dispensed every couple of days by a "career advice community" (not just me) on the blog entitled, The 50 Over 50 Project.
If you need more personalized than the book or don't like blogs and want more IMMEDIATE services, I may be able to help. My schedule allows a limited number of new clients at any given time, and I do want to help. My availability is limited because when you engage me, I am all you get...no outsourced/offshore flunkies or local interns will handle your important stuff.
