GROUP Coaching
Group career coaching is similar to individual career coaching in that you receive guidance and support from a career expert except you do it in a group format with other professionals in similar career situations as you. The group method can be a more affordable and a less lonely option to getting help for your career.
Many of us invest in ourselves when we want to get in shape by joining a group fitness or weight loss program. We also join different types of therapy groups when we are going through a difficult time in our lives. However, if we need help with our careers, most of us try to do it by ourselves and end up feeling frustrated by not hearing back after sending out 100s of resumes or feeling stuck and unhappy in our current jobs.
We hardly ever think to join a career coaching group.
Read on to learn about group career coaching and how being part of one can take your career to the next level.
Job Search Focused Group
Participants learn the best practices that go into a job search such as how to customize resumes, optimize a LinkedIn profile, or answer difficult interview questions while also building their network and supporting each other by sharing resources and tips. A lot of networking and introductions to each other’s network happens in these types of groups.
Career Shift Focused
Participants work on increasing their own self-awareness of their strengths, values, and interests through taking career assessments and inventories while learning about various career options.
The group is there to support each other in their transitions, and provide a huge array of career information from their own experiences.
Career Growth Focused
Participants are working in full-time jobs but meet weekly to discuss topics such as the first 90 days at a new job, difficult colleagues/managers, how to ask for a promotion or raise, and many other career-related topics to help one grow and develop professionally. It’s a safe space to have career discussions about things going on at work.
Are you ready? Let's Do this.
5 Benefits of Group Career Coaching
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1. Being connected to a community
You get to be supported by interacting with other professionals and not have to go through a job search, work situation, or career transition alone especially now during this pandemic where we are not able to socialize in the same ways.
2. Learning from career experts
Looking for a new job usually means digging through the internet for answers and opportunities on your own. Being part of a career coaching group allows you to receive feedback, reassurance, and reliable information. Plus, you gain new knowledge and skills along the way.
3. Getting connected to opportunities
The networking that happens in a career coaching group is priceless. I’ve seen many job seekers help each other out by making introductions to their personal network.
4. Being able to help others and pay it forward
It’s a two-way street and it feels good to help others. You never know when your own experience and connections might be valuable to someone else in your group.
5. Long-lasting connections and friendships
I have seen it over and over again where people continue their connections to each other after the career coaching group ends. Friendships have developed for the long term because of the type of sharing and support that comes with a career coaching group.
Barbara Sher, author of “I Could Do Anything If I knew What It was”, coined the phrase, “isolation is the dreamkiller” to describe how people are natural problem solvers when they get together in a group where they can help each other by brainstorming and sharing resources and ideas. I see this happening every day in our various career coaching groups that consist of job seekers, people looking to make a major career change, and professionals in their current jobs looking to grow and develop themselves.
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