Transcript #132. When coaching doesn’t work.
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[00:00:00] Renata: People waste so much time figuring things out by themselves when they could have moved faster towards getting a paycheck. If they had booked a consultation with me,
[00:00:19] Renata: hi, I've Renata Bernarde. And this is The Job Hunting Podcast, where I interview experts and professionals. Issues are important for job hunters and those who are working to advance their careers. So make sure that you subscribe and follow and let's dive right in.
[00:00:38] Renata: Hello, everyone. It's Renata here. And today's another solo episode with me chatting to you about Coaching and when it doesn't work. Hmm. Let's talk about it. Sometimes coaching doesn't work. It may not work for you. And I'm going to tell you 11 reasons you don't need a coach, and five reasons you may [00:01:00] need a coach, but it may not work for you, at least not yet.
[00:01:03] Renata: So keep on listening. It's a challenge for job hunters when it comes to making this decision about engaging a career coach, especially when they're not earning a paycheck; if you're earning a salary and want to move, then frankly, hiring a coach is in my opinion. And. Right. It will help you.
[00:01:26] Renata: You're working. Full-time, part-time, you're busy. You have other things in your mind. Uh, not only work, maybe personal life but paying someone to support you as you look for another job is an excellent investment. If you have a paycheck, there's a no-brainer situation there. In my view, someone like me and many others have a range of services.
[00:01:49] Renata: I'm not able to afford private coaching one-on-one, then there's group coaching. There are, you know, uh, consultations in my case and LinkedIn audit. So, the researcher career, a [00:02:00] fantastic little program. That's ready for you whenever you need it. Michael Inga, whom I interviewed for episode 129, said you don't need to reinvent the wheel and start a resume from scratch when.
[00:02:12] Renata: There are perfect and easy templates and services available to help you with tried and tested strategies that will help you move forward faster and get your new job. I liked those final words in that episode from Michael and this idea of re-inventing the wheel.
[00:02:31] Renata: It upsets me because people waste so much time figuring things out by themselves when they could have moved faster towards getting a paycheck if they had booked a consultation with me. Right. So that is one way of thinking about it. However, it seems counterintuitive to spend money at the precise time when you need to be saving it.
[00:02:53] Renata: So instead, you push forward, and you hope things will work out, and then they don't work [00:03:00] out, and then you get frustrated, and then you're closer to having no savings. And then hiring a coach becomes more and more unattainable. But working with a coach is not for everyone. And it's also not for every job search.
[00:03:15] Renata: If you're struggling with that decision, should I hire a coach? Is it a time or not? Here are a few questions that you can ask yourself to help you understand if you need a coach or not. Let’s talk about the 11 reasons you may not need a coach—the first reason. You know precisely what you want to do next and how.
[00:03:38] Renata: And sometimes you just do, right. Some people have a clear idea of what they're trying to achieve and how to do it. If that's the case, then you may not need a car. Now let's keep on listening because maybe some of the other reasons may not apply to you. The second reason would be that you have done [00:04:00] many successful job transitions in your career.
[00:04:03] Renata: You have that familiarity with job hunting techniques; you know how to apply for jobs. You know how to do job interviews. If you're comfortable talking about yourself, you have a network of recruiters in a job interview, so you have that familiarity, and you've been successful at it. So there you go.
[00:04:24] Renata: Again, another reason not to engage coats. The third one is that you have strong support. Professional network. And that includes people that can be your references and, uh, recruiters that know you. And, you know, you're very close to your contacts. They are your advocates and your champions, former bosses managers, people that have been your colleagues in the past.
[00:04:49] Renata: I can tap you on the shoulder and support your recruitment and selection into new roles. If that's the case, you may not need a coach; the fourth [00:05:00] reason is you have received feedback that your is fine and you don't think it needs a substantial change. So if your resume is impressive, if you have been converting from resume to first interviews, then you're probably, at least for now, don't need a coach in that stage of your job search.
[00:05:23] Renata: And then, you know, many people may find their resumes OK. You probably have regularly updated your resume and it's ATS compliant. So, I listed that as a second reason you don't need a coach because I think HTS compliance is expertise and a technique, and some people know how to do it well or don't know.
[00:05:46] Renata: And if you are confident that your resume is compliant with the tracking system, the applicant tracking system, which means if you're applying for jobs online and it's an online application, you're not [00:06:00] sending it attached to an email. You're sending it as a non-line application on a website. It needs to be compliant with the tracking software used to read your resume.
[00:06:11] Renata: If you feel that your resume is compliant, at least at this stage, you may not need it. The other reason why you, you probably don't need a coach. If, if you are comfortable on video and you have experience in straight to camera, video interviews, more and more when you're applying for jobs, you're asked not only to do, you know, let's say zoom job interviews, where you will be looking at somebody.
[00:06:34] Renata: So, it might be zoom. It might be another platform, Skype or whatever, but you have people you're talking to, and people are getting used to that. Some people don't like it, but more and more. It's widespread—however, Job interviews. Many times, require you to look straight at the camera and record yourself.
[00:06:52] Renata: For three minutes, five minutes, and 10 minutes answering questions. There are sent to you on that minute that the time [00:07:00] that the interview is for, or sometimes they're sent, you know, a day before, and you have to prepare that video and send it back. Now, some people have never done this before, and it, it can be, you know, Awkward.
[00:07:13] Renata: I'm used to it because I'm always recording podcasts. Some of my podcasts are not this one, but some are video podcasts. You can go to my YouTube channel and watch. But if you go to the ancient ones, it will see, you know, I've learned I've become better on video and, and it's like riding a bike.
[00:07:30] Renata: If you've never written a bike before, it's weird and challenging initially. So as a coaching exercise, I work a lot with clients on presentations, primarily. Before this new recruiting method in 2022 and beyond, you are happy where you are. That's another reason if you're happy, where you are, job-wise and career-wise in your fine, and this might be countering tourism for it to be on this list.
[00:07:59] Renata: But many [00:08:00] times people reach out to me, and they're kind of OK. They're like, no, I enjoy my job. I want where I am. I just had a couple of questions. But that doesn't require career coaching per se. Right? So if that's the case, you don't need a coach. If you're happy, you enjoy your job; you want your career.
[00:08:20] Renata: You may not need a coach, at least not for now. You have a crisp pitch, and you've worked on it, tested it, and it's successful. Okay. So you have an angle, like an elevator pitch, a pitch that you can use as an about section on your LinkedIn profile, a page that you can use when a recruiter calls you and asks about you and who you are, you've tested it out.
[00:08:44] Renata: It's been successful by successful. It means. Tell people your pitch; they do not understand. And you know, if you're applying for a job, you move to the next round. So that's a successful pitch there for you. Another reason is that you have [00:09:00] had job interviews recently and landed jobs, and they were great for you.
[00:09:04] Renata: When I say recently, I'm thinking in the last two years, like, so if, if you applied for a job, let's say two years ago, year and a half ago, you got a job back. You know what it takes to get a job in these modern times in these kinds of turbulent times, right? So you can do it again, and you may not need a career coach, at least not for an hour.
[00:09:28] Renata: You consistently make it into the first and second stage of the interviews, not just the first, the first, and dual-stage interviewing. Probably just a matter of time before you get a job offer. If you feel like, you know, you have this gut feeling that like, you know, I'm doing this, I'm, I'm getting the first job interview.
[00:09:49] Renata: I'm getting, I'm reaching the finish line, and it will be just a matter of time before one of these applications will be successful. So keep on doing that [00:10:00], and you know, at least for an hour, you may not need to engage a coach, maybe a consultation to help you with salary negotiation. Many people do that.
[00:10:09] Renata: I love doing salary negotiations, and the contracts are on your hand or in your inbox, and you want to make the most out of it. And then, finally, you may not need a coach if you have been moving up in your career and achieving the goals you set out for yourself, right? So you have a clear understanding of where and what you want to accomplish with your job.
[00:10:30] Renata: Be it career advancement or career sustainability. You know how long you want to work and reach those goals. You've decided you've established maybe intuitively without even knowing you've found an excellent mechanism to achieve those goals and carry on developing better career plans and goals for you in the future.
[00:10:53] Renata: If you are somebody who may be naturally good at that, you may not need a coach. [00:11:00] All right now, I will tell you what I believe are the five reasons you may need a coach, but it may not work for you right now. It may not work for you yet. I would want it to work for you, but maybe you're not ready to have a coach hat.
[00:11:18] Renata: Okay. And here are the reasons why. And when I say these things, you know, all the reasons, the 11 reasons I just mentioned of why you don't need a coach and these next five reasons of why you may need a coach, but maybe not yet, these are things that I experience every day. You know, I am a coach.
[00:11:38] Renata: I see many, many people all day long, all day, every day of the week, you know? And I, I, I get a lot, I have a significant sample of things that work and don't work. So, I say this with much confidence, everyone. Yeah. Please listen; I have a couple of clients in this situation, right? [00:12:00] They have a very intense job.
[00:12:02] Renata: It's either a job with high responsibilities or high risk. They cannot risk people knowing that they are looking for jobs. Or they have such high duties that it has been impossible for them to find a time to see one another in these turbulent times. They just have too much on their plate. So they can only job hunt when they're either not doing the jobs that they're doing, or when they find, you know, that a career break, a sabbatical, something that they can, you know, step out of their roles and, and seek my help, or just do it themselves.
[00:12:41] Renata: And if you listen to the previous episode on how to create the space for a sabbatical, how to plan for it, then, you know what I mean? It. Leave can be used for that career planning and the initiation at least of a job search. So that's one of the [00:13:00] reasons you may need a coach. Still, it just may be possible for you to carve the time to do that either because you have such an intense job of high responsibility or there's an increased risk of others knowing that you're looking for work and can't afford it have.
[00:13:18] Renata: The other reason would be that coaching is an investment of time and money. It's not as money coaches are not fairy godmothers. They're not like Aladdin's, you know, lamp that you rub. Peel that you'd take, and boom, you're ready to go. There's much work involved. It's a partnership. The coach is there to support you when you're playing the game of being recruited and selected for a job.
[00:13:49] Renata: It's not the coach. That's going to be playing that game for you. It's you playing the game and the coach supporting you and recommending some tweaks and [00:14:00] changes, better strategies, better games. And there is work involved in you listening and adapting your game to include these more best practice techniques, and finding the time to do that is just as important as having the money to pay for a coach.
[00:14:20] Renata: Until you get that, the coach may not be something you can do. And I remember talking to a professional who, at the time, just could not find the time. Some specialty women find it hard because they have such mental loads and have so much on their plate with family responsibilities.
[00:14:43] Renata: Kids and work full-time jobs. And I remember telling her, look, I, and I can see you want my coaching, but you will need to find a time. And it took her many, many months to come back to me and say, okay, I'm ready now. And I, you know, I think that [00:15:00] that's the best way of working with somebody honestly, and explaining that it will only help them when they find the time and make the financial investors.
[00:15:11] Renata: So that's another reason, the third reason why coachee may not work for you, even though you need it is because you've decided to overhaul your entire life. And there's too much on your plate. You know, the stressors accumulated. So if you tell me, look, I'm having surgery, and I need to lose weight, and I want a new job, and I'm also moving house, and I'm also renovating.
[00:15:35] Renata: There is too much going on in your life. So in that 30-minute call you booked with me, I will probably tell you that you will have to pick and choose. There is no way that you will renovate your house, move your mother to, um, a retiring village, do your back surgery, adopt a dog and, you know, lose weight and do coaching all at the same [00:16:00] time.
[00:16:00] Renata: And, you know, I laugh. It's funny, but it's true. Many people have. So, I mean, I do too. I want to do so much all the time while we just need to plan, you know, maybe prioritize and understand what's more and more important, what will come first. And sometimes things just happen, and we sometimes have to park to coaching.
[00:16:20] Renata: Right? Sometimes, something happens in one of my client's lives, and we say, okay, we can't continue. Let's park for three months and then do it again. Do you know? Come back and start working again in three months. So sometimes there's too much on your plate. Another reason is you're having personal problems.
[00:16:40] Renata: You know, there are other stressors there. And even though it's not you trying to overhaul your whole life, there may be a healthy shoe that's impacting your ability to concentrate and find the energy to do the job search and the career plans. Maybe there is relationship [00:17:00] issues.
[00:17:01] Renata: Issues carer's issues, um, mental health, you know, means that you can't find the time. And again, you know, if you have already started coaching with me, we may take a break or high ATAs and come back. Uh, when we set a date, it's all planned. It's not like, when you're ready, come back.
[00:17:18] Renata: Now. I like to set a time so that we can be in touch. You know, and I know that I am not to bother you asked, you're so busy with other things, but we know that we have this planning place that we will catch up again shortly. The other reason is that you may need all the types of support that are not just coaching and they may need.
[00:17:41] Renata: Before coaching, if it has to do with your health, if it has to do with maybe needing counseling, you know, that that could be the first step before coaching. And then the coaching happens after that. Sometimes they can be done together. I have clients that have both, you know, that counseling [00:18:00] will come before coaching or clients that have counseling and coaching happening simultaneously.
[00:18:06] Renata: But it's just one of the things to consider. So that. As I said before, don't have all those stressors are accumulating to look for work requires much energy. You need to be at the top of your game to compete with other candidates. Right. So think about it from that perspective. And to be at the top of your game is essential.
[00:18:28] Renata: And that's where you need to be. If you're going to be a hundred percent invested in your career. You may not be able to do coaching right now, even though you need it, because you don't like being coached. It requires being open to new ideas. It requires revisiting old assumptions, accepting change, accepting.
[00:18:55] Renata: The most complex individual to help and [00:19:00] coach. And I usually can tell, during the 30-minute interview, if we are going to gel well together or not; sometimes, it's a matter of finding the right coach for the client. Maybe it's not me. Perhaps it's some, another coach that can help that client in a better way.
[00:19:16] Renata: If you have maybe the personality of not being open to accepting, help, and being open to new ideas, then coaching may not be for you. And it requires a certain level of vulnerability, uh, and openness. And it's a partnership, and there will be many things that I will tell you to do that you may not.
[00:19:38] Renata: Willing to do. And, and it's a matter of finding the right strategies to make it fun, make it enjoyable, make it exciting and not, uh, something that will cause anxiety to you. Of course. No recruitment and selection and job search. It's tough. You know, it [00:20:00] requires you to be, talk about yourself, and address things about your profession that you may prefer not to.
[00:20:08] Renata: All of those things will come up in job interviews, and you need to be ready for it. So, yeah, coaching sometimes can be, can be challenging. So, you know, not the other thing I wanted to say today in this episode is that not all cultures are the same. Right. So if you are looking for qualified coaches, the guests on this podcast are a great way of, you know, looking for a damn, I mean, if you trust me, if you're still here with me listening to episode 1 30, 2, And, you know, 30 minutes in or more, then I'm assuming you, you trust my, my advice and my recommendations.
[00:20:47] Renata: And then, you know, if you're looking for a leadership coach or a diverse and inclusion coach, a leadership coach could be somebody like Sasha Kauffman or Michelle Redfern [00:21:00] for leadership and diversity and inclusion. If you're looking for a life coach or somebody that will provide you with a better.
[00:21:06] Renata: purpose or maybe Cassandra Goodman. She also worked with me in Job Hunting Made Simple group coaching program in career coaching. Of course, there's me. If you want to know more about job hunting made simple, there will be a link to it in the show notes below. It's my group coaching, and it will be happening again in August.
[00:21:33] Renata: So. What sort of coach do you need, right? Is it a career coach, or maybe you have a job, and you know you're just not settling in well, and you might need somebody to help you settle in? And that might be a leadership culture. And executive coach still has a consultation with me, 30-minute consultation with me, and I will try to help you find the best coach.[00:22:00]
[00:22:00] Renata: If that's what you want, maybe after this episode, you've realized that you don't need a coach, or perhaps it's not the right time for you to get a coach. And the thing about coaching too is that career coaches like myself, you know, we have private clients, but we have a range of services that are much more affordable.
[00:22:20] Renata: So, if you're thinking, I can't afford. I bet you can't afford the Reset Your Career Program. And that alone can be so helpful. There's so much content in there. I packed it with content because I want people to take baby steps towards coaching and not just sign up for something that's above their means.
[00:22:40] Renata: And I want people to experience what career coaching can do for their careers, the benefit that he can do. The researcher career is just, I think, just over 200 Australian dollars. That's not even 180 US dollars. So. Think about that. Consider [00:23:00] enrolling and accessing it straight away.
[00:23:02] Renata: It's available to use straight away. All right, everyone. I hope you enjoy this episode. I will go away now, and I will see you next time. Bye. For now.
