Photo and article by Adrianne Harris, Broadly Speaking
Great sportspeople know how a coach helps them achieve their goals, they don’t try and do it on their own, they take advice from a range of experts to help them get in to shape and the right mind set to win. Like a sports coach, there are three key ways a career coach can help you:
- Clarify and set the vision you have for the future
Sports people have a clear goal. They don’t want to just win, they want to win something very specific, be it a gold medal at the next Olympics, a World Cup in eight years time, or perhaps just getting the right time to qualify for the next round. When searching for a job it can be easy to apply for as many jobs as you can find, which often leads to little. Having a clear picture of the job you want, and the steps to get there, you can use your time and energy more efficiently, as each step you take supports you moving towards your goal. An athlete sometimes decides not to compete in a particular competition or pulls out mid way. Why would they do that after training so hard? Perhaps it’s because they are reminded of the end goal and are not distracted by competing just for competing’s sake. They take a strategic view to competition and participate where it will assist them achieve their long term goal.
A career coach can help you create a job search strategy and the steps you will need to take to achieve your goal.
- Show you how to visualise the future and the steps you need to complete to get there
If you watch a football player about to kick a goal you will see they stop for a moment, they appear frozen, unable to move. What they are doing is spending a moment visualising the ball going between the posts and what they need to do to make the kick perfect. Sometimes you will see them put their arm up as they visualise the ball going through the air. You might occasionally hear a player yelling “win it”. They aren’t referring to the entire game, but to that particular move or phase of play. They have broken the game down into small manageable bite sized pieces and focus on winning each step of the way.
A career coach will help you articulate and clarify exactly the opportunity you are after and get you the right frame of mind to achieve, they will help you visualise the steps required and help you focus on success at each step of the process.
- Get you in shape for the big day by rehearsing and reviewing your game day strategy
Training is an integral component for both amateur and professional sports people. You don’t get to be picked for an Australian team based on your interest in the role. You have to spend years practicing, perfecting your skills and practicing again til you get it right. Athletes spend more time training than they actually do competing. They focus on both mind and body and getting both working together. Something to think about when career planning.
“Practice doesn’t make perfect. Perfect practice makes perfect.”
– Vince Lombardi, American Football
A career coach will set a practice schedule and break down what you need to do to get ready for the interview. They will help you research, gather information, plan your approach and set practice exercises that will give you new skills and build on your existing strengths. They will help you manage your nerves and get your brain into gear to speak and present professionally.
A career coach can increase your chance of success
Don’t waste your time applying for hundreds of jobs, randomly sending off resumes to online databases. Contact Adrianne today to arrange a career coaching session and set your career and job search strategy. Doing this before you put pen to paper to create an application will save you precious time and energy and improve your chances of landing an interview.
For more information, or to make an appointment, contact Broadly Speaking.