After graduation or losing a job, most people will be found at a dead end not knowing what to do next. Yes, they should apply for a job or if they can afford go for further education to expound on their knowledge. But sometimes it is easier than done for the majority of people. That is why educational institutions offer the services of a Job Coach to assist the graduates in getting the needed jumpstart to their career.
What is a Job Coach?
A Job Coach is someone who has an expertise in determining the career path of an individual through assessment of gathered data and information that is essential in the evaluation of such client’s suitable job.
Duties of a Job Coach
- It is the main task of a Job Coach to help clients in adapting to different work settings to build up their workplace skills.
- A Job Coach works closely with employment specialists to ascertain the performance concerns in a workplace of a client. With this, A Job Coach sets up meetings with clients to conduct performance review and tries to resolve any arising concerns.
- A Job Coach should be able to monitor the improvements of the clients and offer coaching to the clients when necessary. All these are also given as feedback to the Employment Specialists.
- A Job Coach ensures that clients are made aware of job duties that comprise the attire they are required to wear, the time they need to be at their workplace and the ways to manage, save and spend their earnings.
- In schools, a Job Coach explains employment data for students and can be assigned to create a curriculum for courses on career development.
Work Condition of a Job Coach
A Job Coach is often found working in an office setting in educational institutions such as high schools, colleges or universities and companies. This position usually has a 45 hour week work. Flexible hours apply to those who have their own consulting firms and travel may be necessary to go from one client to another. Office settings should have proper lighting to make the client feel comfortable and relaxed.
This job demands the professional to work productively even under pressure or stressful situations. The ability work on details is also needed for this type of job as a Job Coach. Great communication skill is necessary as Job Coaches typically interacts with a lot of people that may be younger than they are. The ability to engage the client is a must in this kind of profession.
Educational Requirements of a Job Coach
To become a Job Coach, a bachelor’s degree in Human Resources, Psychology, Business Administration and other related field is a must though there is no specific course that is required since this position is unregulated. An experience in recruitment, counseling is an added plus to land this job. There are certifications that one can obtain through completion of specified training course, a certain number of clients and coaching hours. These certifications are Associate Certified Coach (ACC), Professional Certified Coach (PCC) and Master Certified Coach (MCC). Such certifications may not be required as an entry level position but will be beneficial to the job applicant.
Occupation and Progress of a Job Coach
The demand for this position is steady and increasing as people are always on the lookout to have the advantages of landing their chosen careers. In this economy where competition is high, a job coach will definitely pave the way for his clients to get that dream job. As change is always a factor in getting a job, a job coach should also continue to be educated and trained to the best of his abilities in order to be of service to a wide range of clients. With more experience and knowledge, a job coach working for a company will land higher positions, may be in managerial or of similar level. A job coach on being self-employed will gain greater reputation, increasing his clientele reach and could even be hired to bigger institutions for consultancy purposes.