My first session with a Career Coach

I had my first session with a career coach yesterday. It was ok. Just ok.

I'd been thinking about using a career coach for a while, and a friend had recommended checking with our company health plan to see if we had EAP (Employee Assistance Program) coverage for at least an initial consultation. At the time, we didn't, but by the time I actually got to really investigating the services of a coach, our health plan had changed, and voila - coverage.

So how was the session? A bit like a therapy session actually. I was shown into a small room that had a coach, a lamp, strategically placed boxes of tissue, and a chair. I guess I'm supposed to take the coach? I was SO tempted to sit in the chair and let the coach take the coach. It would have been fun to see her reaction.

My coach was a young woman, probably not even 30. Quite studious looking, and pretty, but pretty unkempt. I had fretted over my appearance for an hour in the morning, knowing that I'd be meeting someone that had the potential to be a business contact. I made sure that I was dressed professionally, had on a watch and stud earrings, had a ball point pen as well as a highlighter, had a notebook filled with notes I'd prepared, and that my breath was fresh. The young woman I met with had on a pair of pants with a fallen hem on one leg, was covered in cat hair, and had a limp, wet handshake. Not an auspicious start, but appearances and first impressions aside, we plowed ahead.

In the end, even though it was all classic therapy moves ("what I hear you saying is....", "it sounds like what you need is ....", etc.), there was still some value to the meeting. Just repeating my own words back to me served to crystallize some of the thoughts that I had. Also, presenting my 'case' to a complete stranger made me realize that I'm actually pretty prepared for a serious job search. I have a good understanding of what I need in terms of job satisfaction, I'm taking all the right steps in my research and I'm hiring professionals to do what I can't do well (a resume that acts as a marketing tool).

Now if I can convince Britney Spears to hire me and pay me $150,000 a year to be her big sister, I'm all set