Need help with a career decision? Why a Career Change Coach is your best bet (for 2023)
If you need assistance with a career decision, the best career coach for the job may be a career change coach.
The reason I say this is because a typical career coach’s main training and focus is as a generalist. They can help you with many aspects of your job search, IF you are already decided on your career path.
However if you are uncertain about a career move, a career coach doesn’t really have the training or expertise to help you with that. They typically employ clumsy tools such as job matching from personality tests.
In contrast, as a career change coach, my only focus is to help guide you to manifest the career destiny you are meant for. Especially if you are uncertain about what career path is best for you.
The career coaching services comparison below explains the differences between a traditional career coach role and a career change coach’s approach.
My career destiny proverb explains my approach in the most concise way:
The old adage “you can become whoever you want to be” is not necessarily true.
However, you can become who your are meant to be.
That is your Career Destiny.
Larry LaFata, Founder Define Your Career
Make your career move with confidence this time
If you are making an important career decision, you want to give yourself the best chance to finally land in a career whewre you are happy.
You don’t want to just jump jobs to get away from where you are, for example with a lateral career move. If you work through it right, you can make your career move count this time.
To know who can best help you to find the career that you are meant for, this quick career coaching comparison shows you how a career change coach can help you avoid this.
In this article: Need help with a career decision? Why a Career Discovery Coach is your best bet (for 2022) we will cover:
The three ways a career change coach differs from a typical career coach to help you choose a new career
What does a career coach do? Their typical job function and the tools they use to help you find a new career
What does a Career Change Coach do? Their job function and tools used to help you find a new career
Difference in processes and tools used by a Career Coach vs. a Career Change Coach
How much does a career coach cost? What services are included?
How much does a Career Change Coach cost, and what services are included?
Summary of the three reasons you need a Career Change Coach if you want to choose a new career
Three ways a career change coach differs from a typical career coach to help you choose a new career
- Our job function: A career change coach focuses on helping you choose the career you are meant for vs. a career coach uses job matching to match you to a category of jobs
- The process and the tools we use: A career change coach uses self-assessments vs. a career coach who uses aptitude tests and personality tests
- Our Cost structure: Transparent one-time pricing on packages vs. typical career coach uses open ended consults and test packages
The difference in job functions between a Career Coach and a Career Change Coach
Let’s start with a comparison of the job functions that differentiates a career coach from a career change coach.
The primary difference between most career coaches and a career change coach can be summed up in our approach: job search vs choosing a career.
What does a career coach do? Their typical job function and tools they use to help you search for a job
- The primary function of a career coach is to help you with your job search action plan, which can take one to six months
- Services they specialize in are resume writing, resume optimization for Applicant Tracking System, LinkedIn profile optimization, interview preparation, salary negotiation tactics, company research, HR guidance, finding a job, and other related services
- Career coaches do not specialize in helping you find a new career: what they actually do is what is a form of job matching – they match your aptitude and personality test results to a job category
- Job matching evaluates various psychological, intellectual and personality traits by using aptitude tests, MBTI Personality tests, Strong Interest Inventory tests etc. to attempt to assess suitability for a particular field or job
- A Career Coach attempts to match you to a job category based on your test results
What does a career change coach do? Job function and tools they use to help you find a new career
Sometimes you think your difficulty in finding a good job is your interviewing skills or resume, when in fact the problem may be that you are looking for jobs that are not a good fit for you. A good career change coach can flush this out.
I do this by using a series of fill-in-the-blank self-assessments and other tools that allow you to choose the career or business that is the right fit for you. This process works regardless of your work experience, your economic background or level of education.
If you are frustrated about your job search, are in a career transition and need to make a career change, or just uncertain about how to find a new career, a career change coach has the tools which are best suited to help you find your way.
- A Career Change Coach’s primary job function is to guide you on how to choose the career or business you are meant for, which typically takes one to three weeks
- Primary services and tools provided by a career change coach include:
- Fill-in-the-blank career self-assessment to identify the Five Factors of your Career Destiny so you can self-select the career you will love for a lifetime
- Lifetime career goal setting tools so you can vet and set lifelong, long term and short-term goals
- A Fast Track Career Destiny Action Plan template which ignites your career goals into manageable daily steps so you can manifest your career destiny as quickly as possible
- A weekly self-management tool to keep you on track to your destiny and grow your management capacity
- Program positive intention through positive affirmations and visualization techniques, this internalizes powerful new values that help manifest your career destiny permanently
- Primary services also include hands-on live career coaching on zoom video call to:
- Support you in completing the courses and workshops so you get best results
- Guide you through obstacles to your customized, unique-to-you Career Destiny
- Brainstorm ideas, business ventures and career options you couldn’t come up with on your own
- What a career change coach does NOT specialize in: job search, resume writing, interviewing skills, LinkedIn profile, or online job search engine skills
You would typically use a Career Change Coach first, to uncover your career destiny, then if needed use a career coach for your job search.
Difference in processes and tools used by a Career Coach vs. a Career Change Coach
To find a career you will love for a lifetime, a career that is unique to you, you need the right tools.
The primary difference between most career coaches and a career change coach can be summed up in our approach: career tests vs career destiny.
Career coaches use of psychometric tests
- Career coaches use career aptitude tests, personality type tests, strong interest inventory and other psychometric test results to match you to a job category
- Test results put you into a box and turns you into a commodity, you become a widget who can be matched to a specific narrow set of jobs on job search websites
Career change coaches use career discovery self-assessments
- A Career Change Coach uses innovative self-assessments based on proven business marketing principles
- This allows you to identify the 5 Factors of your optimal career and manifest your one-of-a-kind Career Destiny
- A career change coach NEVER uses psychometric tests such as MBTI personality tests
- I believe these tests are invasive psychological assessments that measure your mind and compare your test results to a database of others
- They allow recruiters and employers to view you with a BIAS, so they can ‘weed you out’ of certain jobs
Difference in costs and fees between a Career Coach and a Career Change Coach
Let’s compare what a career coach costs to a my career change coaching prices. The primary difference between the costs of a career coach and a career change coach is transparency.
Career coaching packages pricing:
- Career coaches need to talk to you first, and then base your package pricing on discussions or tests
- Career coaches have different consult fees based on your situation and their level of experience; they may categorize you by your gender, if you are a college grad, career change, executive, etc.
Career change coaching pricing
- A career change coach offers the same initial consult price to everyone – free
- An honest career change coach has one set price for everyone, no matter your experience, background, education or current job situation
How much does a career coach cost? What services are included?
Career Coaching Services typically include an initial consult, then depending on your needs, will continue as ongoing coaching consults or build out a complete package.
- Initial consult: The initial 30-minute career coach consult is anywhere from $49 to $250 depending on the experience level and strength of the coach. It typically requires a pre-call screening application emailed to you ahead of call
- Many initial coaching consults are band-aids to make you feel better, they address your emotional state; but the actual career coaching plan requires additional fees and packages costs
- Coaching consults are typically $99 for a 30 minute consultation at themuse.com up to $249 per hour, a study by careersidekick.com showed a career coach can cost an average price is $207 per hour
- Coaching packages: Start at $499, with some going to $3,500+ for some career coaching services packages and some coaches offer all included career coaching package for $850 a month. Unfortunately many coaching packages don’t reveal their pricing
The difficulty in career coaches pricing is your services start as open ended consults.
Add in aptitude tests and consults to discuss test results, or choose a package, and it can add up to an average of $1500 to $3500 by the time you are done. It may not be a transparent process.
How much does a Career Change Coaching package at DefineYourCareer.com cost, and what services are included?
My Career Change Coaching has transparent package pricing from $99 to $497.
All courses and workshops include live, hands-on career coaching and 24/7 email.
No additional coaching consults are added and you are not pushed into expensive unadvertised packages. Total honesty and 100% transparent pricing.
Career Change Coaching Services off several levels of career change coaching, including::
- Free initial consult: The initial free 30-minute consult is to determine if my services are right for you, and if you have the motivation to manifest your Career Destiny – Packages are explained in detail on website
- Define Your Career Destiny – One week Home Study Course: $147 define the career or business you are meant for. Includes two hands on career coaching consults and 24/7 email support
- Includes three hands on career coaching consults and 24/7 email support
- Career Destiny Workshops for Friends: $99 per person: 2-hour, coach guided zoom workshops, for 2 or more friends to discover their career destiny together
Summary of why a Career Change Coach is your best option to choose a new career
If your goal is to discover what career or business is right for you, a typical career coach simply doesn’t have the tools, experience or process in place to help you discover the career you are meant for.
They simply are not trained or skilled to help you choose a career you will love.
In contrast, a Career Change Coach has the credentials, experience and authorship of innovative courses to best help you to choose a career or business you will love for a lifetime. Without any invasive psychometric tests.
To find out more about how to choose a career or business that is right for you,
Larry offers one week home study course called Define Your Career Destiny.
Here’s how to get yours now:
