Transform Your Career Path: The Unmatched Value of Career Coaching and Why they can be your best ally in today's Job Markets

Discover the key advantages of career coaching over traditional recruitment methods in the modern workplace.

Photo by Sebastian Herrmann on Unsplash

I love speaking to people and making friends. I think my wife secretly hates it, but that is who I am.

I was on vacation in Kenya, and a number of people asked me what I did for a living. I told them I am a businessman running a consulting company, but my primary role in my Consulting Business is being the Head Consultant and Career & Transformational Coach.

That’s when the all-familiar question came, “Can you get me a job or place me into a so-and-so position?” I responded by saying that is not how it works. But no matter where in the world I am, this seems to be the most common misconception. People think a Career Coach and a Recruiter are one and the same.

They aren’t the same, which is what this article is about. I want to show you, the reader, 20 reasons why getting a Career Coach in 2024 is vital for your Career, especially with the changes in Job Markets, Artificial Intelligence, and Technological Changes.

But before I discuss the difference between Career Coaches and Recruiters, I want to address the Elephant in the room: Even a recruiter cannot place you in a job.

I understand that there was a time when people were placed into jobs, especially in some Asian and Middle Eastern countries, because they knew someone within the Organization. Even in those countries, those days are over because managers, Human Resources, the CEO, COO, CMO, CFO, etc., cannot place someone into a job who could potentially not deliver, especially in this day and age when Company demands are incredibly high. Not only that, with Quality, Health, and Safety being the most critical aspects of any Organization, people are extremely cautious. Look at the debacle happening at Boeing.

Can you imagine going on a plane whose airline CEO placed his favorite Nephew in the Cockpit as your pilot for the day? Trust me, I have heard of similar horror stories. With stories like these going around, how long do you think it will take for people to start boycotting the airline? Companies today cannot afford to hire the wrong person for the job. Even if the person has some knowledge, the company will always want to use the best resource.

If you were a hiring manager, would you hire someone who is not the best candidate?

So, if you wouldn’t do it, how do you expect someone else to do that for you?

Things are changing, and we need to get with the times. Even though some Recruiters may say they will get you a job, in all honesty, they can’t and won’t. You see, they are working for a company that is recruiting for a position, and if they pick the wrong candidate, it will only lead to them never getting business from this company again.

Why? Because they provided a candidate who was not up to par with what the Company was looking for.

So, who do you contact to get a job? The honest truth……… You are the best person to do this. Why? Because you look out for you and no one else. That is the honest answer.

But some of you will turn around and say, I have been applying for jobs but not getting any responses.

Then, my friend, you will need a Career Coach. There are multiple reasons why you should pick one. I could think of 20, but that would make this article a good bedtime story and put you to sleep. I painstakingly put together this article to help you realize who you can count on to help you in your time of need.

I will give you ten reasons in this article (Part I) and the remaining 10 (Part II) in another article. Here are the first ten reasons why you are better off with a Career Coach than with a Recruiter:

1. Personalized Career Strategy: Using a Career coach who will help you develop a personalized career strategy tailored to your skills, interests, and goals is best. This strategy works in two ways.

a. The Short Term: In the short term, the Career Coach will help build a quick strategy to get you a job. They will show you what you have been doing wrong when you were job hunting and applying, why you were not getting interviews, or why you were not moving forward from interviews and getting hired.

b. The Long Term: Career Coaches can also help build a proper career plan for you. What do I mean by this? Many people take on their first job and then build on that, and after ten years, they feel that they have picked the wrong field. You don’t want to be in that position. This is where Career Coaches come in. They will sit with you and understand what you want. Do you have the skills? Will that job even exist in the future (Extremely vital with the changes coming)?

Conversely, recruiters only match you with jobs based on immediate openings and skillset matches. They will also only match you with jobs that are open with them through companies that have hired their services to fill in their positions.

The worst part is that you won’t know if you are the right fit for the job. All the recruiter will do is tell you that they may or may not forward your resume to the Company. In most cases, not to make you feel bad, they will say that they have forwarded your resume forward when they haven’t, and you, as the candidate, will slow down your job hunt because they have given you false hope.

2. Career Exploration and Guidance: As mentioned above, a career coach can help you explore various career paths and guide you in achieving your long-term career goals. They can also help you transition from one Career Field to another. An example is a salesperson who does not want to continue in sales. The career coach will identify the person's transferrable skills and will guide and help the person transition. A Career Coach will also show you where and how to find these jobs. On the other hand, Recruiters are more focused on filling current job vacancies with them.

3. Skill Development to Make You Marketable: Career coaches can identify areas for skill development and improvements to make you more marketable. Some of your skills may not be in demand anymore, but Career Coaches will find ways to market you and even guide you on upskilling yourself. On the other hand, recruiters typically look for candidates who already possess the necessary skills for specific job openings. This is a critical need in today's world as job requirements are changing, and positions you could once get may be out of reach for you as you may not meet the requirements for the newer positions.

4. Resume and Interview Coaching: This is where I see so many Job Seekers drop the ball. I understand that things have changed. With every 100 resumes you throw out there, you will only hear back from 8 – 10 companies for an interview. That is how bad it has gotten. So, it would be best if you stood out from the crowd. You will need help to achieve this, and only a Career Coach can help you.

Another area is interviews. If you reach the interview stage and do not get the job, this means you are failing the interview. Either you are not the right fit or messing up in the interview.

Career coaches are the best people to help you ace your interview. They can offer detailed feedback on interviewing techniques, help you improve how you present yourself to potential employers, and point out where you are going wrong.  

On the other hand, recruiters may offer some advice, but their primary focus is forwarding candidates' resumes to employers who fit the bill as soon as possible. They are a machine that chugs out the best candidates for the company and nothing more.

5. Confidence Building: Growth happens when a person grows both in skills and confidence. A career coach works with you to build confidence in your professional abilities and decision-making, which is essential for career advancement. As mentioned above, they also work on skills. This part is essentially outside the scope of what a recruiter would provide.

6. Networking Strategies: Career coaches will teach you effective networking strategies that will open several doors for you. These can lead to jobs and are also vital for career growth. A recruiter's role is to network to find candidates for jobs so they can fill clients' positions, but they don't typically help candidates build their networking skills, which will not only get them a job but will also help them in their Career Growth in the future.

7. Long-term Focus: Career coaches focus on long-term career success by helping people make decisions that align with their overall career goals. In a way, they are your allies in ensuring you have a better future. Thus, Career Coaches sometimes play the long game and are part of your life for the Long Haul. Recruiters are in it for themselves. They are more focused on the short-term goal of filling specific job positions so that they can earn quickly.

8. Negotiating Skills: This is a great skill that Career Coaches can help with. They will provide valuable advice on negotiating job offers, salaries, and promotions. They will not only guide you but also teach you how to do this for future roles as well.

On the other hand, recruiters might not assist with this as some have a considerable signup bonus attached to placing candidates in positions quickly. So, instead of working with you to get a higher salary, they would work to get the candidate hired fast so they can walk away with the Lump Sum Bonus.

9. Emotional and Psychological Support: Career transitions and Job searches are both stressful and challenging. Career coaches offer emotional and psychological support through these transitions and unemployed periods.

Regarding Recruiters, their primary relationship is with the hiring company, and they do not care what you are going through.

10. Flexibility and Independence: Your needs vs. the Company's? Career Coaches work for you and adapt their services to meet your needs. They draw up a total plan that is catered specifically for you, offering a more flexible and independent approach to career development.

By now, you should know who the recruiter works for. They work for their client companies and are focused on meeting their hiring needs, not yours.

Now, you are more aware of who to contact when you need assistance in getting a job or even if you feel like your career is going nowhere. A career coach, not a recruiter, can get you there.

Bryce Barrows is a Professional Human Resources Expert and a Career and Transformational Coach. He has helped thousands of people find the job of their dreams and grow at superspeeds up the Career Ladder. He has also helped many start their businesses to help them create a legacy for themselves and their families. You can visit and follow him on all major social media platforms here for more information.