Career coaches hit us with their best shots

By: Denise Kersten
From: USA Today - Careers Network - – August 2002

In sports, even great athletes need coaches to ensure peak performance. Coaches keep athletes motivated and focused, identify the position they're best suited for and help them fine-tune their skills.

Think of a career coach as someone who does the same for your work life. They can keep you on track by offering assessment, strategies and motivation. They're a great resource, but can be pricey.

I asked a few top career coaches for a free sampling of their favorite pointers. Here's what they came up with:

Marty Nemko: Use your creative spark.

"Don't sell out for money," says Marty Nemko, a career and personal coach and author of Cool Careers for Dummies. "Be authentic."

Nemko says he often coaches people who feel unsatisfied with the path they've chosen.

"Too many people have taken jobs they know in their heart are just going to be a paycheck and give their whole lives to it," he says. "Ultimately, they end up living lives of empty desperation."

Fortunately, there are ways out. The key, according to Nemko, is finding work that requires creativity. He helps clients brainstorm practical ways to use their inspiration without forgoing a paycheck.

"My philosophy is to keep your head in the sky and your feet on the ground," Nemko says.

Someone stuck in a consulting job who dreams of becoming an author, for example, probably shouldn't quit to write the great American novel. But switching to a less demanding job to free up some time for that novel might work. Transferring to a role that involves more writing could be another option.

Sharon Jordan-Evans: Look before you leap.

"Many frustrated workers jump ship too quickly, only to find the grass wasn't greener after all," says Sharon Jordan-Evans, president of the Jordan Evans Group and co-author of Love 'Em or Lose 'Em. "When the thrill is gone, so are they."

Rather than accepting any job you're offered, make sure you know exactly what you're looking for. Clarify the setting, type of work and other aspects of your ideal job, and examine the sources of discontent in your current position.

Then, look around. "Before you leave, do some investigating right in your current workplace," Jordan-Evans says. In many cases, you may be able to fix the job you have.

If you long for new learning opportunities, for example, look into on-the-job training or volunteer for a committee or new project.

If the problem is your direct supervisor, consider whether you can improve that relationship. If not, find out who the good bosses are and see if you can work for one of them.

"Maybe what you want is right where you are," Jordan-Evans says. At the very least, you owe it to yourself to investigate options in your current organization so you can compare them to outside opportunities.

Pat Alea: Beware the easy way out.

Finding a new job is hard work. It's so hard, in fact, that it can be tempting to stay in an unsatisfying position rather than face resumes, interviews and networking.

Wouldn't it be nice if your next job would find you?

Perhaps.

Beware of the longing for "somebody riding in to save you from the very hard work of having to create your next job," says Pat Alea, a career coach and co-author of The Best Work of Your Life.

"That ride takes you three, five or 10 years away from yourself."

Sure, it feels good to be wanted. It's flattering and avoids risking rejection. But the path of least resistance is unlikely to lead to your dream.

"You need to navigate your own career," Alea says. Define what you want from your career and then don't allow yourself to be sidetracked by other people's plans for you.

Even if an employer does track you down with a great job offer, tailor it so you're positioned to achieve top performance. "Don't just try to fit into a shape that already exists without negotiating the finer points," Alea says.

Michael Salmon: Peel the onion.

"You've got to start utilizing your network," says Michael Salmon, president of M. Salmon & Associates. "Seventy-five percent of jobs are unpublished and those are the best jobs out there."

Salmon says your network is like an onion. The outer layers are the contacts you already have. As you begin to discuss your goals with them, ask for additional contacts who work in your field or know someone who does. They bring you closer to the onion's core — the employer or position that's right for you.

"You just don't know how many layers you're going to go through until you get what you're looking for," Salmon says.

When asking for someone's help, always have an objective in mind beforehand — like learning about a new field or getting the names of two more contacts. Afterwards, evaluate whether you've accomplished your goal.

Also, work on your "elevator pitch," Salmon says. Prepare to clearly articulate what you're good at and where you want to do it — in 25 to 45 seconds.

Barbara McRae: Stop your energy leaks.

"Most people have energy tied up in unproductive strategies that produce unnecessary drama," says Barbara McRae, a master certified coach and author of Less Drama, More Fun.

"If they can't harness their energy they won't be able to sustain the pace that's required in our complex modern world."

Maximizing your energy and efficiency requires minimizing drama and unnecessary stress. McRae works with clients to identify how they \"leak their energy."

A common energy leak is comparing oneself to someone else, McRae says. People who do so are "allowing the drama, the stress, the worry to take over."

Rather than zeroing in on what someone else does — which you can't control anyway -compare your current accomplishments with your own past performances, and chart your development.

"That causes you to be the best you're capable of being," McRae says.