Career Counselor vs. Life Coach

Whether you’re trying to make a career shift, searching for a job after a layoff, or trying to move further up the corporate ladder, the process can be frustrating. It does not, however, have to be a lonely one.

There’s job search help beyond the listings at the unemployment office and on online employment sites. Career counseling professionals can help you make the right connections, get you started on the right path towards your career goals or help refocus your career into a job that’s more personally satisfying.

Career-counseling clubs, job coaches and life coaches range in price, intensity and focus. Coaches of both varieties offer one-on-one guidance, while the clubs work with small groups of job seekers. One of the most important elements in all of these cases is the fact that you’re not alone in your search. The shared experience of looking for a job, plus the accountability that comes from having to report back to someone else about your efforts, make an invaluable difference.

Career Counseling Club or Network
While these organizations vary from club to club, the idea is that you meet, usually weekly, with a small group of other people who are looking for jobs and a career counselor. At The Five O’Clock Club, a New York-based career counseling network, members pay a yearly fee and then for packages of five to 40 group sessions with other members and a counselor. Groups are organized by approximate salary or professional level, so that members are dealing with similar hurdles.

About half the people in any given group tend to be unemployed, while the other half are trying to move into a different career or trying to find a new job in the same industry. Members can also make additional arrangements to meet privately with a job coach.