I coach, between the students at the University and private clients, about 1000 people in a year. To say the least, a lot of people, and all with their own personal and unique Career Development issues that require a variety of coaching techniques and strategies to help each and every one of them find solutions and resolutions to what they consider a “problem”.
Naturally, I see challenges, not as problems, but as an OPPORTUNITY. What is broken should be fixed and it is my job to help provide some meaningful outcome.
I see a common thread with many of my clients. They often share with me stories about a friend, a colleague, a co-worker, a classmate and they draw some comparison to job search experience(s). Could be a resume, a cover letter, maybe an interview, a response from the hiring community, or many other things that do and can happen throughout the search and/or hiring process. And, to that I say, “IRRELEVANT”. If someone in your orbit got a job and you didn’t, so what – You continue pushing your brand and you will get there as well.
What you are dealing with is unique to you and you alone. We can all funnel information from other people’s experience and even learn from them, but at the end of the day, you are you and they are not.
Your ‘back story’ is yours and belongs to you. Embrace it. Own it and tell your story. Don’t worry about what “they” are doing or how “they” are doing it. If you trust your career coach and better yet, your own heart, then you work with that and build from there. Do not compare your credentials, your history, your brand narrative or your strategic plan to the ‘other guy’. There is always something to gain from experience, whether it’s your own or someone else’s, but to not follow your heart as you collect data to help your own path is a mistake. Listen to your gut, don’t compare and create your own future! It’s apples and oranges……
