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Please take a moment to read this, before deciding to hire me as your career coach:
How long have you been doing what you do?
Becoming a career coach has been an evolutionary journey for me. When I was downsized from my HR position in 1989, I decided to have my resume written at a branch of the oldest, largest resume service at the time. The chief writer of this branch was impressed with my writing and communication skills and hired me on the spot, to learn the resume-writing craft and help with overflow work. After working in this firm for awhile, I quickly discovered that I could do just as well on my own. So I opened my own resume writing business a year later, in December 1990.
I got clients right away who were very pleased that the resumes I wrote helped them land interviews -- and job offers! However, I soon discovered that preparing “just a resume” for some clients wasn’t the only tool that they needed to move forward. Some clients needed to brainstorm and focus on the right career path to pursue before I even wrote their resume. Others had poor interviewing skills, were looking for the right jobs in the wrong places, or didn’t know how to find a position that would utilize their strongest skill sets or fit their personality type.
Formal career coach training didn’t exist at the time, so I studied everything I could get my hands on about job searching, career exploration, networking, interviewing, salary negotiations, etc. Gradually, I began to implement coaching services into my resume writing practice, to help clients land the position they desired. Most importantly, I've been active in several associations, to keep abreast of the ongoing changes in the careers industry, to be sure that I continue to offer cutting-edge services.
What are your credentials and background?
When formal training became available to me, I earned my Job & Career Transition Coach-JCTC designation from the Career and Adult Development Network and my Certified Career Management Coach-CCMC through Career Coach Academy. The CCMC credential is recognized by the International Coach Federation (ICF) as Accredited Coach Specific Training Hours (ACSTH). To maintain this credential, I am required to complete 10 hours in Continuing Education Units (CEUs) every two years.
I also earned my Certified Professional Resume Writer-CPRW credential from the Professional Association of Resume Writers shortly after starting my business. You'll find some of the resumes I've written featured in the following publications: Gallery of Best Resumes, 4th Edition (2007), Best Resumes for College Graduates to Land $75,000+ Jobs (2004), Gallery of Best Resumes, 3rd Edition (2004), Gallery of Best Cover Letters, 2nd Edition (2004), ResumeMaker Professional 11.0 (2003), America's Top Resumes for America's Top Jobs (2002), Gallery of Best Resumes (2001), Gallery of Best Resumes for People Without a Four-Year Degree (2000), Gallery of Best Cover Letters (1999) and others.
Prior to my work in the careers industry, I earned my Bachelor of Music Degree in Vocal Performance from the University of Illinois (Urbana-Champaign, Illinois). After graduation, I moonlighted as a professional singer while holding administrative positions in the corporate world across various industry sectors, such as insurance, academia, manufacturing, pharmaceuticals, valuation, and social service, which included nearly two years in human resources.
What exactly do you do as a career coach?
I partner with executives and professionals who are stuck, stalled or confused about their careers to help them land their ideal position which offers them the right level of satisfaction, growth, location, environment, and compensation. Our first session is always a Career Action Planning (CAP) Session which sometimes is all candidates need to get unstuck and moving forward by themselves. Others choose to partner with me, to coach them through their action plan until they land their ideal position.
Who are your clients, exactly?
My clients are typically executives, managers, and professionals, who want to: (1) promote to a higher level or lateral position within their current organization; (2) find a position in another company (same or different industry); (3) change careers completely; (4) move from direct employment (working for a company) to self-employment (working for themselves).
Other clients I work with are parents who are re-entering the workforce after staying home to raise their children, and I occasionally with new college graduates. One sector of clients I don’t work with are people who want to enter the federal job market.
Have you worked with clients in my industry?
I have worked with hundreds of clients across a wide scope of industries, including (but not limited to) the following sectors:
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Acounting -
Administration & Office Services -
Association & Not-For-Profit -
Banking -
Customer Service -
Clergy -
Conservation & Forestry -
Culinary Arts -
Engineering -
Finance -
Health Care -
Hospitality -
Human Resources & Organizational Development -
Human/Social Services -
Independent Consultants -
Information Technology |
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Insurance -
Investment Finance -
Law & Legal Affairs -
Law Enforcement -
Manufacturing & Production Operations -
Marketing -
Music -
Personal Training & Fitness -
Public Relations & Corporate Communications -
Purchasing, Logistics & Supply Chain Management -
Real Estate, Construction & Property Management -
Retail -
Sales & Business Development -
Teaching & Educational Administration -
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What happens if you haven't yet worked with people in my field?
Most likely I have worked with people in your field. Yet, if I haven't, you are not at a disadvantage, quite to the contrary. Here's why: people in your field are probably ALL making the same mistakes in their quests for gainful employment. What my clients have found is that I bring a fresh perspective and new paradigms to their search campaigns and give them resources they've never heard of in their field. Because of this, they stand out in an overcrowded labor market and are the ones who get hired and promoted faster.
How will we work together?
I have a virtual practice which allows me to work remotely / long distance with nationwide clients. This means that I conduct all coaching appointments over the telephone, and we exchange all information via email, fax and telephone. When I started my business in Chicago, I did meet clients face-to-face, until transitioning to virtual space in 1999. In fact, I have many clients in the Chicago area who I've never met in person, unless they've come to one of my presentations. Plus, clients who started working with me when they lived in the Chicago area have continued to do so even after moving out of state. Many clients have found this to be very convenient, being able to work with me from the comfort of their own home, without the travel.
As of June 25, 2007, I relocated to Worcester, Massachusetts and have continued the business I started in Chicago. I have considered the possibility of seeing Central Massachusetts clients face-to-face in the near future. So, if you live in this area and would prefer in-person appointments, let me know and we can discuss some options.
How will we start working together?
My starting point with ALL clients is a Career Action Planning (CAP) Session which gets to the root of ANY career problem and provides a plan to solve it. We’ll spend 90 minutes to 2 hours on the phone to discuss your career in detail (from your early decision-making days to present) which will allow me to figure out:
(1) EXACTLY where you are stuck;
(2) What IS working for you –- and what needs attention;
(3) What your NEXT STEPS will be to land your next position that will give you the right level of personal and professional satisfaction.
Very often, a CAP Session is ALL people need to get unstuck and moving forward by themselves. However, if you choose to hire me as your coach to help you through your action plan, we can discuss this option after we’ve had our CAP session.
How are you "different" from other career coaches?
My training and experience as a resume writer has made me extraordinarily skilled in helping clients elaborate on their ACCOMPLISHMENTS and articulate the VALUE that they bring to prospective employers -- which is WHY you'll get hired in the first place. Hiring managers want to bring employees to their organization who can help: (1) make them money, (2) save them money, (3) save them time or (4) help them to avoid effort.
If you decide to partner with me on your campaign (after we've had our CAP Session), helping you understand your VALUE is one of the FIRST things we'll do together, BEFORE discussing resumes, career exploration or job-search strategies. A critical piece of our initial work together is uncovering your KEY SUCCESS FACTORS which are "common denominator" elements that have made you successful throughout your entire career. Your success pattern is as INDIVIDUAL as your thumbprint; however, if you are unaware of what your success pattern is, you will never know how you can stand out amongst your competition.
Knowing and naming your KEY SUCCESS FACTORS will boost your self-confidence and give you the energy to drive your entire career campaign forward, in the following ways:
(1) To present yourself to prospective employers and people in your network, so they’ll see your success pattern, instead of your past jobs;
(2) To organize your resume and other marketing pieces;
(3) To evaluate which positions are right for you;
(4) To take control of interviews -- and job offers!
Do you do other types of coaching?
My particular specialty is career coaching, which means that I ONLY work with individuals in devising and implementing a plan to land their IDEAL position, job, promotion, or their own business that has the right level of satisfaction, growth, location, environment, and compensation for them. I don't do life coaching, business coaching, financial coaching, leadership coaching, retirement coaching, parenting coaching, relationship coaching, etc. The only time I will do some business coaching is if a client wants to transition out of direct employment into self-employment.
Will you give me tests or assessments?
Yes, I will give you some subjective and objective assessments AFTER we’ve had our CAP Session and have decided to work together on your campaign. However, keep in mind that assessments are only a starting point for the self-analysis / skills-inventorying process. Some assessments may provide you with suggestions for career options; however, NO assessment results should be considered as "gospel" or the "silver bullet" in answering the deeper "career mystery" questions of life! They can, however, help you better understand yout strengths, priorities, values, and career options best suited for your personality type, with the goal of developing an infrastructure on which to build your next career move.
Are you also a recruiter? Will you help find me a job?
Just to be clear: I am NOT an employment agency or recruiter; nor am I hired by companies to fill positions for them. However, during the course of our coaching relationship and when appropriate, I’ll refer you to a competent recruiter in your field, or will provide you with some trusted resources. Side note: Please know it’s NOT a recruiter’s job to find you a job. They don’t work for you; they work for their client companies to fill positions for them, on a retainer or contingency basis.
I will say that once we've been working together, two things will happen: (1) you will learn to be more resourceful in finding a position through other channels, besides working with recruiters; (2) you will be able to work more effectively with recruiters and will avoid a lot of wasted time, because you will be much more focused about the position best suited for your personal and professional needs.
Can you provide me with references?
I'm assuming you're asking if you can contact some of my former clients to see what it's like to work with me. The answer is Yes! I have many successful clients who would be happy to talk to you. However, please understand that I never use my clients as sales people and it's not their job to explain what I do or to help you make up your mind about whether coaching program is a proper investment for you. I do different things with different clients, so I would recommend that you not ask the reference what I did with them, because I might do different things for you; and avoid long conversations about what we did first, second, and third, etc. Just check out my integrity and the value of having me as a coach.
The only important questions you should ask are: (1) Did Joellyn deliver what she said she would deliver? (2) What was the difference you found working with a coach like Joellyn versus doing it alone?
OK, I'm ready to do this for myself, but I have a couple of additional questions. Can I call you?
Good, sounds like you're ready to move forward! Yes, if you have a couple of questions, simply contact me via email or call me at 508-459-2854 to set up a complimentary "Get Acquainted" phone visit. I look forward to connecting with you!
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