​Why should I partner with a Career Coach?
Why is Career Advisement important? Regardless of how much experience you have, what industry you work in or education level, having a trusted source to assess your overall path is vital. During normal life progression, we have professionals to manage our health, finances and other smaller day to day tasks, so why is career any different? When you take a step back to weigh the factors and time inserted into career decisions and accomplishments, it becomes clear why a partnership at this level is beneficial for the long haul.  

​Decisions
Mid-year reviews, project presentations, year-end budget reports, interviews, industry changes, raise considerations and so much more. The list continues to grow the deeper into your career you are and the decisions grow in complication. Push-back I have heard in the past I would like to address is “How could a Career Coach know enough of the inner workings to be helpful when it comes to making these choices or moving forward with a ‘risky’ business move?”. The answer is simple! A solid Career Coach has a system to create open lines of communication and demand accountability throughout the relationship. For example, I require a quarterly review to assess changes, progress and accomplishments for my clients. The idea here is not only to tune me in with what is going on at work, but to create the accountability piece with my clients. Did you achieve goals you set out to conquer throughout the three-month period? If you did not have specific benchmarks set, based off the review, what do you feel needs to be accomplished this quarter in order to move forward? It is time to write them down and begin having honest conversations. 

Risk vs Reward - Time
Too often these seemingly difficult and time-consuming conversations are pushed aside due to complacency and getting caught up in the everyday chaos of life. We need to step outside of the short-term way of thinking and take on the challenge. The same risk vs reward thought process dedicated to many other business decisions should be applied to your career also. Is it worth the commitment to your career continuum and growth to dedicate time creating goals and holding yourself accountable? The answer is ‘yes’ every time, but reality is, much of this weight falls on the shoulders of your career coach. Allow for the organization and progression of responsibilities be handled by a professional. Your focus should remain on industry specifics and daily incremental accomplishments.
Self-awareness is key to recognizing how outsourcing the delicate and detailed logistics of your career path is important. Short-term work for long-term reward!

​The System
Earlier I mentioned a system to create dialogue between clients and those managing their careers. My system is simple and effective. Even though I only require quarterly conversations, I encourage my clients to reach out more frequently when changes or new items occur. There are two major benefits to these conversations occurring more consistently. The first is the more information fed to me about the inner workings of how you function in your role, co-workers, culture, what it takes to grow within your organization, etc., the more personal and advantageous my recommendations will be. Second, as you verbalize growth regularly, you begin to prioritize commitment to your future just the same. As with many other aspects of life, if that certain something remains top of mind, continued focus shows its efficacy. 

​The Process
There is no clear-cut answer to how each client will be handled as one can imagine the vast amount of differences from person to person. But, what I can say is, when you execute accountability of this nature to yourself, the results will do the talking. Gain the courage to admit a helping hand to supplement your career is valuable and you will be taking an astronomical leap forward.
To revisit thoughts I preach daily, we are here for one life and time is our greatest asset. The only soul responsible for how you manage your time is YOU. This comes down to finding your passion, spending time doing what you love, understanding your potential and achieving the goals you have set forth for yourself.
 My job along that journey is to ensure growth and transitions run smoothly and allow time for you to reflect on the accomplishments. Understand that choosing to work with a Career Coach, whether that is myself or another, is a great investment in yourself. There are not many things in life that don’t come lined with possible negative pieces, but utilizing career advisement is one of the exceptions. Have you had specific coaching experiences relating to personal or professional growth? Please leave feedback below as to your thoughts. The more awareness about Career Advisement the better!

​Personal Portfolio
To begin, thank you for taking time to read this blog article. My first true thank you is because you are dedicating time to acknowledge you are in the driver seat to propel yourself forward. Even though I am constantly speaking about career growth, a personal portfolio and quarterly review about where you stand is about so much more than just career development. It is a dedicated time to reflect on accomplishments, but also areas where you can continue to grow and accelerate. Being self-aware and verbalizing these strengths, but also areas of opportunities, is the truest assessment of yourself.
My second deep thank you is for consuming my content. I truly put my mind and heart into this material in hopes of helping as many as I can, but through an individualized message. It takes time and conscious behaviors to recognize one’s own potential.

​Be Honest
Each industry has different metrics of how ‘success’ is measured, so apply these thoughts specifically to your role. I am going to use sales throughout for the sake of example. In a sales job, it may be a bit more objective to assess progress than others. Documents such as ranking reports, field coaching logs, market share, percent growth and more, are the norm. While these types of documents will help portray an honest picture, you still have to hold yourself accountable on another level. Did you set any personal goals at the beginning of the quarter or year? Outside of numerical achievements, did you jump on any leadership projects you mentioned to close out 2017? Or maybe there is one big client you were looking to have a breakthrough performance with, did it happen?
The point I am trying to make here is everyone has different metrics they want and need to achieve for development. It is important to sit down and analyze true and honest progress. If you inflate forward momentum, you are only hindering yourself. Outside of the two minutes to write down how you’ve mastered XYZ, zero evolution arises from this behavior. Do yourself a favor and just be honest. 

​Beyond the Numbers
A personal assessment does not end at the numbers. Along with any black and white quantitative growth, other development metrics should also be evaluated. I mentioned a couple examples already, but one that resonates with many is leadership opportunity. Leadership has many different faces, titles and responsibilities and if it interests you, management looks for you to take proactive steps to display that drive.
So, what does this mean? (Disclaimer: It will look different depending on job function and company structure.) First and foremost, it means holding yourself accountable to go above and beyond to represent these specific behaviors. Documenting each and every activity or encounter in your portfolio is the easiest way to track progress. Management will want to see full circle accountability on your part. It may be efforts at a meeting, intranet online courses relating to the subject matter or simply asking what opportunities are available, because you would like to push yourself forward. Regardless of the avenue to get there, document it all. When you go into your next meeting to ask for a leadership opportunity, compensation increase, or title change, your portfolio will be ready to present why you bring value. At the end of the day, it is always about how much value you or an idea can bring. 

​Be Proactive
Surface level, putting together a personal portfolio may sound like extra work you need to fit into your already overflowing schedule. If you think this, you are correct. There is no icing on the cake, but what you need to keep in mind is the long-term strategy. The effort of systematically gathering intel about yourself will pay off tenfold for committing to the short-term time investment. Organization is a skill that can be perfected with attention and repetition.
The logistics of your portfolio should not be complicated. The main point is to create a structure that works for you. I started simple with a binder and clear sleeves to print out documents and certificates for safe keeping. Everything is kept in chronological order and ready to present when needed. A couple other methods I have installed over the years is a bound business plan with achievements scanned in or it could be as simple as dedicated a folder in Word to your personal portfolio. Drag and drop everything in and access later. Again, it does not matter how you organize, it just matters that you do.

​Why?
Be different! Rise above and make the effort to be the employee who shines out from the rest. Give leadership and C-level colleagues something to remember you by. The kicker is all this energy also develops you personally. Professional growth is the real deal and often dictates career path, but personal growth cannot be forgotten. Embracing how this level of commitment to yourself impacts your future is a success in itself and another step towards self-awareness. Leave feedback below on different ideas you have to keep the best and most efficient portfolio!