Career Coaching How do I make the right choices? What can and can’t I change?

Existential Careers Coaching in practice

Written by Career Coach: SharonKing

Careers Coaching and Existentialism

Career Coaching Seasoned Career Coach

Career CoachingAs any seasoned Career Coach is aware, career coaching is not just about finding a job or a career. Inevitably, in a session with a client, deeper concepts can emerge through the conversation., such as, what is most important to me at this stage in my life and career?

How do I make the right choices? 

What can and can’t I change?

And what do I want to do with my life?

Career coaching, Some career coaches can shy away from such deep and intimate questions, however, I have found, on the whole, when one introduces such existential questions into a session with a client; it can be the most transformative for the client and for you, as a coach. 

Existential Careers Coaching in practice

Career coaching: How does it work?

In a session in career coaching with one of my clients, Michael, (not his real name) he presented a dilemma in his working life.

He had recently been through a frightening and life-changing experience where he had lost a friend to cancer and on the day after his friend’s funeral, he had found out that he had an aggressive form of cancer and he needed treatment immediately.

His career suddenly became not the most important part of his life.

He had gone through extensive chemotherapy and emerged miraculously after a long period of recuperation and invasive treatments.

This experience on a very deep level had changed the way he wanted to live the remaining years of his life.

The self-awareness in Michael was made known to him, by our session together.

Dilemma and wake-up call

The dilemma he was in, was whether to stay in his current role where he had been for over 10 years and if he stayed until his retirement, he would be guaranteed a reasonable retirement package.

However, in his current job he wasn’t growing anymore.

He felt stifled and disengaged.  

He had been offered another job, where there wasn’t the security of a pension, but this opportunity enabled him to work 4 days a week instead of 5.

I asked Michael, “are your values the same as they were 10 years ago?”

He said “no”, my values then were all about progressing in my job and now I realize, I missed out so much on my children’s life as I was working so much.

Now, I am a grandfather, and this extra day I would have to myself, would enable me to spend time with my grand-children.

” So, I asked, “what is most valuable to you now in your life and what decision would align with that value?”

He paused and thought, he replied, “time is my value now, it’s not about a pension as I may never even get to that age.

I want to have time to spend with my family”.

Sessions and clarity

This session with Michael is a simple example of how delving deeper with a focus on existentialism in a careers session can help your client get to the heart of the matter.

Michael the next day, handed in his notice at his current workplace and accepted the other opportunity.

This decision was made with his awareness and experience which had been raised by asking those existential questions, that tomorrow is not guaranteed and his values changed as he had.

Career coaching As a Career Coach, have you ever taken this existentialist approach with some of your clients?

What has been the response? 

Career coaching – You also find Sharon King here at Instagram