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First published in Polish by Marta Kaźmierczak

The dynamic development of our reality has sent many people back to the labour market, and because of the pandemic, some of them have decided to become self-employed. I have the impression that something inside them must have snapped, and they said: "enough is enough". I sense that they felt that time flies and nothing, literally NOTHING is given to us once and for all. Our system of values has proven flawed, and life is being redefined on a massive scale. This is where the services of job coaches come into place. Job coaches offer their support to prospective job seekers who not only enter but also explore the possibilities in the labour market. Their clients can be students  and other individuals looking for a place for themselves or - as a job coach would term it - “people who experience change”

^{Photo by Christina @ wocintechchat.com on Unsplash}

Job-coach?

Job coaching is intriguing and provokes various reactions. But it also raises questions such as: What is a job coach? Dr Paweł Wolski, head of the post-graduate programme in job coaching, modern career counselling and career coaching at the University of Social Sciences and Humanities, says:

A job coach guides, supports and inspires people to achieve better results and more ambitious professional goals. A job coach discovers their clients’ resources, strengthens their independence and believes in the achievement of their goals^[1].

It is important to add that job coaching itself is a method of providing support to people in a difficult job situation which - as we know - depends not only on a number of factors having some influence on it but also on those involved - job coaching clients who need to reinvent themselves.

Job coaching is widely used to target people who experience change and who are looking for a job. Dr Wolski says that this method originated in Holland and is widespread in the labour market of several west European countries (Great Britain, Sweden, Germany, Denmark) and in the United States^[2].

Job coaching is about combining the expertise of a career counsellor with the skills and attitude of a coach. Job coaches should not only work using their coaching tools but above all - their knowledge of the labour market, career counselling, occupations and psychology should be constantly updated. It is owing to that knowledge that they will be able to support their clients in a professional and effective way.

Who are job coaching clients?

Owing to my experience in this field I can say that job coaching clients include:

• people changing jobs/school leavers/people about to graduate
• parents returning to the labour market after maternity or paternity leave
• disadvantaged groups (e.g. prisoners)
• the disabled
• “young pensioners”
• foreigners
• the unemployed.

Who can become a job coach?

Anyone who is interested in modern methods of supporting people throughout their professional development, anyone who wants to become a job coach and accompany people through changes. My experience as a lecturer at the University of Social Sciences and Humanities teaching courses as part of the programme in job coaching, modern career counselling and career coaching shows that our students are mainly managers, psychologists, career counsellors and teachers. Student job coaches want to learn skills that will allow them to support their clients and colleagues in the area of change. Surprisingly, our post-graduate programme also attracts people with technical university degrees who also want to see a change in their lives. Another interesting thing about job coaching is the fact that it can be freelance work, as a job coach is usually involved in direct cooperation with their clients or group cooperation with organisations of all sorts.

Who participates in the process?

The process involves a job coach and a client. It is vital to emphasise that the role of job coaches is not to give advice or suggest ready-made solutions. It is their client who - thanks to their motivation and guidance through the process of change - chooses a job, a career path, writes a CV, prepares for an interview, etc. In the case of “young” clients who are just entering the labour market, it is very important to recognise their job preferences and explore their style of thinking and acting, which in my opinion will significantly facilitate any subsequent decisions relating to work.

As a job coach, I boost my clients’ strengths, I act by rising above divisions, systematically developing my working methods and using various tools to offer effective support to my clients undergoing change. I also do it to identify the stages of the achievement of intended goals, but the most important for me is never to lose a person (client) from sight.

Dr Wolski emphasises that:

personal predispositions prove to be of paramount importance in this job, like in other jobs involving individual contact with clients, support, relating and interactions. Being a good listener, displaying patience, relying on resources, refraining from providing ready-made advice, being able to recognise your clients’ progress and accept their goals and solutions are the most important skills of a job coach. However, it is just as important to complete an appropriate course or a post-graduate programme which offer professional, practical and substantive preparation for this responsible job^[3].

If you want to change anything in your professional life, if you like working with people and if you feel you can support them, become a job coach. This is a new and dynamically developing job.