Purple Ink’s VP of Talent Services, Peggy Hogan, explains why it can be helpful to work with a career coach while you’re searching for a new opportunity.

Video Transcript:

This transcript was created using an automated transcription service and may contain errors.

00:04

Well, you don’t know what you don’t know, first of all. So I think a lot of us think, you know, we’re… we’ve found jobs before, we know how to do it. But a lot of times, you don’t know what recruiters are really thinking. So in particular, a career coach who has been a recruiter or is an active recruiter, they have a pulse on what’s happening in the marketplace. They’re hearing from their hiring managers about what they’re looking for. They’re getting feedback on candidates, and they’re getting their own impression. Since I actively recruit, I know what makes me look at a resume a little bit longer. I know what makes me return, you know, maybe reach out to someone who wasn’t an exact fit. I know how people get through to me who don’t necessarily know me. So I have a lot of insider information, if you will. Doesn’t mean it works 100% of the time, but getting that expert advice, especially from someone who’s actively recruiting, is beneficial.

01:11

A recruiter looks at a resume much differently than maybe even the hiring manager. So we want to make sure that it is getting through that applicant tracking system. People are really worried about applicant tracking systems and artificial intelligence, so we do want to make sure the resume gets through those types of systems, but it’s also appealing to whoever the reader is. So we help them with that. Interview skills. Networking is huge, and it’s really the activity that most people on a job search neglect, and it’s really the most important activity. So a career coach can even give you some ideas of how to reach out to people you don’t know. Brainstorming.

01:55

It’s a really valuable service and I think it pays for itself over and over again. Let’s think of one specific thing that can be helpful with a career coach is salary negotiation, or sometimes even encouraging you to apply for a job at a higher salary rate. A lot of people underestimate their value in the marketplace. A good career coach who’s also recruiting knows the value of jobs and the value of experience and they can encourage you to apply for some of those positions and not undervalue your experience in the marketplace. That in and of itself will pay for career coaching, again, over and over and over and over again. I cannot stress that enough.