Customer Reviews

Career Coaching: An Insider's Guide

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I have been in the Career Consulting business for eight years and as a consulting psychologist decided to make the transition into coaching. Marcia Bench's book has served as a handy text for learning a whole new aspect of career transitions. It is well written, easily understood by the layperson and filled with very helpful tools and strategies. Most importantly, she also clearly defines the differences between consulting, coaching and therapy. Any professional would do well to understand this before they take on the role of "coach."

The profession of personal coaching has exploded over the past decade, following the establishment of the field by the late Thomas Leonard, founder of CoachU. A number of sub-categories of the profession have been developed by specialists who began their own educational programs, bodies of knowledge, and certifications. Marcia Bench is one of those specialists, concentrating on the vital field of career coaching.

In addition to her personal coaching of hundreds of clients, Bench formed the Career Coach Institute, a virtual training organization pioneering this part of the coaching field. The Institute was founded in 2001; this book was published in 2003 to share Bench's perspectives, positioning, and body of knowledge.

The first part of the book is devoted to a thorough explanation of coaching and, more specifically, career coaching. While the focus is on individual professionals coaching individual private clients, the concept has broader application in working with students, recent graduates, and corporate employees.

Bench and her followers emphasize what they call "authentic vocations." Their design includes eight factors: life purpose; values; motivators and interests; knowledge, skills, and abilities; work and other expertise; job/career targets; work environment; and business reality. Each of these factors is discussed in a separate chapter.

For anyone in the field of career coaching, or considering the field, this book is a valuable resource.

This book provides: an introduction to the field, the ethics of coaching, the eight factors of a model of career design, coaching tips and resources, and explores a new model of coaching that enables clients to overcome obstacles to finding their ideal work. Seventy competencies associated with certification are presented. A chapter is devoted to advanced coaching skills. The author also discusses the best current thinking on all aspects of job search mechanics. Concludes with self-care and the traits of masterful coaches. Includes worksheets and assessments. It's a pleasure to find a book so abounding in meaningful content. This is really a terrific guide for building a career coaching business. This book's a winner!

I was definitely pleased with Marcia's new book. Not only does it assist career coaches in defining a step by step approach to coaching effectively, but it is also a wonderful tool for someone who is stuck in that "rut" of the routine 9-5. For anyone who wants to achieve career/job satisfaction, this book offers many insights and thought-provoking questions that will assist in getting 3 steps closer to a fulfilling career.

It is definitely one of the best career coaching books on the market! Thanks Marcia!!

Wonderfully practical, comprehensive resource for BOTH those seeking help with their career/job search as well as those who guide others through that process. The book is organized into 2 main sections - one contains the comprehensive career/job search content and the other provides a powerful coaching approach for career as well as business coaches, incorporating the best coaching thinking in the field. Ms. Bench has done a fabulous job of sorting through all of the "career stuff" out there and presenting the reader with a compelling, organized framework to move through the process effectively.

Career Coaching: An Insider's Guide has been invaluable to me in starting my own career coaching practice. Marcia Bench explains everything you could want to know about coaching people on careers, from industry standards to coaching techniques. Her unique Authentic Vocation model of career design provides very useful tools and worksheets to use with clients. Job search strategies, networking, and resume design are also all in this book. If you are considering career coaching as a career, or you are already a life coach and want to add want some tools to use with your clients who need career assistance, you have to have this book! Easy to read and very straightforward.

With so many books on the market for career-challenged consumers, how helpful to finally have a book right for me, the career coach who assists these individuals! This practice-building book written by a career coaching master is filled with coaching models, tools, tips and forms that provide discernible structure to the career coaching process.

Whether coaching a client to discover career choices aligned with his life purpose, or coaching another through career transition using this author's Authentic Vocation model, this book will be by my side coaching me to be the best career coach that I can be.

This step-by-step model for career coaching really helped me see the difference between it and counseling; the client does the work. The model demonstrates a practical approach to helping clients answer their own questions about their life purpose and career plans. The beauty of this book is that it is easy to read, builds on each previous chapter and takes the guess work out of trying to figure out the client's past and how it relates to the present and future. The model concentrates on now and the future; that is coaching!

In counseling I felt I was totally responsible for getting the the client's problems solved or at least have a formula for success. In coaching, the question is the key to success! Advice giving, preaching, do it the way I did it, are prohibited. Instead, empowerment is more the word for the day.

Marcia certainly opened my eyes and I am on my way to fulfilling my life purpose. Thanks, Marcia.

Donald J. Cinque, M.Ed., CAS, CCC

Think=>Believe=>Become

If you are looking for some very good resources to either incorporate or complete your available career coaching portfolio, then this is a great book. You can also go to her website which offers quite a number of tools and training depending on your level of interest in deepening on the subject.

This handbook is a must for professionals in the career development field and for life coaches working with clients on career issues. It is also a very user friendly guide for job seekers and those considering career changes.

It is chock full of step-by-step guides and assessments to help users sort through the often confusing and unsettling process of career change. The section describing the coaching process is powerful and will enhance readers' abilities to communicate with others in all settings - both professional and personal.