Are you wondering how to become a job coach? Think the coaching field is a great opportunity and want to get in on the action…the rewards…and the money? To become a job coach takes some time, effort and dedication, but these seven steps will give you the framework needed to pursue your dreams.

How to Become a Job Coach in 7 Steps

1. Select an educational path. If you don’t have a bachelor’s degree, get one – preferably in sociology, counseling, or psychology. If you already have one in a different major, no worries. You may want to apply to a master’s degree program in career counseling, but if time and money are issues, then this may not be a fork in the road you want to explore as you can get by without it.
2. Find the right coaching program for you. Whether or not you have a degree, bachelor’s or master’s, you need to find a accredited coaching program to fit your needs and coaching goals. The nitty gritty of how to become a job coach starts with the ideal program. Programs typically offer a series of workshops and courses that teach a wide range of coaching and business skills.
3. Choose a niche or concentration. This may or may not be necessary at the start of your career or during your education, but it never hurts to think about the people you want to coach. Do you want to work with women, athletes, recent college graduates, single mothers, recovering addicts, ex-felons, or any specific group? You can specialize or remain general at first, and specialize later.
4. Determine the ideal professional setting. The details of how to become a job coach include your preferred professional setting. Do you want to work in a career counseling center, in a college career center, for a government agency, or create and build your own coaching practice? Identifying your long-range goals may help you select the right educational and coaching pathway.
5. Learn to listen. You say you already are a good listener. No matter how good you think you are, you can get better. Perhaps the most important skill for a coach is the ability to listen. No list of steps on how to become a job coaching professional is complete without emphasizing listening skills. You must be able to not only listen to the actual words, you should be aware of the tone, the inflection, the context, and the body language. Improving your listening skills goes a long way toward improving your coaching skills.
6. Consider working for someone else. Even if you have designs on being an entrepreneur, it is not a bad idea to pursue professional opportunities as a job coach. Working in a career counseling center or similar environment for a few years can provide valuable experience and knowledge, which will be immeasurably useful when you decide to start your own coaching practice.
7. Marketing and promotion. No list of steps on how to become a job coach is complete without mentioning marketing and promotion. You must market and promote yourself if you are going to start your own coaching practice. You must have a plan before you start and you must be willing to implement that plan and then adapt and amend it as you move forward.

Hope you took some great value out of this post today! I’d love to hear your feedback, so make sure you leave a comment with your thoughts or questions. And also, you can click on the Twitter button below to retweet this article… Thank you!

Fred Philips
Business Coach
Writing Team, Coaches Training Blog Community