You can more than you think – personal career coaching might be the answer for you

These moments can happen, for example, when you are laid off, at the risk of becoming unemployed or when you are looking for new career paths and wondering where to apply for a job after studies.

In all of these questions, PAM’s career coach can be your helping hand.

Recognize your skills

“Mapping and identifying your skills and competencies is one of the basic things we go through in coaching”, says Susan Calonius.

“Service workers have a lot more skills than they realize. When we start looking at all the things a person has done during his or her career, we usually find skills that the person has never even thought about. ”

Almost without exception, the coaching reveals that under the surface, there’s a huge amount of professionalism that just needs to be unravelled.

“Service workers have a great ability to work under pressure with customer service at a high level.”

“Service workers have a great ability to work under pressure with customer service at a high level. Often, work in the service sector has developed their language skills, something that many of us could be jealous of. These are all assets that are really useful in many professions and finding a job once you know how to present them properly in your job application”, says Calonius.

How to find a job and write an application

The easiest way to find a job in the service sector is through PAM’s job site. If there is no suitable one, it is also a good idea to know how to access the so called “hidden” job market.

“According to Sitra's research, up to 80 percent of jobs are not advertised.” The coaching helps to find and apply for these hidden jobs.

The career coach also helps with writing the application and the CV. “A good application is one that shows your personality”, Calonius says.

“An application that is reviewed with a professional and a CV with all the essential skills will help tremendously in getting a job interview”, she continues.

Practice the interview

As the job search progresses, the first interview is often conducted as a video interview. The applicant receives a link to a video interview where (s)he is asked to answer some questions. Answering questions can be practised beforehand with an interview simulator.

“With the help of a video interview simulator, the applicant can train at his or her own pace, which makes it easier and more relaxed to answer the questions in the actual interview.”

Or perhaps studies?

Studying is a good option when you want to improve your skills or focus on something new. The coaching gives you information on how to apply for a study place and how to make ends meet during studies.

“Basically, an unemployed jobseeker can study voluntarily and receive unemployment benefits. Of course, the new profession must be such that it is really possible to get a job”, says Calonius.

A career coach can help even with this. The coach can help if the Employment Office needs a justification as to why the applicant is entitled to study.

Calonius reminds us that we should not give up on our dreams, even if it seems difficult to find a job or a place to study.

“There are always options. You just have to find the right path.”