5.1: The Five Steps in the Process of Preparation

In the opening story, we read about River, a 24-year-old with a deep love for the outdoors whose life was marked by periods of welfare dependency. River began attending employment counselling sessions, which became a turning point in their life. These sessions helped River identify their passion for running a northern outfitting lodge, igniting a desire to turn this dream into reality.

To achieve their goal, River embarked on a comprehensive learning process. They researched local outdoor service providers, developed mentor relationships, interviewed local fishermen, and attended a Job Find Club. River secured work with an outfitting company through these efforts and gained valuable experience. River’s dedication and hard work, supported by mentors, set them on a path toward owning a successful outfitting lodge.

Embarking on a career journey requires more than just identifying aspirations. It involves a structured approach to career development, transforming long-term visions into practical plans. This chapter serves as a guide, emphasizing the importance of goal specification, practical learning experiences, and developing transition skills.

Magnusson (1992) identified five elements in the process of preparation:

1. Goal specification
2. Identification of the action steps needed to reach goals
3. Contingency planning to deal with challenges
4. Seeking commitment to goal attainment
5. Developing career access skills

Goal Specification

In the process of Exploration, the career coach worked with clients to identify a vision (dream), long-term goals, and needed activities. During the career coach’s preparatory work with clients, it’s important to review the client’s long-term goals. These long-term goals then need to be divided into short-term goals with a series of action steps that enable goal attainment.

Short-term goals are concerned with the immediate actions that will be taken to reach a longer-term goal. If a client has a longer-term goal, e.g., to become a Marine Engine Mechanic, a short-term goal could be to complete a pre-employment college program and seek employment in the marine engine trades. If the person wants to open their own business, the short-term goal may include enrolling in an entrepreneurship program and exploring business opportunities. The development of short-term goals is essential to help the client understand how the goal or immediate action fits into their longer-term goal. This helps to build commitment to take action to move forward.

Identification of the Action Steps Needed to Reach Goals

In the process of exploration, career coaches work with clients to identify “Needed Activities.” These are the critical actions that need to take place before the career transition can occur. These needed activities can be turned into short-term goals. Each goal will have action steps that can be implemented. Examples of needed activities that can be developed into goal statements are:

• Conduct informational interviews in fields like public relations, occupational therapy, physical therapy, and social work.
• Explore work roles in youth care and identify the required educational pathways.
• Join Toastmasters to improve public speaking skills.
• Register for training subsidies and search for part-time banking/bookkeeping jobs.
• Research and develop a __________ business.

Contingency Planning to Deal With Challenges

There may be obstacles that block the way to goal achievement. An important consideration is to think about goals that one has already achieved in their life. Was there a time in your life when a task or goal appeared unreachable, but you achieved it? What personal resources or capabilities have you developed or relied upon to attain your goals?

Physical, conditional, or psychological obstacles can block goals. These obstacles must be overcome to reach the goal. Each type of obstacle can be a real barrier to goal achievement. It makes no difference whether the barrier is tangible or psychological. It is still real. It is therefore important to:

• Identify the obstacle that prevents the achievement of the goal.
• Plan a way to overcome the obstacle.

Physical Obstacles

Physical obstacles typically create access problems. For example, you may need to create a quiet space in your home to study. The course you need to take could be offered in another city and involve commuting to access it.

To overcome these barriers, you will need to look creatively at what you can do to remove them. In the example about studying, it could involve changing the physical layout of your home. It may also involve something larger, such as considering distance education courses or virtual classes.

Conditional Obstacles

Conditional obstacles may involve issues where current conditions exist that can impede your progress toward your goal. For example, you may have visitors coming to your home or renovations being made that will affect your use of space. You may need to consider alternatives such as studying at the public library or other similar spaces.

Psychological Obstacles

Psychological obstacles are those that exist within one’s mind. They can be self-confidence issues that block advancement toward the goal. One must believe that the goal can be achieved. If there is doubt about the possibility of achieving the goal, a psychological barrier is created.

Psychological obstacles are no less intimidating than the more tangible barriers. They are sometimes more difficult to overcome because they create misconceptions.

Seeking Commitment for Goal Attainment

One part of the goal-setting and action-planning process is to seek commitment from clients. Typically, at this stage of the process, ensuring commitment is not difficult as the client has been responsible for developing the plan based on things that are important to them. They’re typically excited to move forward and implement the plan.

Sometimes, individuals have difficulty believing they can implement the plan; they may have a negative self-concept or have been victimized by challenging barriers for so long that they may not be confident that a change is possible. This type of resistance is generally expressed as “that would be great, but… .” However, in my experience, most individuals who have been exposed to a complete career exploration process are so excited by the potential of their plan that they are willing to take risks and try new things.

The process of guiding the individual through their career exploration typically generates helpful outcomes. The first is that the client has increased self-confidence and confidence in their ability to make changes and go after new goals. There is the perception that they have more capability, care more about themselves, believe more in themselves, and see their environment as one in which they can affect change.

Although the client may be very committed to developing and implementing the plan, it’s also helpful to formalize that commitment period. This can be done by simply writing a contract and identifying the key goals and action plan. A signature from both the client and the career coach can help to make sure that there is commitment and that there is support to go forward.

Developing Career Access Skills

To realize goals and develop an effective action plan, the client must develop the necessary skills for implementation. These are called career access skills because they open the doors to the client’s future. When career transitions fail, it’s because clients do not have the necessary transition skills to make the change.

There are two types of assessment needed at this point. The first is which skills are needed to affect the transition being planned. The second is an assessment of the client’s current level of functioning with respect to those skills. Typically, at this point, the coach has been able to assess these needs from the process of initiation and exploration.

The types of skills that will be needed to reflect the change will vary from client to client. Examples of common transition skills are job search skills, job maintenance skills, academic skills, financial planning skills, social interaction and personal skills, and social adjustment skills.

Job Search Skills

Job search skills are perhaps the most common form of career access skill required by clients. Once an individual has identified the role they seek, what is the best way to gain access to that role? The typical job search access skills that individuals need to learn include networking, identification of accomplishments statements, creation of resumes, cover letters, and LinkedIn profiles, and how to conduct oneself during employment interviews. These skills are critical for clients to make an effective transition.

Job Maintenance Skills

Clients who have limited or no work experience or may be unfamiliar with the attitudes and behaviours required to maintain employment may require extra support to ensure that they can succeed in their new jobs. People are rarely dismissed from their jobs for their lack of technical skills. The primary reason for a person to be dismissed is the lack of the interpersonal skills required by the job. Examples of these critical skills are communicating with coworkers, following instructions, receiving feedback or criticism, punctuality, and demonstrating initiative.

Academic/Study Skills

The pursuit of further education is a common goal in individual career plans. Developing the skills to ensure success in an academic environment may be necessary. To succeed in education, clients may need to develop skills in time management, study techniques, and balancing competing priorities. Developing these skills before entering an educational program eases the transition.

Financial Planning Skills

An integral component of any career transition plan is the financial planning period. Individuals must learn how to tie resources together and work within budget constraints. Financial planning skills will support clients on their career transition path.

Social Interaction and Personal Skills

There is an essential core of social and personal skills that an individual must possess to be successful in their careers. Individuals entering the workforce may need to develop basic hygiene skills or develop their interpersonal communication skills. Additional personal skills involve the ability to cope with anger, learning to be more assertive, learning to manage stress and anxiety, or overcoming substance abuse. Career coaches need to ensure that the current transition plan for the client addresses these issues before or during the transition.

Social Adjustment Skills

Career transitions may involve adapting to new environments. Individuals may move to take on a new job, or they may move to enter into a post-secondary educational program. These transitions involve adaptation skills. Clients need to learn how to adapt and thrive in new environments. On-boarding systems need to be provided by employers and educational organizations to facilitate successful entry into the job and the workplace. Advance planning can assist clients in ensuring this transition takes place more easily.

It is important to note that the types of needs identified here are not necessarily ones that the career coach would focus on while working with the client. The career coach may not possess the expertise to handle some of these areas. Therefore, they should be making a referral to an external source. This is the point in the career coaching process where the coach’s awareness of community resources is key. Referrals to supporting organizations and professionals can be an important component of a true transition plan.