Coaches can play a powerful role in a candidates’ job search by being aware of their personality temperament and which job search phase they’re in. Three good assessments that measure type and temperament are as follows:
Based on temperament, here are suggested coaching questions to use with candidates to enhance their job search success.
1. Clarifies Job/Career Objective(s)
NT (Rational)
How do these options tie to your most important values, including your family’s desires? If you set aside all your criteria, what are some other options? Which jobs are you most passionate about?
NF (Idealist)
Which of these options fits you best? What are your most important criteria to use in determining your job objective(s)? What’s your short-list of jobs to pursue now?
SJ (Guardian)
How about brainstorming more job possibilities? As you consider your most transferable skills, what other possibilities are there? Have you considered (x)? Which job(s) will be a stepping stone(s) to your ideal job?
SP (Artisan)
What are your long-term objectives? What next job(s) will get you to where you want to be 5-10 years from now?
2. Plans Job Search
NT (Rational)
What practical actions do you need to consider taking?
NF (Idealist)
What other pieces of the puzzle might there be? What else?
SJ (Guardian)
What are the broad categories of your job search? What adaptations might you need to make to ensure a successful job search?
SP (Artisan)
What structure do you need in your search to keep you moving forward?
3. Markets & Communicates about Self
NT (Rational)
Which accomplishments involved building and maintaining relationships and/or working successfully with others?
NF (Idealist)
What are your strongest technical abilities? What impact did your accomplishments have on the bottom line?
SJ (Guardian)
How could you say that more succinctly? What are the key points you want to make? How can you connect your accomplishments to other jobs?
SP (Artisan)
What are some examples of how you applied what you learned to avoid future problems?
4. Networks with Others
NT (Rational)
How can you build and nurture your relationships? What are the best ways to show appreciation toward others?
NF (Idealist)
Besides friends and other like-minded people, who else could you to reach out to? What is the desired outcome for your meetings?
SJ (Guardian)
What are the most important things to get out of each meeting? How can you open and close each meeting in a personal way?
SP (Artisan)
What are your most important goals for networking? Which people are most important to talk with first? What did you learn from your meetings?
5. Finds Jobs
NT (Rational)
What companies and job titles are in your tiers 2 & 3? How can you network to get a warm lead to the decision-makers in these companies?
NF (Idealist)
Besides friends, whom else would be important for you to reach out to? What’s most important for you to get from these contacts?
SJ (Guardian)
What steps could you could take to explore the hidden job market?
SP (Artisan)
How can you build consistency into your job search activities? Whom else could you reach out to?
6. Researches Companies
NT (Rational)
With whom could you talk to learn more about these companies? What questions could you ask them to learn more about the company’s culture?
NF (Idealist)
What are some objective ways to gather information about these companies? Who else could you talk with to learn more details?
SJ (Guardian)
With whom could you talk to learn more about the companies’ management style, brand, and culture?
SP (Artisan)
What have you learned about the company’s’ culture? Do they give people freedom to get their work done?
7. Prepares for the Job Interview
NT (Rational)
How will you answer questions about your ability to handle conflict, motivate people, and build relationships?
NF (Idealist)
How did your work contribute to the bottom-line? What are your top competencies? How can you demonstrate that you’re task-focused?
SJ (Guardian)
What have been your greatest accomplishments and what did you learn about your capabilities? How could they be transferable to the job(s)?
SP (Artisan)
How can you show the transferability of your competencies to the job duties? What trends are impacting the jobs/companies?
8. Considers Job Offers
NT (Rational)
What impact will each job have on your lifestyle, family, etc?
NF (Idealist)
What other criteria are important to consider? What’s most important to do now? What do you like most and least about the job(s)?
SJ (Guardian)
How will this position further develop you to achieve your long-term career goal? What risks do you need to take?
SP (Artisan)
What else do you need to know about this job and company? What are the best ways to gather further information? How does this position tie in with your long-term goals?
9.Negotiates Salary
NT (Rational)
How could you engage the decision-maker in your negotiations? What’s most important to them?
NF (Idealist)
What facts could you share with the decision-maker? What do you like most (and least) about the compensation package?
SJ (Guardian)
How much are you worth? What value could you bring to the company?
SP (Artisan)
What information do you need to be successful in your negotiations?
10. Starts New Job
NT (Rational)
–Coaching Questions: What relationships do you need to build to be most effective in this job?
NF (Idealist)
What are some quick wins you could have to show your competence and impact?
SJ (Guardian)
What are your most important goals for the near-term and longer-term? What trends are you seeing in your industry? Who could you delegate some of your work to?
SP (Artisan)
What’s most important for you to accomplish by the 3rd, 6th and 9th months in the job? What’s the strategic plan for your business unit?
Will you let me know how these questions work and share with me your suggestions to improve them? You may reach me at nancy@workplacecoachinstitute.com.
Copyright 2010. Nancy Branton
