Desperate for career help. Are ‘career coaches’ worth it?

[ASDnocareer]

I can’t stay wasting yet more time falling behind, as its only becoming harder to find a career path the longer I’m stuck in a dead end job. I can no longer use being a new graduate as an excuse. Does anyone know if careers coaches are worth it? Any career coach recs based in London? Preferably not too expensive as I don’t have much money to spare

I have no kids so you’d think it should be the easiest time to work on my career, but no one wants to hire me. Because I haven’t figured my career situation out, I’m not in a position to think about dating or starting a family either which panics me more.

Stuck in dead end IT operations job (London), work for large financial services company with no prospects. Qualifications wise - I only have a 2.1 degree in humanities (2021).

Previously did industrial placement (Marketing) in financial services, then offered part time role during final year due to hard work during the placement.

Graduated then rejected the full time offer for another Marketing grad job which paid more at another financial services company.
2023 relocated to London for personal reasons (and hoping to maximise career prospects), but I’ve severely regressed and now stuck in dead end IT operations job for a bank.

My previous strategy which just hasn’t been working for over a year:
Applying for roles where I meet all of the minimum criteria, and even a few ‘cheeky’ applications where I don’t meet all requirements exactly. Mostly rejections from the first stage (except just 4 companies in a year of applying).

Had CV reviewed by professional friends (including one very senior, and one who works in HR). I don’t use the same CV for applying for roles, I will tweak CV depending on role.

Signed up to multiple recruitment agencies within my industry as well as for graduates but they never respond to me, even when they claim to offer to help candidates jobhunting (am I a lost cause?)

Looking to do a job with career prospects that pays around 35k. I naively though London was a good place for job opportunities, and I want a career path so badly but stuck in limbo. I don’t think I’m asking for a lot considering 35k isn’t much in London, I have always worked in same industry with no CV gaps. Just want to be able to afford rent a clean room in a flatshare and food lol. I have never had a bad performance review and willing to put work in but I can’t get through the application and interview stage.

Yes they definitely can be but you need a personal recommendation for sure. Hope there is a response here, or ask around.

I'm assuming this is a vent post but its so negative! You sound as if you're still pretty young - stop thinking you have to have everything sorted. Nothing is wasted. I don't see how you've moved from marketing to IT services but it suggests you're developing a good broad range of experience. What are your favourite parts of your current job? Do you want to go back to marketing? What's your current salary? What would your dream job look like and is there a path towards it, however crablike?

I'm just about to apply for something which will progress my career and I'm 55... you're not dead yet!

@PermanentTemporary thank you for your comment, and best of luck with your next career move! I’m 29 so I wouldn’t expect to be very senior but at the very least I hoped to have career prospects / working towards something (eg grad job) rather than stuck in limbo, working a dead end job which a 18 year old with no degree could easily walk into.

I worry being stuck in this role for almost 2 years has now devalued my placement year and first actual graduate job which I worked hard to get (had to leave due to relocating, and the city I used to live is not known for careers unlike London).

Truthfully I am not overly keen to work in Marketing because it doesn’t pay well generally, and I prefer working in an agile environment (more efficient to me). However, I am also aware beggars can’t be choosers so I still apply for marketing roles in my industry (FS) in hopes of landing anything because it at least could lead to a career path. Unfortunately I either get rejected or the pay is even lower than my current dead end IT operations role. 28-32k in London would be too hard and I already compromise by flatsharing in a ‘rough’ area, rarely eat out, don’t buy clothes etc.

In my second marketing grad role I worked under ‘agile’ principles, working alongside cross functional roles and I noticed people in change/delivery roles got paid far more to do a more interesting job.
‘Operations’ is bit of a naff career because skills learnt are often specific to company you work for, but I naively thought it’d be one step closer pivoting to a Change/Delivery job role (eg BA) than marketing because my current role is same department as BAs, PMs, Product owners etc. Also, I thought London had more career opportunities anyway but not been my experience and I’ve lived in ‘shit’ areas up north

I am wondering if there are mentoring or coaching services offered to staff through your bank? If not, have you worked for any managers who you thought liked you, and might be willing to be a mentor for you to help you progress? Or do you know anyone in a job you think sounds interesting who similarly, might be willing to mentor you to help you get there?

Overall though, I don't understand why your IT operations job is a dead-end. It may be in your particular job, but IT operations is absolutely huge.

You like Agile, have you trained up, could you be a project manager? Those skills are valued. Do you have any technical expertise/could you build on any technical expertise skills you've learnt so far? Those skills are valued too.

What about aiming for just the next level up in an IT operations job in another bank? That's usually the easiest next step.

Career coaches can be great but it's not a regulated industry so it can be a minefield. I did some coaching training while in the NHS and offered it free (along with mentoring) through NHS networks. I liked it and people I offered it to liked it too (I hope). But it was all free, and I liked it like that tbh.

Thanks @pjani, not that I’m aware of however I have joined ‘network’ groups applicable to me which occasionally host events but they’re not that active.
Maybe it’s just at my employer but unless someone offers to be a mentor, I think it would be perceived as strange to ask someone to mentor me. Also due to strict security/confidentially policies you can’t just ask to shadow another team/role unless it’s a formal secondment (I have been keeping an eye out to apply for any internal secondments or better roles whenever they come up).

I have been jobhunting within IT operations field in my industry for a while in London, and not having much luck. Firstly there’s not that much I’m eligible to apply for at my more junior ‘level’ - either roles are too senior or they are asking for very niche requirements that unless you’ve worked for their company I don’t see how you could tick the box. (For example using a company’s niche system or understanding their niche handbook).
I see my own role as dead end because the bank payments system I use on a daily basis, no recruiters care about, it’s not a worthy skill.

Now I actually assist with ‘external stakeholders’ (people who work in IT operations for other banks) as I answer their basic queries about our systems. I hoped that would count for something when applying but nope, I still get rejected when I apply for similar IT operations roles at the same banks I have liaised with.

It’s rarer but I sometimes find small start ups recruiting for junior IT operations in finance/payments field which I naively thought they’d be more open minded with recruiting, but no luck there either.

That’s a very helpful point thank you, I definitely don’t want to waste money on something unregulated. Does also make you think with some coaches, why someone who has not actually had a particularly successful career themselves would be in a good position to advise. I wish I could find a recruitment agency who would give me the time of day as they are actually involved in hiring but no luck

Overall though, I don't understand why your IT operations job is a dead-end. It may be in your particular job, but IT operations is absolutely huge.
This.

If you're working for a large financial services company, have they online training available? Or even careers advisors within HR? Are there areas you might be interested in? IME, there are always people who will talk to you about their area of the company if you show an interest and ask them, so you can learn things. They might not be able to tell you all the details, but they shoukd be able to give an overview and how thry fit in to the company.

Careers coaching is like any other counselling- you do most of the work; they'rejust there to guide you. If you're in a union, they might have it as one of the services they offer (I used one through my union, but quite some years ago, probably over 15.)

Things to think about:

• what motivates you at work? Money, being part of a team, working with the public, technical problem solving, etc, etc, etc.

• what tasks do you really like doing? That's probably something you want more of in your next role.

• what do you really hate doing? You should avoid roles where this is a large element of the job.

• what are your values? Do the companies you're looking at align with this?

You need to be realistic - many people dislike doing paperwork and admin, but you're unlikely to find a role with none of it; however, you can avoid particular roles where it's the major function.

Also, when you're looking at job descriptions,in my experience of IT, they ask for a ton of skills and experience that probably no one person has, and may have to readvertise with an adjusted spec. IT is a huge area. Get signed up to some women in tech networks (there are loads) - go to events, get talking, get ideas about what options are there.

(I'm a Unix sys admin. I start a new role in 2 weeks.)

Also - are there any employee groups where you work? It was hugely useful to me to be involved with the women's network and the green group at my previous workplace, as I met people in other parts of the business that I'd never come across in my day-to-day role, and got opportunities to mentor, be mentored, lead projects, give presentations and given me skills and experience on my CV that I wouldn't have got in my actual job role. This lead to a secondment because someone in the employee group learnt my skills weren't just my technical role, and I've also used examples from activities through all this in recent interviews.

Yes - career coaches can be worth it. If they are able to get you a job that pays, say 1% more than what you are earning now you'll get the money back within a year.

Try organisations for women in tech, organisations like 'we are the city' operate in the city of London and have external networks, can signpost to mentors, also your old uni may offer career advice for former graduates, your HR team may have people who are qualified as coaches, or newly qualified coaches sometimes offer coaching for free.

Have PM'd you details of a qualified and experienced career coach that works with early career professionals.

Would someone like this be able to help a recent graduate (my child...) get a graduate role? They are applying but struggling to get many interviews despite good A levels and a decent degree and just feel some outside advice might help, and we'd be willing to pay, but don't know where to start.

I think you're missing a trick with thinking that the niche systems etc asked for on the job spec are an actual requirement.

I work in IT/Ops for a major bank in Change and you are correct, there's really good money and progression. It would be six figures if I was in London but I chose to be in the regional office instead.

The largest and most progressive banks build their own IT rather than buy it in. Therefore we know that when hiring people will not have experience of the system if they are an external candidate. The reason the system is named in the job spec is usually because the job is advertised internally first and then not edited in any way before being opened to external candidates. It's lazy and poor recruiting but you shouldn't let it put you off.

If I were you I'd go for a job where you have a skill match but the system sounds niche. If you say you work on a "payment processing system", assume that the named system is a similar "payment processing system" and work from there. Maybe update your CV to more generic terms. If the hiring manager is looking externally, it means he hasn't found anyone internally and is therefore looking for a skill match with someone bright enough to pick up the new system.

If I was you I would get a working holiday visa and go to Australia or New Zealand for a year. There is way more to life than chasing some dull tech job in rainy London.

OP, what do you actually enjoy?

There is no point applying for marketing jobs for which you have no enthusiasm. It will come across loud and clear. And I disagree with your view that marketing jobs pay poorly. Yes, a grad marketing salary in central London might be £35k but I cleared £80k last year in marketing, in a low-commute home counties role.

What fires your enthusiasm and puts a spring in your step? Forget about 'career advancement' and 'agile roles', and think about what makes you fizz.

have you tried the National Careers service ? Free to use and very useful I understand for others who have used it.

https://nationalcareers.service.gov.uk/

@theredspindletree I'd say definitely yes, but in your child's case I would start with their university careers service (and id probably actually go there and meet with advisers, ask for practice interviews etc). And lots of networking. Depends on the field of course - advice can be quite specific depending on what they're aiming for.

@theredspindletree I second previous posters tips for using their uni careers service first. They helped me find an industrial placement, and having over a years industry experience before graduated helped me get my first graduate job straight out of uni (no gap).

my own university careers service was only open to current students and new graduates (up to 2 years of graduating). Hence, can’t stress enough your DC should make the most of this free resource whilst they still have it! Also join as many free careers events at uni as you can for eg employers talks, networking. It’s also easier to find the time attend these events as a student vs when you work ft

@EBearhug @bowlingalleyblues @user1471548941 @Meadowfinch thank you all so much, really appreciate your posts and help! Has given me a lot to consider

@EBearhug thats great to hear thanks, funnily enough I saw a career coaching programme come up for people at my grade/scale which I signed up for today. Also, good luck in your new role!

@ASDnocareer they graduated a year ago, and are now working just to earn a bit of money, trying to get a career job, so not living near Uni, but I'll suggest they get in contact and see what help they can get / Thx

Bumping my thread a year later to see if anyone else has experience with career coaches, any recs please

I ended up getting accepted on an internal career coaching program at work this year but it wasn’t much help tbh. I am very grateful it was free but the tips were extremely basic.

I’ve recently also signed up for a mentor scheme in my department too (again grateful it’s free) and was matched with someone senior at work. However the mentor is too busy to ever arrange something in their diary, and I would feel awful complaining seeing as they don’t owe me anything but just makes me feel more hopeless that nothing is improving my prospects.

Hi there, I am a career transition and self development coach; so sorry to hear you’re still feeling stuck! I work with women who sound just like you, capable, but stuck and motivated to figure it out and make a change. Please search for me on LinkedIn: Latasha Baynham and see if you like what you read. I also have reviews from previous clients on my profile. Hope to connect.