Finding the right career or a new job

Is it time to get back to work? Or do you want a new job or maybe even a new career direction? How do you know what’s the right career for you? I’ve been there – more than once actually, having changed my career at least four times. Each change was driven by necessity: bad jobs, changing career landscapes, babies and – yes – the trailing spouse conundrum. Each time, I felt lost and alone, and a little bit scared. I personally think the whole “What should I do with my life?” question is one of the most stressful questions of all for most people. We all want to feel fulfilled and useful, but the path isn’t always clear.

A different kind of career coach

Over the years, I really could have used the help of a company like Matchfit Consults. What’s Matchfit? It’s a career coaching company that can support you in your quest to find the right career, help you meet your personal work goals and guide you into a new role by looking at all your options. But they aren’t just like every other career coach.

For starters, they look at finding career happiness for people as more than a job; more like a mission. “People’s happiness at work is partly dependent on company culture,” explains Managing Director LILLIAN LATTO. “Workplace happiness is co-dependent on an organisation’s health. It’s the heart of the matter. But also, the company’s values and beliefs need to correlate with the employee’s belief system. And, of course, people need to be true to themselves and be who they are really, not who they think others want them to be.”

Their job is to try to help you figure all that out. Who are you really and what will make you happy? Is a new career the answer? Maybe. The answer isn’t always obvious. With their corporate clients, they focus on figuring out who the company is and what it will take to make it healthy so that the employees are happy.

See? It all goes back to everybody being happy at work.

The method

So how do they do this coaching anyway? Matchfit has a number of programmes specifically designed to support career transition – even career transformation so that you find the right career. These include the Career Preparation Coaching Program and an Engagement Lifestyle Coaching Program. Both are step-by-step plans with built-in accountability to help you reach your goal.

“We’ve been around the block a few times. We’ve lived in Singapore for a lot of years. We’re experienced, and we’re tried and tested,” says Lillian. “More so, I think clients engage us because of our approach and results. Connection and relationship are at the centre of everything we do. We hear and see the unspoken word. Sometimes it’s what is not being said that needs addressing. We need to shine the light on the fears and unearth the challenges.”

What can coaching tackle?

Coaching doesn’t just mean telling somebody what to do. Rather, the goal is to help you figure out what you want and how to get there, to unlock the real you. The goal is to help you discover the right career for you. Here are the kinds of things they can help you with:

• Career coaching
• Executive and leadership coaching
• Business and organisational coaching
• Getting the real you on your resume
• Raising visibility
• Identifying transferable skills
• Suggesting aligned industries
• Interview coaching
• Engagement coaching
• Supporting re-entering the workforce
• Easing the transition to working in Asia
• Developing a career strategy plans
• Organisational development
• Leadership and management Training

Is coaching for you?

Sure, executives are often the ones who seek support, but career coaching can be for anybody who wants to make a change – no matter where they are on the career ladder.

“There’s nothing quite like reaching our clients’ objectives, celebrating each milestone, every breakthrough and all of the achievements along the way. It’s incredibly humbling to be a part of it,” says Lillian.

To see if Matchfit is right for you, log onto matchfitconsults.com.

Want to learn more about working in Singapore? Check out this article.

Melinda Murphy

Melinda does Special Projects for Expat Living which includes pulling together big stories, videos — all sorts of cool stuff. It all builds on her background as a television correspondent, producer and author back in the US. Her life is kind of a special project, too, with two young kids, an old dog, a ridiculous number of volunteer activities — and a very understanding hubby.