Career coach, life coach, career counselor, recruiter… what’s the difference?

Last month, I shared an article about what a career fulfillment coach is, and how they can help you find clarity. This month, I wanted to dig a little deeper on this topic, as there are so many people in the career coaching adjacent space, and sometimes it can get a little confusing! If you’ve ever wondered about the difference between a career coach, a life coach, a career counselor, a recruiter, and a career clarity coach or career fulfillment coach (as I refer to myself), read on!

I’m sure there are formal definitions somewhere, but here’s how I break these things down for people who are curious about what I do and how it intersects with others:

CAREER COACH: There are so many different types of coaches that fall within the “career coaching” umbrella. Some are more “figure out what you should do” coaches. Others are more “placement side” coaches, who are focused on helping you land the job or land the interview. Many career coaches seem to focus on using tools such as MBTI, DISC, StrengthsFinder, etc, to help you find your perfect match. Since there are so many coaches that fall within the career coaching bucket, I think it’s essential to clarify what it is that you’re looking for! Do you want someone to run some tests and tell you what to do? Do you want someone to check your skills and where they map, suggesting some paths forward? Do you want someone to help update your resume? The more you can hone in on what it is that you want and need, the easier it is to find a coach who is your perfect fit!

LIFE COACH: There are also so many different types of life coaches out there! You could probably find a coach geared towards any specific pain point you’re feeling if you give it a Google. That said, generally life coaching falls within a similar scope as above, but more life/“figure yourself out”-related. Less focused on careers.

CAREER COUNSELOR: Career Counselors are the umbrella term I use for folks who are typically quite focused on taking inventory, saying “here are your skills, here are your interests, here are your paths forward”. I tend to think of them like college counselors, if you’ve ever been to one. “Here are your SAT scores and grades, here’s where you can go”. In my experience, a lot of the folks who work in career services at universities tend to align with this focus.

RECRUITER: Recruiters are the people who are focused on getting you in the door! If you know what job you want, they’re the person to help you find it. Recruiters can be extremely beneficial, though in my experience, they seem to work best if you’re clear on what it is you’re looking for. They want to fill their open roles, so personally I think it’s important to have your finely tuned lens of what is a “yes” job vs what is a “no” job for you, because otherwise you run the risk of being pushed towards something that isn’t a good fit.

CAREER FULFILLMENT OR CAREER CLARITY COACH: This is the bucket that I put myself in. I’m not sure if these are official terms anywhere, to be honest, but a few years back I realized that it was important for me to find some language for what I do beyond “career coach”, as my focus is pretty unique! My focus is on helping people sort out what it is that they actually want and need for their careers. To turn inwards so they can figure out what it is that would actually make them happy! For the people I work with, they’ve been living with the pressure of what they “should” be doing for far too long, making the “right” choices by external standards, but feeling unhappy, unfulfilled, and disengaged from their work as a result of it! What I do is focused on the inner work of alleviating pressure and trusting yourself again, so it’s more like career coaching meets life coaching, I suppose. You can read more about the focus of this work here. 

So, does this insight help? 

If you’re feeling like you need support with your career, I think it’s essential to make sure you’re going to the right person! If you can narrow down what it is that you’re looking for, you’ve gotten past one of the biggest hurdles.

Are there any other titles in this space that have confused you in the past? If so, drop them in the comments below!

To finding your perfect match!

P.S. If a career fulfillment coach or a career clarity coach is what you’re looking for, I’m here for you! Feel free to shoot me an email to tell me what’s been going on at Chris@BeEmpoweredAchievers.com