Very few us of have had our vocations choose us, and at a young age. For the rest of us, we’ve grown up playing make believe, imagining careers – a doctor, teacher, race car driver (me), a soccer superstar (my nephew) or a Ghostbuster (my other nephew).

There was a time when we followed the footsteps of our parents or ancestors and that was that. The modern and connected world means that we have many choices – whether you believe it or not. We learn many things in school but we’ve never been given the tools to navigate the working world and make career decisions.

Using a career coach seems like a luxury item but it’s become a necessity. People sometimes need training help to present themselves well during the interviews and resume. The skills used to write resumes, do great at interviews and negotiate a salary are often different from the skill sets required to perform well at the job. And what if you are seeking a fulfilling career or one that better supports you or your family – when were we ever taught how to navigate that journey? “People see the need for coaching or advising with respect to their taxes, financial management, legal services, even their golf game but it has never occurred to most to seek professional career counselling or job transition coaching. Without guidance, it’s very easy to fall off course or miss opportunities on your journey towards career satisfaction.” Source: CACEE, 2015

Working with a career coach means one-on-one customized supportive learning environment where the coach is the partner who provides focus, encouragement and a means to take action.

Consider hiring me if you are:

• getting advice from everywhere and everyone and can’t figure out the path forward
• have read books, blogs, attended workshops or seminars but don’t have an action plan to work with
• applying for jobs and haven’t received the number of interviews you were expecting – or any at all
• attending interviews but have yet to receive a job offer
• unhappy with your job or your current career path
• wanting to get promoted but don’t know how or consistently get overlooked
• in school and not sure what you want to do for a career, or where you can with your area of study
• wanting to go to school but not sure in which area of study
• willing to put in the time and effort to reach your coaching goals, at least 2 hours a week outside of 1:1 coaching time
• ready to take ownership of your situation and move forward

To present yourself in the way that gets you hired, obtain your next promotion or figure out what you want to do when you “grow up” (no matter your age!), I can help with my years of experience as a people manager, director, Human Resources professional, former recruiter and career coach.

My name is Helen Luketic and my world is all about Talent Management.  While I have enjoyed working in HR for the past 17 years, at the twelve-year mark I was also somewhat unfulfilled with my career. My original career goal was to help people in the world of work and working in HR meant that I was working on behalf of the business and not necessarily the employee. I began my own career exploration process when happenstance intervened – I came to realize that I’ve always helped people work towards their career goals in my free time. I have always believed that there are times when people should seek assistance exploring their professional future; with the right advisor they could find their best path forward. After realizing that I had both the talent and passion to guide people in their education and career choices, and that there is a demand for these services, I enrolled in Simon Fraser University’s Career Development Practitioner Certificate Program.

As an in-house corporate recruiter, I got an in-depth look at the hiring process within an organization. From behind the scenes I learned which resumes grabbed a recruiter’s attention, what the best candidates said during interviews and how managers made their hiring decisions. I often considered myself a job matchmaker – I learned to get to know a person so well during an interview that I knew whether they were the best fit for the job, team and company. More often than not the people I hired were successful and remained at the company for several years.

From my recruiting days to today I have used my growing knowledge to counsel students and professionals on the career exploration and job search process, and teaching skills such as resume writing, interviewing, salary negation and social networking.

A Certified Career Development Practitioner through the BC Career Development Association, I adhere to the Career Development Practitioner code of ethics and Career Development Practitioner Standard & Guidelines.