September Newsletter | Ask the Career Coach & Therapist: Five Questions for Jessica Sweet, Executive Career Coach for Midlife Leaders at Wishingwell Coaching

This month I had the pleasure of interviewing Career Therapist and Coach Jess Sweet. Jess has a great reputation, and we have known of each other for years. So, it was fun to virtually sit down and truly share notes. Here is what we talked about:

1.      So, Jess, how would you describe your practice?

I am a unique combination of therapist and career coach who focuses on the intersection of career and emotions. Many of my clients have experienced debilitating anxiety that can lead to them becoming overwhelmed at work. Others are trying to cope with toxic environments that have turned what could have been a good job into something unbearable.

Because I focus on addressing feelings, I am effective helping clients who suffer from imposter syndrome, are experiencing anxiety, or who may be dealing with rejection.

By accounting for both skills and emotions, I can help my clients better establish career direction, prepare for job interviews, execute professional networking, and develop personal brands.

2.      How did you get your start?

I like to call it a “happy accident!” I knew I enjoyed the whole idea of helping people through my years of experience as a licensed clinical social worker. But when my two kids were born, working a traditional onsite work schedule didn’t make a lot of sense. It was then that I began to explore roles that would let me continue to coach people, but in a remote/virtual model.

I decided on career coaching because I had grown up with a dad who hated his job. I saw the impact that his career misery had on him and those close to him. It became my mission to help people like my dad.

That was 16 years ago! Since then, I have coached hundreds of clients to land 6 figure jobs doing work that aligns with their values, skills, and experience. I have helped several others start their own successful businesses.

3.      What makes you different from other career coaches?

I have strong credentials as a therapist, having been trained at a Harvard Medical School affiliated hospital. This allows me to identify and address deep seated psychological issues that may be undermining confidence, performance, and job satisfaction.

Also, it is somewhat common for clients to continue to work with me post-transition to take more control over their career potential and optimize their work-life balance.

My insights have been shared in several leading business and career publications, including Forbes, U.S. News and World Report, The Huff Post, CNBC, Business Insider, and Monster.com. I have been named as a Top 25 Career Coach by the Forbes Coaches Council.

4.      What would I hear in conversation that should trigger a referral to you?

“This job is killing me!!!” is probably what most of my clients feel when they reach out. This may be the result of issues within the work environment such as a bad boss or toxic work culture or be attributed to factors within the person themself that are negatively impacting their situation.

The reality is that it can be quite challenging to know when a situation can be turned around or when the only course of action is to move on to something else. Focusing on my clients’ self-awareness is the best way to help them to pinpoint the true source of distress to create an effective and long-reaching strategy to move forward.

You may hear that a job seeker has been diagnosed with, or suspects that they are being held back by, anxiety, depression or ADHD. Not many career coaches are formally trained to provide the right balance of therapy and coaching needed to move people with these conditions forward in a meaningful way.

I also specialize in “career comebacks” for those who want to ramp back up after having taken a career break or a step back because of burnout or stress.

5. How might you collaborate or refer to other career and job search/resume coaches?

There are many great career coaches out there who may need someone like me to handle the emotions and other psychological “messy stuff” that may be impeding their ability to move a client forward.

I will refer out prospective clients who require extensive vocational testing to determine their true calling. I prefer to help clients establish career direction through my ability to guide productive self-reflection and through a “mini-360” program to reconcile those personal insights with how they are seen by others.

While I do help clients to define personal brands and career direction, I don’t love writing resumes and cover letters. I partner well with coaches who do that work as our services are often complementary.

Who is Jessica Sweet?

As a career coach and licensed therapist, Jess helps her clients to navigate their stickiest career issues to reach their goals. Whether they have endured a toxic or dysfunctional workplace, need to “manage up,” or hold mindset blocks related to their job search or career change, she can help.

Jess’s 16 years of experience as a coach, combined with her therapy training at a Harvard Medical School affiliated hospital, has prepared her to help her clients overcome even the toughest situations. While she is US based, Jess has worked with clients throughout Canada and the world at large.

Her insights on careers have been featured in places like CNBC, Forbes, Fast Company, Hay House Radio, Business Insider, and more.

She is a member of the Forbes Coaches Council, an exclusive membership for top coaches.

Check out Jess’s website: https://wishingwellcoach.com/

Job Guy’s Search Tip of the Month

An unlimited number of factors can negatively impact a job or career and there are coaches out there who specialize in addressing the specific factor that may be holding you back. How do you figure out who the best coach is for you? Check out my most recent blog post, that is how!

A Favorite LinkedIn Testimonial

Debra is a senior manager in finance who had been stuck in a series of jobs that were fine function-wise, but were not aligned well with her business ethics, management style, or overall corporate culture. She had launched a consulting practice which allowed her to pick and choose her own engagements. Our new mission was to build that practice into something sustainable:

“With a sense of humor and frequent "reality checks" John was able to get me on the road to new and exciting career opportunities when I was so miserably employed I couldn't tie my shoes without a yank and a tug of sheer anger and frustration! Not even 3 months later, I'm off and running on my resurrected consultancy practice, and I have John to thank. (My therapist, as usual, contributed nothing of value and she cost me twice as much!)
 
It was amazing to me how well John read me when he wrote the first draft of my resume. I couldn't believe how much insight he had about the "real me" after just a couple of telephone conversations and how adeptly he worked the "real me" into the documents he prepared to communicate MY personal brand. What a talent, what a gift!
 
Despite some "close calls" on full-time permanent job opportunities, I kept hearing John's voice and his encouragement in the back of my mind observing that I would get so much more (professionally, personally and financially) out of consulting as had been the case for me several years in the past. John knew just how to "position" me for marketing my services and closing on new engagements and I am well on my way back to a lucrative (and fun!) practice.”