National Career Coach Day Date in the current year: January 8, 2024

The term “coach” refers to an experienced person who helps a learner or client achieve a specific personal or professional goal. The term originated in sports but is now used in many other fields including performing arts and acting, healthcare, education, business, and relationships.

A career coach, also known as career guide, is someone who has experience and expertise in employment and hiring practices, and uses it, as well as their communication skills, to help clients find the right approach to achieving their professional goals and overcoming career challenges. Career coaches help people who feel stuck in their professional development, are not sure how to ask for a long-deserved promotion or a raise, want to find a new job or change careers, return to work after a long break, want to build new skills or start a business, etc.

How exactly can a career coach help you? Their main task isn’t to give you a ready solution; a career coach is more of a guide or a mentor who uses a variety of techniques to help clients shift their perspectives and find the right answers to their questions themselves. However, career coaches do give some practical advice you can use. A career coach can help you understand your potential and set clear-cut professional goals, review your resume and motivation letter, work with you to improve your interview and negotiation skills, and motivate you to work hard to accomplish your career goals.

National Career Coach Day was founded in 2022 by career coach Angie Callen, the founder of Career Benders. The main goals of the holiday are to educate the general audience about what career coaches do to help people make their professional dreams come true, encourage people to seek help when they feel like they’re stuck on their career path, and ensure that career coaches get the recognition they deserve.

How can you observe National Career Coach Day? There are many ways to recognize and celebrate career coaches. You can learn more about what they do and consider working with a career coach if you think your career will benefit from it. If you’ve already received help from a career coach, send them a thank you card or a small token of appreciation, recommend them to a friend, and share your experiences with a career coach on social media using the hashtag #NationalCareerCoachDay.

Career coaches across the United States celebrate their professional holiday by hosting summits, conferences, seminars, webinars, and other professional events, as well as by providing prospective clients with free tools and resources to give them an insight into what a career coach can do for them.