Questions? Check out these frequently asked questions.
Q: How is the NextStep program structured?
A: NextStep coaching programs are adaptive to your needs, but here is a general outline.
Grad School Admissions:
- Career Path and School Selection (1 hour)
- Resume (2-3 hours)
- LinkedIn Profile and Search Techniques (1-2 hours)
- Networking Connections and Strategy (2 hours)
- Essays (3-5 hours)
- Mock Interviews (2-3 hours)
Career Coaching
- Career Path Identification & Selection (1-3 hours)
- Networking; 30 Second Pitch; Strategically Building Your Network, Informational Interviews (1-2 hours)
- Resume Design (2-3 hours)
- LinkedIn Profile, Optimization, & Search Techniques (1-2 hours)
- Cover Letter (1-2 hours)
- Interviewing: Standard, Behavioral/Fit, and Business Cases (2-4 hours)
- Compensation Negotiation (1 hour)
Q: How long are the sessions?
A: Sessions can be booked in 30-minute increments, although typically clients will book at least an hour on a weekly basis. Clients often want longer sessions prior to a major interview or when crafting MBA admissions essays, which we also accommodate!
Q: What if I land my dream internship or job and I haven’t used all the hours in my package?
A: Package hours never expire! If you’re in school, you can use them the following year leading up to recruiting. If you’ve graduated, you can use them any time in the future when you’re ready to brush up your materials or make a career change. Remaining hours are also transferable to a sibling.
Q: How/where are coaching sessions conducted?
A: We’re flexible, but typically we do sessions via phone or Skype/FaceTime/Google Hangouts. We like to use GoogleDocs or Cisco WebEx for live editing to resumes and other documents.
Q: What’s “resume design”?
A: Resume design means creating an individualized resume or portfolio that fits the job or school to which you are applying. Because we know how recruiters read resumes, we make sure that you pass automated resume screens and also stand out when the recruiter picks up your application. We work with you to create a document that shows off your best accomplishments in a memorable way, kind of like a highlight reel for your career.
Q: Do you offer templates for resumes, cover letters, or other professional communications?
A: Yes, we do have templates for you to use to get started. However, what makes NextStep unique is that we don’t just drop a template in your inbox and leave you to figure it out on your own. Instead, we work with you to create personalized content so that everything you write makes you shine.
Q: Can I change the order or timing of my sessions – for instance, if I get a job interview halfway through the coaching process?
A: Of course! This flexibility is one of the many perks of 1:1 coaching. Just let us know a few days in advance.
Q: Do you guarantee that I will get a job?
A: Guarantees from a career coach that you’ll get a job afterward might sound like a good thing, but they are actually pretty unethical. When a career coach guarantees that you will get a job, they have every incentive to make you apply to jobs that are easy to fill but that don’t fit your true interests or aspirations. Our job is to encourage you to dream big and then teach you the tactical steps you need to take the next step. That said, almost all of our clients who commit to the process and work hard DO end up with offers.
Q: Shouldn’t my college’s career center be helping me with this?
A: College career centers are under-resourced. A 2014 study by Millennial Branding and InternMatch, showed that the average ratio of students to career service professionals is 1,889 to one. And while 64 percent of students found their college career services accessible, more than half said career services are “never or rarely effective in helping them land a job” and are “never or rarely helpful in helpful in helping them figure out a career path.” That’s why 1:1 coaching really matters! It offers you the individualized attention that college career centers simply can’t provide.