Work 1-on-1 with Career Coach Connie Ma

A career coach can:

• Help you define your desired professional goals and help you articulate when you've achieved them

• Guide you to explore thinking, resources and strategies around making them happen

• Reflect on the kind of person you want to become through achieving these goals

As a career coach, I offer two sorts of help:

• By offering career tools, frameworks, and expert knowledge, I will guide you in exploring careers, developing your career, and securing your next job

• By bringing a coaching mindset, I will help you develop your ability to be a self-aware, self-directed learner in your professional life. 

  • You won't always have a coach working with you, or even a professor, mentor, or friend looking out for you in the working world. 

  • How will you make career decisions? Set goals? Execute plans? Understand your own priorities? 

  • Our end goal will be for you to feel confident because you know you have what it takes to figure it out on your own.

As a career coach, I have worked with young adults and early-career professionals on the entire range of career and education-related issues. 

If you're having trouble figuring out what you want to discuss, consider the magic wand experiment. If you could wave a magic wand and change one thing about your current education or career situation, what would you change? 

While I am not a certified magician, we can focus on this change, address the underlying issues, and move toward actions you can take to make it a reality. 

Here is a sampling of what we might address in a coaching session:

• Thinking about your priorities for how to use a summer internship

• Diagnosing the right time and reasons to move on from your first job

• Preparing for an upcoming college internship interview with a mock interview

• Reflecting on your work experience and what graduate school options might be a good fit

• Understanding how to select a college major

• Evaluating your full-time job search strategy and brainstorming on how to use networking and other soft skills

Yes, you can. During an initial career coaching session, we will typically discuss:

• What you're currently doing (job title and industry, current school/ degree, on the full-time job search, etc.).

• What current situation or career challenge you would like to most like to address

• What you are most looking for in your next chapter, and why

• What questions you have for me

At the end of the session, you can share your biggest takeaways and make commitments for yourself. 

Afterwards, if you find this a valuable conversation, we can determine together the scope of your career goals and if a coaching commitment is the right way for you to get closer to them.

If you decide to navigate the next steps in your career independently, this conversation can also prepare you for that journey ahead. 

If this sounds like what you are looking for, you can book a complimentary 60-minute career coaching conversation with me here. 

I offer coaching sessions of 30-60 minutes each for both short-term (2-3 months) and longer-term (4-6 months) coaching commitments. Sessions can be spaced out to suit your needs. I recommend sessions every 2 to 4 weeks so that you have time to work on your commitments. 

My standard hourly rate is $150 US, and can be discounted for longer coaching commitments. 

Each coaching commitment includes:

• Steady support in finding the next job that you want

• Exclusive videos and templates teaching networking and other soft skills

• Asynchronous email support and responses within 24 hours

• Reviewing and editing of outreach and job search materials (including cold call DMs, emails, resume, cover letter, portfolio, etc.) within 48 hours

If you simply wish to work with me to get my help in editing your job application materials, I am available on a case-by-case basis for a lower hourly rate. 

You can check out my Testimonials page to learn about what my clients are sharing. Here are a few selected excerpts:

• "Connie supported me during my job search journey from Japan to the U.S. at a very tough time in the market. I knew little to nothing about the U.S. job market, and she helped me navigate the entire process and within four months, I had an offer and was flying to Chicago for a role I'm now very happy in."

• "Working with Connie was an amazing experience! As a young college student trying to navigate the job search, I often felt overwhelmed and unsure of my next steps. Connie’s coaching gave me not only practical advice but also a new level of confidence in myself and my career path."

• "The session was extremely insightful and helped me clearly define my next steps. Connie listened very carefully and attentively, which made it easy to openly share my situation. She provided practical advice that I can immediately apply, especially around career strategy and negotiation. I left the conversation with much more clarity and confidence."

• "Overall, I found working with Ms. Ma to be extremely beneficial, and an experience that I strongly recommend to high school students, particularly juniors and seniors."

• People looking exclusively for specialized advice and suggestions: As a career coach, I can help you come up with options, but your career decisions are your responsibility. You need to learn what your decision-making process is and begin to trust yourself. 

• People looking for expertise in tech, management consulting, or finance recruiting and want to be guided through that process.

• People looking for structured help in applying to undergraduate or graduate degrees: I can recommend a college or graduate school admissions consultant for you! 

• People who are senior level or C-suite professionals looking for executive or leadership coaching: I can also recommend someone for you!