Alyson Garrido, a Career Coach, works with clients to identify their strengths and create a path to a more fulfilling career. She is a Professional Certified Coach with the International Coaching Federation which means that she completed over 125 hours of training and more than 500 hours of coaching.
Alyson enjoys the work that she does so much. Depending on a client’s needs, she uses a combination of coaching and consulting. When coaching, her job is to ask her clients the right questions to help them find their own answers. When she is consulting, she provides advice and guidance.
Tell us about your life before the venture/ leading up to your venture?
Prior to starting my practice I worked in Human Resources and managed the annual performance review process. This is a time of year that most people dread and I enjoyed it so much. For me, it was very gratifying to empower people who were reluctant to give feedback to have impactful career conversations.
Tell us something about your organization. What is it about and how is it helpful for people?
My work is all about supporting people to find a job they will enjoy. I take a strengths-based approach with my clients to identify work that lights them up and we create a clear action plan to land the right role. Through looking at strengths some people determine that they’d like to make a big change, others just need to have a conversation with their leader about how their role could have more of what they enjoy and maximize where they add value to the organization.
I like the strengths-based approach especially because it gives people an anchor when looking for something new can feel so overwhelming. Oftentimes many opportunities look like they may be a fit. Strengths are a place to go back to and evaluate a position or organization. Looking at strengths also allows my client to develop impactful stories for interviews that really demonstrate what they bring to a team.
What has been the response of the consumers towards your venture?
It’s rare to find someone who has not been at a crossroads in their lives or careers at one time or another, so both my clients and people I tell about my work say how needed this kind of support is. People really appreciate having a coach who is an impartial person in their corner with no agenda, just the tools to help them find clarity and then put their ideas into action. I’ve also been a mentor for other coaches and coach trainers. It is such an honor to share my experience with peers in the coaching industry.
How has your life changed because of your venture?
I get to do work that I love every single day. I have a tremendous amount of variety working with different clients as well as delivering workshops and partnering with organizations that I believe in. It’s also allowed me to be mobile and move from the United States to New Zealand and Spain without changing jobs or disrupting my work with current clients and organizations. Many people think that working for yourself is risky, but my work is diversified so I can be flexible when things change. I don’t rely on one organization, person or even skillset to sustain my business. For me, this diversification brings stability and flexibility that I really enjoy.
Give a motivational message for the audience/women who are reading this.
Remember to be yourself when looking for a new job. We tend to think that interviews are a performance, but if you show up as the best version of yourself that is enough to find the right role. Finding a new job is like any relationship, you get to know each other and ask the right questions to help decide if you’d both like to make a commitment.
