I think that if I had to describe Karen Pappas in a phrase, it would be “a force in nature”. Throughout my long career I never once considered consulting a career coach. COVID-19 changed that! I was furloughed from my position in March of 2020. I had an agenda for what I intended to do over the months following my furlough: Learn a foreign language, pursue my photographic hobby, and consult a career coach. I wanted to move on from where I had come to (and stalled) in my career so, through LinkedIn, I contacted and interviewed seven career coaches. Karen Pappas was the first potential career coach I interviewed. It so happened that she was the gold standard by which all the others were judged…not once during the other interviews did I waver in my belief that I had found the career coach that I needed in Karen.
In my initial contact with Karen, she listened! She told me that she had done work with late-career changers and that she had not worked with people in my industry but was very interested in the work that I did. The other interviewees were more interested in telling me about themselves and their accomplishments than in me. Karen got the job…she listened! We went right to work setting a timeline and a management-by-objectives plan.
Our initial meeting was in person and the following meetings were virtual. One very valuable part of our working relationship was Karen required that I carry my share of the load in the process. She drew out of me how we would together craft my image by assigning me projects and having me take personality tests.
Karen helped me identify strengths as well as areas of my style that needed improvements. As a result of our sessions and assignments, Karen led me to a professional confidence that I had not experienced over my long career. Karen and her partner, Dave, helped me to totally reconstruct my resume into a document that I am very proud to display. If you are considering a change within your career or a change of careers, I would highly recommend that you consult CareerMode®, a truly professional firm. Their consulting fees are extremely reasonable and their results are stellar.
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