It is our pleasure as Aspire by Sanford staff to guide Sanford employees through every stage of the career development process. We understand that each employee’s journey is unique, and every individual brings their own set of gifts and strengths. Our certified coaches will take you on a journey of exploration as we look at your past accomplishments, your motivational factors and those activities or projects that give you joy! Your talents are many, the question is where will they best fit in the Sanford footprint?

What to expect in a coaching session

• Create a personalized career search plan
• Learn how to utilize search engines to explore career options
• Discover and align personal and professional interests for long-term career success
• Explore your passion and motivational factors through self-discovery
• Define your values and how you can impact your career search

Questions to think about

• If you could choose any profession and be successful, what would you choose?
• What are you most passionate about?
• What is your career purpose?
• Are you comfortable having open dialogue with your leader in regards to your career development aspirations?
• What brings you joy?

Clarity is power, and part of goal planning is figuring out what you want and why you want it. If you do not set precise goals based on precise outcomes with precise timetables, you will fall short of your potential to live the quality of life you are capable of. Your certified Aspire by Sanford coach will encourage you to write personal and career goals that reflect all aspects of your life. Goal setting begins with a strong belief system that anything is possible if you have the courage, commitment and perseverance to achieve your aspirations!

What to expect to cover in a coaching session

• Create a personalized goal plan with achievable and measurable targets
• Learn about how your career intersects with and affects every other aspect of your life, just as your life affects your career
• Encouragement to find the drive and determination to succeed
• Develop a powerful action plan to attain goal achievement

Questions to think about

• If you could choose any job regardless of experience, education or other factors, what job would you choose to do and why?
• Do you have anyone in your life acting as an accountability partner and helping you to achieve your goals?
• What types of challenges are preventing you from achieving your career goals, aspirations, and dreams?
• What goals are worth working towards?

Perhaps your current job is a great fit for your natural strengths and at one time provided motivation, joy and fulfillment. Have you caught yourself looking at your job as something you have to do and not something you get to do? Sometimes a fresh set of eyes can get you back to the original excitement you felt when you first landed your position. Nothing increases job satisfaction like doing something that you love every day. Changing a few small details of your daily routine can transform your attitude and give you a great sense of fulfillment. Our professional certified coaches will encourage you to explore your current job description, to have open and honest communication with your manager and to evaluate the potential for growth and new opportunities.

What to expect to cover in a coaching session

• Evaluate what fulfills you in your current positon
• Redefine the joy in your employment and recapture a positive mindset
• Create a personal mission statement
• Receive tools needed to begin a dialogue with your manager

Questions to think about

• What type of work environment do you thrive in?
• What did you love about your job when you first began?
• What areas of your work bring you joy and fill your satisfaction bucket?
• Are you living up to your full potential in your current job?

The purpose of a resume is to energize readers and prompt them into calling you for an interview. Your resume should draw in the hiring manager and show that you can add genuine value to the department. Your resume needs to be concise but not boring, telling your story in such a way that you stand out from the crowd. The best resumes have quantifiable metrics that show the impact you have had in your previous positions. Our certified Career Coaches have the training and tools to provide you with a fresh, professional resume that will represent your work experience and the skills and gifts you bring forward for future employment. Couple that with a personalized cover letter and your chances of landing the interview increase dramatically.

What to expect in a coaching session

• Personalized professional resume writing and review
• Personalized professional cover letter writing and review
• How to distribute your resume when applying for positions
• What it means to qualify and quantify your previous work experience

Questions to think about

• When is the last time you updated your resume and cover letter?
• Are you keeping up with the current trends and expectations?
• Does your resume fully encompass you as a whole person?
• Does your resume paint the picture of your accomplishments?

The best way to go into an interview confidently is to be prepared! There is NO substitute for preparation. Mock interviews, tips on managing the medium, and research regarding the position are all important steps in the preparation process. Utilizing sample interview questions and a plethora of other resources, your coach will help you go into your next interview poised for success and ready to answer even the most difficult questions. You will also be prepared to ASK important questions that will help ensure that you understand the position and that the interviewer has gained the information needed to properly assess your gifts and skills.

What to expect in a coaching session

• Mock interviews focused on teaching technique and confidence
• To practice a variety of typical questions asked in an interview setting
• Tips to have a professional presence on an online interview
• Learn what research is important to conduct before an interview

Questions to think about

• What questions do you typically prepare to ask at the end of the interview to the interview panel?
• Do you network with the company representatives prior to the interview?
• When you think about the interview, are you nervous, excited or ambivalent?
• Can you give an elevator speech on who you are and how you add value?
• Have you thought about how you can dress for success?

From the moment you make initial contact, you are negotiating. You may not be discussing money openly, but you are making a permanent impression on the hiring authorities. Your confidence level, perceived self-esteem and ability to communicate correlates with the salary you will be offered. Through compensation analysis, your certified coach will help you explore the salary range in your geographical area and determine if the position would be lateral or an upward move. You will also explore your personal needs, your values and your non-negotiable factors. The key to successful negotiation is to understand both your “economic value” and your value-added dimension, which you will explore in depth in your coaching sessions.

What to expect in a coaching session

• Guidance in preparing for a negotiation to receive the best offer
• Create a list of the assets you bring to an organization and how to communicate them effectively
• How to structure a counter negotiation and quantify your reasoning
• Learn how to accentuate your economic value as well as your value added dimension

Questions to think about

• Have you negotiated before and what were the results?
• Have you researched common salary ranges for this position ahead of time?
• Have you considered other determining factors, besides pay, that would deter you from accepting a position?
• Are you prepared with a salary range that you would be comfortable accepting?

Sanford Health supports lifelong learning by offering financial support for employees who are continuing education in a field that can enhance their contribution to our organization. If you are looking to further your education, gain certification or simply explore upskilling options, your certified coach will connect you with subject matter experts who can help you attain the coursework or skills you need to take yourself to the next level in your career journey.

What to expect in a coaching session

• Align your current skills with the future skills you need for your next job
• Connect to additional educational resources throughout the Sanford enterprise
• Learn about sponsorship and incentive programs offered through Sanford workforce development

Questions to think about

• Have you thought about going back to school or earning a certification?
• What additional skills do you need to obtain the next position that you desire?
• What educational opportunities are offered in your current position to help you reach your long term career goals?

Hiring authorities often perform Google searches before they offer employment. Your coach will help you monitor your online identity and ensure that you don’t have any “digital dirt.” Positive and active online involvement on Facebook, Instagram, and especially LinkedIn is key in a successful job search. When used to its fullest potential, LinkedIn can be a valuable tool to gain recommendations and endorsements from teammates and past employers.

What to expect in a coaching session

• Have your social media accounts galvanized by a Career Coach
• Assistance with establishing a LinkedIn account for networking and career exploration
• Receive a personalized approach to creating a professional online presence

Questions to think about

• When posting photos, creating posts, or commenting on other accounts, do you think about who can see what you post/comment?
• Are your social media accounts set to private or public?
• Do you use social media for searching career options?

Effective networking by far remains the number one employment source for both identifying and securing employment in America. Networking can be challenging because of social conditioning and imposed fears, but your coach is ready with tips and tricks to get you out of your comfort zone. Building a list of those contacts you already have and developing a strategy to engage new contacts will bring you closer to achieving your aspirations. You will also be coached on how to seek out Professional Career Development Dialogues that will help you explore potential opportunities for career development. The process with include a 60-second infomercial or elevator speech that best describes who you are and the gifts and values you bring to the enterprise.

What to expect in a coaching session

• Discover your inner and outer networking group
• Establish a network plan to increase your networking circle
• Templates to use when building your network circle
• Learn how to request and initiate professional career development dialogues

Questions to think about

• What professional associations or organizations are you a member of?
• What types of people would I need to connect with who could assist me in achieving my aspirations?
• How often do you reach out to other people to talk about potential career opportunities?
• If you do have a LinkedIn account, how active are you in the application?