12 Thought Provoking Career Coaching Questions 1 Year Ago · 5 min read

Talyaa Vardar

Talyaa Vardar, MA, FCPC, MCC
Executive Coach, Psychologist & Art Therapist

Career coaching is all about helping individuals achieve their professional goals and overcome obstacles that stand in the way of their success. As a career coach, one of your primary responsibilities is to ask thought-provoking questions that help your clients gain clarity and insight into their career paths.

If you are a job seeker or looking for the next stage of your career, you can coach yourself by asking these questions to yourself. They provide great insight for gaining clarity and help you design a map.

Here are twelve such questions that can help individuals explore their career goals and aspirations:

1. What motivates you in your current job?

This question can help individuals identify what they enjoy about their current work and what drives them to perform at their best. It can also help them understand what they value in a job and what they want to avoid in future roles.

2. What are your long-term career goals?

This question can help individuals identify their aspirations for their career, including what they hope to achieve and the skills they want to develop. It can also help them understand what steps they need to take to achieve their goals.

3. What are your greatest strengths, and how can you leverage them to achieve success in your career?

This question can help individuals identify their natural talents and abilities. It can also help them understand how they can use their strengths to achieve their career goals.

4. What are your weaknesses?

This question can help individuals identify areas where they need to improve or where they may struggle. It can also help them understand how to address these weaknesses in order to achieve their career goals.

5. What are your core values, and how do they align with your career goals?

This question can help individuals identify their core beliefs and principles. It can also help them understand what is important to them in their work and what they want to prioritize in their careers.

6. What kind of work environment do you thrive in? What is your ideal job or career path, and what steps do you need to take to get there?

This question can help individuals identify the type of workplace culture that they work best in. It can also help them understand what they want to look for in future job opportunities.

7. What are your transferable skills?

This question can help individuals identify the skills they have developed in their current job that can be applied to other roles or industries. It can also help them understand what skills they need to develop in order to achieve their career goals.

8. What do you want to learn next? What are your preferred learning styles, and how can you use them to continue developing your skills and knowledge?

This question can help individuals identify areas where they want to grow and develop professionally. It can also help them understand what skills they need to acquire in order to advance in their careers.

9. What are your passions?

This question can help individuals identify the things they enjoy doing most. It can also help them understand what kind of work they want to pursue and what kind of impact they want to make.

10. What are your career non-negotiables, such as work-life balance or ethical considerations, and how can you prioritize them in your job search or career planning?

This question can help individuals identify the things they will not compromise on in their careers, such as work-life balance, salary, or location. It can also help them understand what they need to look for in future job opportunities.

11. What are your biggest fears or obstacles when it comes to pursuing your career goals, and how can you overcome them?

This question can help individuals identify the things that may be holding them back in their careers, such as fear of failure or fear of change. It can also help them understand how to overcome these fears in order to achieve their career goals.

12. What kind of legacy do you want to leave? How do you define success in your career, and what steps can you take to achieve it while maintaining your personal values and priorities?

This question can help individuals identify the kind of impact they want to make in their careers. It can also help them understand what they want to be remembered for and what kind of difference they want to make in the world.

By answering these thought-provoking career coaching questions, you can gain clarity on your career goals, strengths, and weaknesses, and develop a plan to achieve success on your terms. Remember, career coaching is not about finding the "perfect" job, but about finding the best fit for your unique skills, values, and priorities.

And if you’re using these questions as a career coach, your role is to listen carefully and guide them in developing a meaningful career plan to help them design a better future in their career journey.