Career Coaching Models Explained

By Safaa Amer

Why Career Coaching Models Matter?

Career coaching isn’t one-size-fits-all. Master coaches draw from diverse models. Each model is designed to meet you at a specific moment in your journey, whether you’re setting clear goals, navigating a major transition, or reimagining your entire professional identity. Understanding these models helps you make informed choices about the support you need.

The following are some of the approaches shaping career development:

1. GROW Model - Turning Goals Into Action

Best for Building momentum and accountability

The GROW model is straightforward and walks you through four steps:

• G - Goal (what do you want?)

• R - Reality (where are you now?)

• O- Options (what could you do?), and

• W - Way Forward (what will you do?).

  It’s structured, actionable, and perfect when you need to cut through overwhelm and create a clear path forward.

  If you’re someone who thrives with concrete milestones, GROW delivers.

2. OSKAR Model - Turning Problems Into Possibilities

Best for Shifting mindset

The OSKAR model walks you through SMART goals

• O - Outcome (What success look like for you?

• S - Scaling (What would it take to move one step higher on the scale?)

• K - know-how and resources (What resources do you directly have that can support you?)

• A - Action (What are the next steps you will take?)

• R - Review (What progress are you making and what adjustments are needed?)

  If you need clarity and structure guidance to achieve your goals.

3. Cognitive Information Processing (CIP) - Making Clear Decisions in Complex Times

Best for Working through confusion and emotional blocks

CIP recognizes that career decisions aren’t purely logical—they’re influenced by stress, self-doubt, and information overload. This model helps you understand your thinking patterns, expand your knowledge of career options, and develop decision-making skills that account for both facts and feelings.

It’s especially valuable when you feel stuck or when anxiety is clouding your clarity.

4. FUEL Model - High impact in Leadership

Best for Driving performance improvement and facilitating meaningful conversations

• F - Frame (What do you want to achieve from this coaching?)

• U - Understand ( What challenges are you currently facing?)

• E - Explore (What would your ideal outcome look like?)

• L - Layout (What specific actions will you take first?)

  It is useful for executive and leadership coaching to focus on clarity and structure problem solving.

5. Strengths-Based Coaching - Building on What Already Works

Best for Finding energy and alignment

Instead of obsessing over weaknesses, strengths-based coaching asks:

• What do you naturally do well?

• What energizes you?

• How can we build your career around that?

Grounded in positive psychology, this approach helps you design work that feels authentic and sustainable. When you lean into your strengths, performance improves—and so does satisfaction.

6. ACHIEVE Model - Strategy and Long-term success

Best for Career Strategy and building frameworks

• A - Assess (Where are you right now in relation to your goal?)

• C - Collaborate (What strategies have worked for you in the past?)

• H - Hone goals (How can we make this goal more actonable?)

• I - Implement actions (What resources or support do you need?)

• E - Evaluate progress (What process have you made so far and what needs to be adjusted?)

  Goal-oriented methodology with structure and evaluation framework to set, execute, and succeed.

7. Narrative & Career Construction - Rewriting Your Professional Story

Best for Identity shifts and purpose exploration

Your career is more than a resume. It’s a story you’re actively authoring. Narrative and Career Construction models invite deep reflection:

• What themes run through your work history?

• What values guide your choices?

• How do you want the next chapter to unfold?

This approach is powerful during mid-career pivots, when titles and job descriptions no longer capture who you’re becoming.

8. Transition Models - Navigating Endings and New Beginnings

Best for Managing change with compassion

Change is messy. William Bridges’ Transition Framework acknowledges the emotional stages we move through:

• The ending of what was

• The uncomfortable neutral zone where the old is gone but the new hasn’t arrived, and

• The new beginning.

Understanding these stages makes transitions less isolating. You’re not failing, you’re in process… and that deserves support.

From Career Coaching to Career Strategy Coaching

Traditional career coaching focuses primarily on the individual. Meanwhile, career strategy coaching expands the lens to include market realities, future skills, and the evolving world of work.  This means:

• Embracing agility - Learning to pivot as industries shift and new opportunities emerge

• Thinking in skills, not just titles - Identifying transferable strengths that open unexpected doors

• Using data intelligently - Leveraging AI tools to understand market trends, emerging roles, and where your skills are most valued

The Clevera Group Hybrid Model - Where It All Comes Together

At Clevera group, we don’t ask you to choose between science and intuition, data and self-discovery, strategy and soul. We’ve built a framework that integrates the best of proven coaching models with neuroscience, mindfulness, and technology.

Here’s how it works

1.        Mindful Awareness - Building Your Foundation

2.        Data-Driven Clarity - Seeing Your Full Picture

3.        Purposeful Design - Crafting Your Story

4.        Strategic Action - Making It Real

5.        Organizational Impact - You In The Organizational and Job Market Landscape

Why This Approach Works

Careers today aren’t linear, they’re living systems that evolve with you. Sustainable success requires self-awareness, adaptability, market insight, and the courage to act. Clevera group’s hybrid framework brings all of this together.

Our approach is:

• Human-centered: Where we focus on your values, strengths, and story at the core

• Science-backed: Where neuroscience, psychology, and proven coaching models are the foundation

• Strategically smart: Where data, market trends, and future-focused thinking are the basis of information

• Actionable: Where the design is built to create measurable progress, not just insight

This is career coaching for the modern world where bold thinking meets clear strategy, and where you don’t have to choose between head and heart.

Ready to Explore What’s Possible?

Whether you’re navigating a transition, seeking deeper alignment, or preparing for your next big move, Clevera Group is here to partner with you. Let’s design a career that energizes you; one that’s built on your strengths, aligned with your values, and ready for whatever comes next.

AI-Augmented Career & Strategy Coaching

Where neuroscience, mindfulness, and Intelligent Technology unite to Shape purposeful, balance careers.

By Safaa Amer

Why AI Augments Human Centered Coaching?

Artificial intelligence is transforming career development by analyzing skills, optimizing resumes, simulating interviews, and forecasting emerging roles with high precision. But here’s what surprises people: this technological leap isn’t making coaches obsolete. It’s making human connection more essential than ever. By handling the mechanical layers of career management, AI creates space for what technology can never replicate: the work of awareness, meaning-making, and authentic transformation.

At Clevera Group, we view this moment as an invitation to evolve. The future of coaching isn’t just smarter, it’s more conscious. When intelligent tools align with neuroscience, mindfulness, and genuine well-being, something powerful emerges: coaching strengthens both performance and purpose.

The AI Toolkit: What’s Available in 2025

Today’s AI landscape offers specialized tools that elevate both the coach’s efficiency and the client’s insight. Some the r tools available include but are not limited to:

A. For Career Clarity

• Teal – An AI workspace for resume building, job tracking, and skills alignment

• Jobscan – Optimizes resumes to navigate Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS).

B. For Communication & Presence

• Yoodli – Provides real-time feedback on speaking patterns, tone, and confidence

• Big Interview – Helps clients practice and refine interview strategy and delivery.

C. For Coaching Management

• CoachAccountable and Simply.Coach – Secure platforms integrating scheduling, progress tracking, and client metrics

Together, these tools don’t replace the coaching relationship. They enhance it by freeing coaches to focus on the work that matters most.

The Division of Labor: AI and Human Intelligence

The most effective coaching distinguishes between what can be automated and what must remain human.

AI models are good at pattern recognition such as identifying skills gaps, matching roles, and tracking trends at scale. It delivers speed and precision, offering real-time feedback without fatigue or bias. It automates the analytical work that would otherwise consume hours of human attention.

Humans bring emotional intelligence and empathy with the ability to sense unspoken fears and hopes. We offer understanding that balances competing values and trade-offs data can’t capture. We support people connect their personal story with their professional identity, and we provide the accountability and belief that sustains momentum through uncertainty.

AI can analyze; humans actualize. The future of coaching lies in weaving both seamlessly together.

The Clevera Approach: Neuro-Mindful Coaching with Data Analytics

At Clevera Group, technology serves a larger vision. Our methodology integrates neuroscience, mindfulness, and human-centered design to ensure every tool used,  whether AI or human, supports sustainable performance and genuine well-being.

• The Neuroscience of Lasting Change - We help clients understand how their brains learn, adapt, and build new habits. While AI identifies what needs to change such as skills gaps and behavioral patterns, neuroscience reveals how change happens, i.e. how focus sharpens, motivation sustains, and resilience deepens.

• Mindfulness for Self-Awareness - Mindfulness teaches people to pause, observe, and reframe. When clients receive AI feedback, whether from Yoodli’s speech analytics or Teal’s career dashboards, mindfulness helps them interpret the data without self-judgment, transforming information into genuine self-awareness.

• Well-Being as Performance Strategy - Well-being isn’t separate from success; it’s foundational to it. AI tools help track goals and manage workload, while human coaching restores balance between achievement and rest. We design routines that honor both productivity and energy, ambition and renewal.

• Whole-Brain Decision Making - The best career decisions engage both analytical thinking and creative intuition. AI brings clarity and structure; coaching brings alignment with personal values and meaning. Together, they create informed decision-making that are both strategically sound and deeply right when built on high quality data.

The Hybrid Model in Practice

Building on these principles, Clevera’s hybrid model rests on three principles:

• Automate what’s repeatable – Resume optimization, market research, progress tracking 

• Humanize what’s personal – Identity exploration, mindset shifts, emotional resilience 

• Align high quality data with intention – Translate insights into choices guided by purpose and values-driven decisions

This integration creates coaching that is both efficient and deeply meaningful.

Looking Forward: Intelligence Meets Wisdom

AI has brought expanded capability to career coaching. But capability without consciousness and understanding of models and data can’t create true transformation.

The next era isn’t defined by smarter systems alone; it’s defined by wiser integration. When neuroscience explains how we change, mindfulness creates space for that change, and AI illuminates the path forward, coaching becomes a whole-person experience that combines clarity, compassion, and completeness.

At Clevera Group, we believe the future of work demands more than intelligence. It calls for clarity, purpose, and harmony between ambition and well-being. That’s where human potential meets augmented intelligence, and where both truly thrive.

Career Coaching vs Career Strategy Coaching

Which Path is Right For You?

By Safaa Amer

The world of work is changing faster than ever. Markets shift, technologies evolve, and the way we define success continues to transform. In this landscape, simply chasing the next job title isn’t enough. At Clevera Group, I believe that bold minds deserve clear paths, and choosing the right kind of support can make all the difference in your journey.

You’ve probably heard the terms “career coaching” and “career strategy coaching” used interchangeably. While they’re closely related, they serve different purposes and lead to distinct outcomes. Understanding which approach fits your current needs can help you invest your time, energy, and resources where they’ll create the most meaningful impact.

What Is Career Coaching?

Career coaching is practical, action-oriented support designed to help you navigate immediate challenges and achieve specific goals. Think of your coach as your partner in execution, someone who helps you build momentum, stay accountable, and take confident next steps. In summary, when we talk about career coaching, this is what you should be thinking of:

• Focus - Short to mid-term goals like landing a new role, preparing for promotion, or executing an effective job search.

• Approach - Through structured conversations, strengths-based reflection, and direct feedback, I help you clarify what you want and create an actionable plan to get there.

• Typical framework - It takes on average 3 to 6 months with an average of two sessions per month

• Outcome - You’ll walk away with concrete tools, a compelling resume, sharper interview skills, and a clear narrative that positions you effectively in the market.

• Best for - Professionals who know where they want to go but need guidance, accountability, and practical support to make it happen.

What Is Career Strategy Coaching?

Career strategy coaching takes a broader, deeper approach. This isn’t just about your next role; it’s about designing your next chapter. We look together at who you are, where the market is heading, and the meaningful impact you want to create over time. This is where neuroscience-informed insight, market intelligence, and authentic personal brand development come together. Hence, for career strategy, the outlook is as follows:

• Focus - Building long-term career alignment, leadership presence, and strategic resilience that transcend any single job.

• Approach - We start with strategic diagnosis, understanding your values, strengths, and vision, then map that against market realities. Together, we craft an adaptive roadmap that positions you for sustained success and fulfillment.

• Typical framework- It takes approximately 6 months to a year with an average of 2 to 3 sessions depending on stage.

• Outcome- You develop an integrated professional identity, gain clarity on high-impact opportunities, and build the strategic thinking that helps you navigate change with confidence.

• Best for - Established professionals and leaders who are ready for a major pivot, seeking deeper purpose, or wanting to align their work with their authentic values and long-term vision.

How to Choose Your Path?

As you think about your next move, consider the following.

Career Coaching may be right for you if:

• You’re actively seeking a new role or promotion and need practical guidance

• You want to strengthen specific skills like interviewing, networking, or personal branding

• You’re clear on your direction but need accountability and support to execute

• You’re ready to take action and want momentum now

Career Strategy Coaching may be right for you if:

• You’re feeling misaligned in your current trajectory and want to redesign your path

• You’re ready to step into leadership or make a significant career pivot

• You want to build a career that reflects your authentic values and creates lasting impact

• You’re willing to invest in deep reflection, strategic thinking, and purposeful transformation

The good news? These approaches aren’t mutually exclusive. Sometimes you need tactical coaching to navigate an immediate transition, and strategic coaching to design what comes next. What matters most is being honest about where you are and what you truly need right now.

The Clevera Group Approach

At Clevera Group, I bring both perspectives to our work together. Whether you need focused guidance to land your next role or comprehensive strategy to redesign your entire career trajectory, my neuroscience-informed, market-aware approach is designed to help you cut through the noise, build genuine clarity, and move forward with purpose.

I believe that lasting progress begins with clear direction. Your career should honor who you are, leverage your unique strengths, and create the impact you want to see in the world.

Stagility

A Skills-Based Strategy for a Stable and Agile Workforce

By Safaa Amer

The Employment Landscape

Today’s job market is defined by tension. TestGorilla (2025) highlighted that 63% of employers report difficulty finding talent, while 70% of job seekers say it is harder than usual to land a job. A recent strategy adopted by employers to address the shortage and widen the applicant pools is shifting to skills-based hiring and moving away from a qualifications list based on educational degrees. To meet the current job market demands, “stagility” – a blend of “stability” and “agility” – provides a practical framework for both employers and job seekers to navigate skills-first hiring, reskilling, and the future of work. This marks a pivotal moment for career professionals to guide clients and organizations through an evolving landscape.

What is Stagility?

Stagility captures a growing need in the workforce to maintain reliable structures with the right mix of people, roles, and skills that allow organizations to achieve their goals (e.g., workforce composition, job architecture, skills framework, workforce planning, culture, and technology). Such a structure is based on clear job descriptions, relevant skills, and expertise needed for each role. However, it also needs to remain flexible enough to respond to change. It reflects a dual priority, preserving core operations while staying ready to pivot, and is driven by:  

• Technological disruption such as AI, machine learning, and automation, which are reshaping job requirements (Paradis, 2024)

• Changing employee expectations, where workers are prioritizing flexibility, values alignment, and growth opportunities

• Global market volatility, leading organizations to continuously adapt to evolving risks and opportunities

Deloitte’s Human Capital Trends Report (2025) painted a clear picture where 75% of workers seek more stability, and 85% of business leaders believe organizations need more agile ways of working. In parallel, the World Economic Forum Report (2025) revealed that 70% of employers are hiring based on new skill sets and 66% are actively seeking AI competencies.

Stagility becomes a guiding principle in this dynamic environment, which demands a flexible workforce that is stable at the core but ready for what comes next. For employers, it means creating a talent strategy that values adaptable and skills-driven workers (Sigelman et al., 2024). For job seekers, it elevates the need to showcase their transferable skills rather than relying solely on credentials. For career practitioners, it involves proactively working with job seekers to identify areas where upskilling and reskilling are needed to remain relevant and employable.

Employers are Putting Stagility into Practice

Forward-thinking organizations are already putting stagility into practice. For example, Microsoft (Boyd, 2025) maintains strong internal training structures (stability) while continually adapting roles and skills to meet emerging tech demands (agility). A product manager might be hired for core strengths like leadership or data analysis and then reskilled into AI competencies as the company evolves. This internal development approach helps organizations to avoid over-reliance on external hiring, reduce talent gaps, and build a more resilient and loyal workforce. According to ThriveSparrow (n.d.), organizations that prioritize stagility are better equipped to thrive in uncertainty while maintaining operational continuity.

In addition, a wide range of employers are moving away from strict degree requirements in favor of demonstrated abilities and experience, with an increasing shift to skills-based hiring (Bushey, 2024). TestGorilla’s 2025 report found that 53% of employers have dropped degree requirements and 85% are using skills-based hiring models (TestGorilla, 2025). Industries leading the way for skills-based hiring include tech, trades, customer service, and public sector roles. In 2024, 25 states including Massachusetts, Maryland, and Pennsylvania removed degree requirements from government jobs to widen their talent pools (National Governors Association, 2025).

This shift is driven by pressures faced within the labor market. This includes talent shortages, inefficiency in the use of degrees for filtering job applicants (Peterson et al., 2024), and emerging industries like green jobs and AI (Gonzalez & Stephany 2024).

Skills-based hiring results in better hiring outcomes and more inclusive hiring. Statistics show that 90% of companies report fewer hiring mistakes when using skills-first hiring, and 94% of these companies say skill-based hires outperform degree-based hires (Pong, 2024). Skills-based approaches also open doors for self-taught workers and career changers, widening the pool of applicants (Gandall, 2024). However, it is important to note that degrees still matter in highly regulated fields like medicine, law, and engineering.

Practical Strategies for Career Professionals

As skills-based hiring takes hold, career professionals play a critical role in helping clients and organizations develop stagility in a job market where adaptability and skills matter more than ever. The following strategies can strengthen coaching practice, empower job seekers, and support organizations:

1. Support Internal Mobility - Career professionals can work with their clients to identify transferable skills and facilitate reskilling for new roles within an organization. This proactive approach boosts retention and business continuity.

2. Personalize Upskilling Paths - Effective workforce learning must align with both business needs and employee goals. Career professionals can help their clients design development plans that make upskilling relevant and achievable.

3. Promote Future-Ready Career Planning - Career professionals can help individuals map their skills to emerging opportunities, not just traditional job titles. This mindset encourages agility and adaptability in career planning.

4. Leverage Skills-Based Tools - Practitioners can incorporate assessments, digital portfolios, and AI powered career platforms into coaching sessions. This helps clients showcase competencies and align with technologies used for hiring (Gupta & Kaushik, 2024).

5. Harness AI and Build AI Literacy - Career professionals can demystify the way hiring platforms screen for skills, guide their clients to optimize resumes and profiles, and introduce AI tools for job search, career exploration, and upskilling.

Stagility for Building Meaningful and Resilient Careers

The most effective strategies today blend credentials with demonstrated competencies – an approach that values both education and skills.  For career professionals, this shift underscores an opportunity to lead. By embracing stagility, they can help clients build careers that are both meaningful and resilient while supporting organizations in achieving their aspirations. This renders stagility as a powerful concept in which career professionals can strengthen their role as trusted guides in shaping the workforce of the future.

Published on NCDA Career Convergence Web Magazine.

Career Clarity in a Shifting Job Market

Mid-2025 Update on the U.S. Workforce

By Safaa Amer

The U.S. workforce is undergoing a profound transformation in 2025 driven by rapid technological advancements, AI integration, post-pandemic shifts in employee expectations, and growing economic uncertainty both at home and abroad (World Economic Forum, 2025). These forces are changing not just how we work, but who is working and what it takes to succeed.

Public Sector: At the Center of the Storm

No sector has felt the impact more dramatically than the federal government. Following early 2025 guidance from OMB and OPM to reduce the federal workforce by one-third (roughly 700,000 positions), sweeping layoffs and reassignments have followed. By mid-February, over 30,000 federal employees had been laid off. That number surged past 58,500 by mid-July (CNN, 2025).

And that’s just the beginning.

These figures don’t include the dismissal or reassignment of up to 220,000 probationary employees, or the 76,000 employees affected by voluntary early retirement (VERA) and buyout offers. Looking ahead, according to the State of the Federal Workforce (GovExec, July 2025), over 107,000 more federal jobs are expected to be eliminated in FY 2026, with a continued hiring freeze and a stringent 4-to-1 replacement ratio. This marks one of the most significant federal workforce reductions in modern history.

Private Sector Fallout & Economic Ripples

The public sector downsizing has sent shockwaves across industries. Government contractors are downsizing in response to reduced federal spending. According to ADP (June 2025), the private sector lost 33,000 jobs in June. College students are feeling the impact too, with internship opportunities being rescinded. Meanwhile, tech and media firms continue post-pandemic corrections through ongoing layoffs.

Hiring across sectors is slowing under the pressure of:

• Elevated interest rates

• Weakness in manufacturing

• Global economic uncertainty

The accelerating use of AI to replace routine tasks (CNBC, June 2025).

Worker Sentiment: Staying Put, Burning Out

With fewer opportunities on the horizon, voluntary quits have declined. Many workers are opting for internal mobility, reskilling, and role-shifting as a survival strategy. Millennials and Gen Z are reporting rising levels of burnout, navigating constant change while trying to establish career stability. Job satisfaction is increasingly driven not by engagement or mission but by security and trust in leadership (DHR Global, 2025).

Job Seekers Face a Competitive Landscape

For those re-entering the workforce, conditions remain tough. The job market is saturated with highly skilled professionals recently laid off. As a result, job searches are stretching beyond the five-month average reported earlier this year. The number of long-term unemployed (27+ weeks) has risen to 1.6 million (Bureau of Labor Statistics, June 2025), and experts warn of further deterioration.

Bright Spots Still Exist

Despite challenges, opportunity is not gone—it’s just shifting.

Growth remains strong in:

• Health care (making up nearly 45% of new job growth)

• Transportation and warehousing

• Financial services

• Social assistance

• Leisure and hospitality

These sectors are actively hiring and evolving.

What Can Professionals Do Now?

This moment calls for intentionality and adaptability. Here’s where to start:

• Reskill & Upskill: Especially in AI, data literacy, and adaptive soft skills

• Network Intentionally: Leverage personal and professional connections to uncover hidden opportunities

• Craft a Compelling Brand: Tailor your résumé, LinkedIn, and interview story to shine inan AI-filtered world.

• Consider a Strategic Pivot: Roles adjacent to your experience may offer more stability

• Invest in Coaching: Personalized support can help you navigate change, build clarity, and make confident moves

Final Thoughts

The 2025 job market may be challenging but it’s not insurmountable. With the right strategy, grit, and support, professionals can adapt, pivot, and even thrive.