Semantic Coherence: Career Coach Me – Signal Evidence & AI Readability

[H1] Career Coaching
Experienced career coach, working with clients to explore career options and to help them achieve their career goals – supporting their career decisions, helping with interview preparation and by providing CV rewriting services. I offer career guidance to clients across Ireland (with clients from Dublin, Cork, Limerick, Galway and everywhere in between!) and the UK.
I help career changers to explore career choices in a structured and guided way, taking into consideration their transferable skills and work preferences. I also help clients to write strong CVs and to interview with confidence. I also work with Leaving Certificate students making CAO decisions.
Since setting up my career coaching business I have worked with nearly 600 individuals across a wide range of industry sectors, occupations and experience levels. You can read more about my background here.
Book a free enquiry call today to see if working with me will help your career development. You can explore all my career coaching services here, or choose from a category below.
[H2] Career Guidance
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“The best thing about this service is that Cathy asks the right questions to help you come to conclusions yourself. Before chatting with Cathy I didn’t think I had too many career options available to me but afterwards I found that I have countless opportunities. If you are also at a cross roads or just unsure about the career options available to you then I 100% recommend Career Coach Me!”
[H2] CV, Cover Letter & Applications
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“I would certainly recommend Cathy’s CV services. She carries out an incredibly thorough level of research on both the role being applied for and her client’s previous experience, and leaves no aspect overlooked. She then captures and showcases the client’s strengths and talents brilliantly on the CV she writes. Her application and scheduling process is user-friendly and efficient. The consultation itself then is very insightful, inspiring and I came away from the experience significantly more confident.”
[H2] Interview Preparation
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“I booked slots with Cathy for a CV re-write and Interview Coaching and it’s the best thing I ever did. I was always so close with interviews but someone always just beat me to the punch, since my session with Cathy I have had job offers internally and externally and I have now secured my dream role. Her advice made sure that I stood out from the crowd in what have been some really competitive interview processes, I was more relaxed and better able to cope with those questions that you can never prepare for. If you are thinking of booking a session with Cathy go for it, you will not regret it!”
[H2] Outplacement / Organisations
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“I was looking for someone to help me evaluate and develop my career plan and working strategy – and she 100% delivered I would highly recommend her service – totally worthwhile!”
“Fantastic service provided. Cathy was a pleasure to work with and set out a very helpful action plan. Would highly recommend.”
“Cathy supported me to find clarity and helped me shape my thoughts and find direction around next steps and hopes for the future at a pivot point in my career”
[H2] Career Guidance for Adults
Working with a Career Guidance Professional is particularly helpful for:
People who are in a job they are unhappy with and are struggling to see how to make a career change.
People who have experienced redundancy and would like some support in finding their next position.
Those who are struggling to find jobs, or struggling to get selected for jobs perhaps for reasons they do not understand.
Individuals who do not have time to perfect their own application materials.
People who perform poorly at interviews to the extent it is holding back their career.
You can explore adult career guidance services that help with career direction here, job search services here, CV / Application writing services here and interview preparation services here.
[H2] Career Guidance for Leaving Cert Students
I work with Leaving Certificate students and senior cycle students (TY, 5th year and 6th year) and help them:
Get clarity on career strengths and interests
Explore all options open to them
Make career choices with confidence
I work on a one-to-one basis with Leaving Cert students.
[H2] Career Coaching For Organisations
Career services are often used by organisations who:
Are undergoing a restructuring resulting in redundancies or redeployments
Want to support internal career development by upskilling their employees in their career management skills
How it works:
Step 1: Book a video call (or phone call) and together we can identify the package / combination of services you would like to offer your employees.
Step 2: Select the number of employees you want to offer this package to.
Step 3: You get an email with the codes to forward to each employee to go and book their own appointments at times that suits them.
[H2] Why me?
I am a qualified Career Guidance Counsellor with personal experience of career transition, having made two significant career changes in my own life. I hold a Postgraduate Diploma in Career Guidance from the University of Warwick, and I have extensive experience of helping individuals’ career development – both from my time working in the higher education sector (supporting students in University of Limerick, GMIT and the University of London), and through Career Coach Me which I started in 2019. I have worked with adult clients across many industries including Finance, Economics, Legal, Insurance, Technology, Aviation, Manufacturing, Education and the Public Sector.
I am an expert in listening to individuals in a completely unbiased way, asking the right questions and acting as a logical partner in helping you figure out options and deciding on the right way forward. Career coaching sessions can help sort out jumbled thoughts, understand where individuals may be going wrong in their approach and get clarity and confidence on their next move. I have seen the transformative effect of coaching sessions time and time again with clients. Check out our reviews or schedule a free enquiry call if you are unsure if coaching is for you.
I have developed the Career Report to help individuals in choosing their career direction. This career guidance development tool analyses an individual’s unique skills profile, understands their work values and the type of work they would like to do and creates a report summarising this key information. The Career Report also matches the individual’s skills, values, and work type profile across over 900 jobs.
With a background in economics before retraining as a career coach, I felt technology could help gather and analyse key information from a client in advance of the coaching sessions. This would enable me to maximise the coaching time I have with clients, by focusing on the things that really matter for the client in their future career.
[IMG: Career Coach - Cathy Balfe]

Free Enquiry Call
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[H1] Career Coaching – Free Enquiry Call
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1. It is often a mini coaching session in itself…and many people have come away from it already having a clearer view of what steps to take next in their career. In fact, some potential clients have gotten all they need from the 15 minutes to help them figure out their next steps.
2. It’s a way to learn more about the coaching process and to see if it will work for you.
3. We can see if by working together I can help support your career journey.
4. I can answer any questions you have about the services I offer.
5. Free enquiry calls are available at 9:30am or 1:30pm on weekdays – if you can’t find a time that suits feel free to give me a call on 087 9843124 (leave your name and number if I am not available and I’ll return the call as soon as I can).
Recent Graduates / Current University Students: If you are a recent university graduate you might be able to get free careers support from your university careers service – they typically offer support for up to 2 years after graduating.
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Career Guidance for Adults
[H1] Career Guidance for Adults
I offer online career guidance services to people across Ireland – including Dublin, Cork, Galway, Limerick and everywhere in between. Career guidance is suited to those making their first career choice, exploring career change, or looking to make education choices.
The first session I usually do with clients looking for career guidance is the Career Report & Debrief session. There is also an option to add on follow on hour sessions for those looking for some extra support or accountability.
In the Career Report & Debrief session clients complete an online questionnaire, answering questions about their transferable skills, work type preferences and work values. A whole host of other questions are also asked, exploring their interests, other factors that might impact their career choice (e.g. geographical location, income and work pattern) and any potential career ideas they might already have. Their answers get analysed into a 30 page Career Report that the client and I get a copy of before a 90 minute online career guidance session.
I designed the Career Report, based on my deep understanding of the factors that influence people’s career decisions. I find that having the Career Report in front of us during the 90 minute coaching session allows us to make a lot of progress during the session itself, as many of the questions I would typically ask are already analysed in front of us.
The Career Report comes up with a list of 50 occupation matches, based on the clients transferable skills, work type preferences and work values – with the lists ordered by how closely they match the client’s profile. This is a useful tool, and for some people they might find inspiration in these lists and be exposed to a wider range of occupations than they previously considered, but it is not “the answer” to the Career Report. Some people find the list does not resonate with them – and this is fine too. During the session I will ask clients what they want to get out of the 90 minute career guidance session – a common goal is to come up with a list of 5-15 career options the client is interested in exploring more, and an action plan that sets out the next steps the client should take to be able to make their career decision with confidence.
My Career Guidance services are listed below. You can also book in for a free 15 minute enquiry call here to explore working together. I also offer interview preparation and CV / Cover Letter writing services, all of which you can explore here.
[H2] Free Enquiry Call
15 minutes (online / phone)
Opportunity to explore whether working together would be helpful for you
More info
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[H2] Career Report & Debrief
Career Report
Career Report debrief – 90 minutes
Cost €220
More info
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[H2] One Hour Add On Coaching
1 hour coaching session for continuing clients
Cost €100
More info
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Career Guidance for Leaving Cert Students
[H1] Career Guidance for Leaving Cert Students
I offer online career guidance services to Leaving Cert students across Ireland – including Dublin, Cork, Galway, Limerick and everywhere in between.
Many Leaving Cert students have access to career guidance from their school career guidance counsellor, but sometimes feel like they may need some additional support and guidance in making CAO decisions / future career decisions.
My Career Guidance services for Leaving Cert students are listed below. You can also book in for a free 15 minute enquiry call here to explore working together.
[H2] Career Report & Debrief – Leaving Certificate Students
Career Report
Career Report debrief – 90 minutes
Cost €195
More info
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[H2] One Hour Add On Coaching
1 hour coaching session for continuing clients
Cost €100
More info
Book Now
Resources that might be helpful
Summary of key information around CAO applications: https://careercoachme.ie/cao-application/
CAO Handbook: http://www2.cao.ie/handbook/handbook2023/hb.pdf
CAO course search: https://www.cao.ie/courses.php
See CAO points from previous years:    https://www.cao.ie/index.php?page=points&bb=mediastats
CAO points calculator: https://www.cao.ie/index.php?page=points_calc
Further Education & Training Course Hub (FETCH): offers a range of lifelong learning courses to those over 16. Courses include Post Leaving Certificate (PLC) courses, Community and Adult education and Youthreach https://www.fetchcourses.ie/
Apprenticeships: There are two main types of apprenticeships; craft apprenticeships (e.g. plumbing, electrical, carpentry, hair dressing, motor, construction) and new apprenticeships in other areas of industry (e.g. finance, ICT, insurance, recruitment, property, sales). You can explore options here: https://apprenticeship.ie/career-seekers/get-started/discover. There are 66 different types of apprenticeships available.

[H2] Interview Preparation
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[H1] Interview Preparation
Do you perform poorly at interviews and feel like it is holding you back? Or maybe you have not had many interviews before and you want to become more comfortable with the process. Our coaching for interviews can help people who experience interview nerves by discussing ways of handling nerves, and help clients see interviews as an experience to be enjoyed rather than feared!
I work remotely with people from all over Ireland – from Dublin, Cork, Galway and Limerick and everywhere in between.
[H2] Interview Coaching: What is involved?
This service includes a 90 minute interview coaching session. When scheduling the interview coaching the client will have an opportunity to upload their CV, a job description and if there is anything they want to coach to know in advance. The coach will use these documents to research and prepare possible interview questions in advance of the coaching session.
In advance of the session the client will receive an interview tips handout that allows them to do some preparation in advance of the session to get the maximum benefit out of the interview coaching.
During the session, the coach and client will establish the client’s goal (e.g. learn to deal with nerves, learn how to answer certain questions, get feedback on how they answer interview questions, practice answering difficult questions).
Typical topics covered during an interview preparation session include:
Different types of questions, including competency-based question (and the STAR framework for answering them), motivational questions, commercial awareness and challenging questions and ways to deal with them
How to predict likely interview questions
Best way of preparing for interviews
Ways of overcoming interview nerves
Appropriate questions to ask the interviewer in an interview
For clients who want practice and feedback on delivering answers, a mock interview will be conducted, where the coach asks the clients questions they anticipate may come up in interview. The coach will give the client feedback on their answers as the mock interview progresses, allowing the client to improve as the session goes on.
The coach and client will discuss and agree on action points for the client to work on to continue their interview performance. After the session you will receive a summary of what was covered in the session and a copy of the agreed action plan.
[H2] Interview Coaching: How does it work?
When booking this service, you schedule a time that suits you for the coaching session You also have the opportunity to upload your CV, a job description if there is a particular job you are aiming for and you also have the opportunity to let the coach know other details in advance that would be helpful for them in preparing for your interview coaching session.
In your confirmation email you will receive a link to click to start your video call at the time of your appointment. The coach will do some research on the position and prepare some likely interview questions in advance of the session.
[H2] Coaching for Interview: What does it cost?
€220
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[H1] About Me
Career Coach Me was established by Career Coach Cathy Balfe, and provides career coaching services to individuals online.
Cathy Balfe is an experienced and qualified careers advisor who has experience of helping hundreds of individuals with their career development. She is a Registered Career Development Professional with the Career Development Institute and is a member of the European Mentoring and Coaching Council (EMCC). She holds a Postgraduate Diploma from the University of Warwick in career guidance.
[IMG: Cathy Balfe Headshot]
Cathy has first hand experience of managing career transitions, having made a number of significant career changes herself. After dabbling in various areas of finance (stock trading, investment banking, corporate finance and accountancy), she transitioned into academia, working in research at UCD before successfully pursuing a PhD in Economics at University College London. After her first child she switched careers again, retraining as a careers advisor, working with students at the University of London for a number of years. While on maternity leave with her second child, Cathy relocated to Limerick where she launched Career Coach Me in 2019.
Since 2019, Cathy has worked with nearly 600 individual clients (and counting!) as well as several universities (providing freelance career support to students) and organisations (delivering a mix of individual career coaching and group career development workshops).
Drawing on her skills and experience, and with an understanding of the emotions that can accompany a career shift, Cathy helps clients navigate career transitions. She has successfully helped hundreds of clients identify suitable job opportunities, improve their CVs and succeed at interview.
Cathy follows a client centered coaching approach. She believes with the right support and knowledge, the client is best equipped to make decisions about their future career. In client centered career coaching, the coach and client work in partnership to help the client make decisions and take action to identify and achieve their career goals.
She finds great satisfaction from helping individuals realise their potential and find roles that give them enjoyment and satisfaction.
Book your free compatibility call with Cathy today using the button below.
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[H2] Referrals
While comfortable supporting clients through the emotions that often go hand in hand with career decisions and change, we are not qualified counsellors or psychotherapists. Sometimes clients might benefit from counselling sessions with a qualified therapist to help provide additional emotional support.
We are happy to refer clients to Linda Breathnach, an IACP Accredited Psychotherapist & Counsellor. You can visit her website and see the services she offers here.