During How May I Serve You podcast episode 11 we sit down with Career and Business Coach of MTV Coaching Michelle “The Visionary” Perchuk about how she guides and coaches job seekers in today’s environment.

About Michelle:

Michelle is a certified business and career progression coach. Also, the founder of MTV Coaching, a company that works with individuals across all industries that help them achieve their career aspirations. Michelle addresses the changes in the job market and the troubling trends present today. Her approach is very unique and is based on fifteen years of experience in the recruiting industry.

She has placed and coached over 3000 applicants and plans to be there for job seekers, especially now. She is the coach that will help you discover, design and realize your career dreams. Her book Swimming in the Talent Pool was voted as a top ten read about recruiting. She is also a graduate of NYU Steinhardt School of Culture and Development

She works with people who’s interested in movement of their career. She helps college students, young professionals, seasoned professionals, and anyone wanting to take the next step and buy a business. 

 

Questions Asked:

Why did you get into coaching?

“I did not choose coaching. Coaching chose me.” 

During her previous career in talent acquisition and executive recruiting and executive search she got a revelation. She coached her hiring managers and candidates without realizing that she was coaching. One of her major concerns was job placement—taking one individual and placing them into a job without knowing if that job suited them. Her clients went from job to job, without feeling fulfilled. And that’s when she realized that she needs to do coaching full time. “This is my legacy. This is my purpose. I’m here to help people realize their career aspirations.”

 

Why did you choose to work with this specific clientele?

A college student just spends four years in academia and is uncertain about how to move forward. Now they could go to career services, but they won’t get the emotional support.

“It’s very frightening for a young college student, especially with everything that’s going on in the world today, to pick up the phone and start networking with alumni of their college. They don’t have the stamina. They don’t have the expertise. They don’t have the life experience that a seasoned professional does.”

“My coaching strategy is very different. It’s very individual. I am not trying to sell a system to anybody. Every single client is different. My approach to every single client is based on curiosity and serving them. Helping them discover themselves and what’s been holding them back.”

 

Do you have a specific formula to get students to realize their potential?

Michelle uses a variety of assessments that gives a glimpse into their personality, strengths, and weaknesses. She refers to those as her secondary tool. Her primary tool is curiosity and specific questions that adds insight to her clients.

 

If someone was looking for a coach, what traits would you advise them to look for?

She believes anyone looking to hire a career coach should have a discovery call and see if there’s an understanding right away. No commitments. “I don’t engage financially with a client until we know my world would be beneficial to them.”

 

What made you come up with the name MTV Coaching and what does it stand for?

She recalls the time when MTV, the music channel, first launched, and she was a lost college student, struggling to find her way. Remembering those times enabled her to relate to her younger clients. Her company MTV stands for Michelle the visionary. And it makes sense because she has a deep connection to younger people. “We speak the same language.”

 

What’s a success story?

Back in 2006 she convinced one of her clients, who lived in Chicago, to take a technical role at weight watchers in New York City. It wasn’t a very innovative position, but she convinced him to move. With in the first 2 years he met his significant other. He planted his roots there in New York City. He grew at weight watchers and they fell out of touch. Then in March of this year she received a message from him in Linkedin. His career took off. He’s now a big director at google. He thanked her for convincing him to take the job at weight watchers all of those years ago. He said he wouldn’t be there if it wasn’t for her. 

“That is why I do what I do. I did that because I cared about him. I wasn’t thinking about myself at that point.”

 

Are you working on any new projects you’d like to share with us?

She is launching a course on a new platform called knowable in a few weeks. Knowable is the convergence of a podcast and audiobook. The course is called The Da Vinci Career Coach. “The reason why I decided to called it the Da Vinci Career Coach is because Davinci was master of transformation. And we need to walk in his footsteps today, transforming ourselves to who we were before COVID 

“I truly believe if people want to go fast, they walk alone. I want to go far, and that’s why I’m committed to walking with people.

 

Michelle's Contact Information: