Renee Alfieri, Career Management Coach

Career Development Coach and Human Resource Consultant in New York City Renee Alfieri has decades of experience in HR. As an HR Consultant in New York City, Renee Alfieri has helped individuals and businesses achieve their goals in a fast and pain free way. Alfieri is an HR Consultant in Brooklyn, HR Consultant in the Bronx, HR Consultant in Queens, HR Consultant in Manhattan and an HR Consultant on Staten Island. With over two decades of staffing and HR Consultant experience in New York City, Career Development Coach Renee M. Alfieri now shares that knowledge as an Executive Career Development Coach & HR Consultant in New York City.

Through Empowering Inquiry by Renee (www.empoweringinquiry.com) Alfieri mentors professional women encountering a variety of challenges as they look to realize their potential and advance their careers. As one of the leading Career Development Coaches in Manhattan, Bronx, Brooklyn, Staten Island, and Queens she is also a top HR Consultant for all of New York and New York City. We are pleased to have an opportunity to discuss career management and development with Renee M. Alfieri.

Q: How does a professional woman know that the time is right for her to seek the benefits of having a Career Development Coach or HR Consultant in New York City?

The time is right when you feel as if you are “hitting a wall” in your career and continually are getting the quality of results that you hope to achieve and know that you can. “Time’s are a changing” and we need to have someone strategically in our corner to facilitate change with us and be that non-biased observer and mentor that, honestly, I did not have in my earlier days which made my path a more circuitous route to my destination. Get clear, get focused, and get what you want now!

Q: Many professional women are worried about the potential for sudden realignment and layoffs in the current economic climate. How can working with a Career Management Coach or HR Consultant in New York City prepare women in case they must face the unexpected?

Working with a HR Consultant and Coach in NYC, especially one born and raised in the city, as well as educated and has worked there REALLY can set you apart from the crowd. I have the “know how”, work
experience, am well educated in the resources available and what one needs to do to be prepared for that behavioral interview, to utilize social networking and networks and relationship building to maximize your chances for a call back leading to a potential offer! I also know how to assist those who are looking to switch industries and/to career explore for that new, exciting idea that is in your head that you have not yet been able to put into action in which to combine your lifestyle with your career aspirations. I coach people to be who they naturally are just better!

Q: One of your specialties is assisting women who are transitioning into the Human Resources field. What kind of challenges do professional women face in confronting the ever changing world of Human Resources?

There are many challenges especially facing professional women transitioning into the Human Resources field. What I oftentimes find is that a woman does not have either the “right” connections, are not proactive about networking and utilizing the social networking options now available to all of us and are not as prone to “self-promote” which at times appears as a lack of confidence factor. You need to ask for informational interviews while approaching a new field, market or industry and go out to lunch with one new person at least a week or if not that, a month, in order to grow your network and ask friends, associates, and those that know and care about you to introduce you to others. You are on a campaign to find that niche or role in life that you “love” so, be passionate and bold, and dare to go where you have not yet gone. If you are unclear about how to do this, I can help since, I’ve “been there and done that” during a time when Mentorship roles were far and few between. I suggest, take someone out to lunch, ask good questions, don’t ask for favors or a job, but show a genuine interest in the person that has something to offer to you—information! Once a person gets to know you on a personal level where you have no agenda, chances are, something that you said or your passion will shines through and people are always looking for new talent and filling a pipeline of people they trust. Trust is HUGE in Business; so, build lasting, trusting relationships. There is no magic bullet, yet, I also recommend that you be a “lifelong learner” and take control of your learning and reading and associating in groups with people that are in the field you want to break into. Once you do this, when you do eventually interview for that position that you are trying to break into with transferable skills, having the vernacular down pat and being able to mention the “movers and shakers” in the business has a lot of pluses with Recruiters and decision makers. Create a portfolio of your successes a brag book—and brag! Volunteer, do things for others that you normally wouldn’t think to do on your own and in return, the law of attraction has a way of bringing opportunities your way through your energetic connections and interests. I am a Certified Energy Leadership Index Master Practitioner and this assessment tool is very helpful in getting people started on their pathway to professional excellence www.energyleadership.com. Ask me how I can help you shift your energy into the arena that you desire. It works!

Q: As an HR Consultant in Brooklyn, Queens, Staten Island, Manhattan, and the Bronx, you consult and coach on issues like Human Resources Management and staffing as well as helping women to enhance their personal career path. What inspired you to create Empowering Inquiry by Renee and mentor professional women?

I am inspired to mentor professional women as a direct result to my own experience starting out on Wall Street in the 80’s when, there were no formal roles in which the craven, unguided, passionate, yet confused, intelligent, yet uninformed about political ideas in which to grow partner and gain access to the inside track was available. Be that as it may, I was blessed to have the internal inertia, drive and motivation that allowed me to listen to those that were informed and connected, ask questions, inquire about informational meetings and networks, such as the National Association of Female Executives which was around back then, and also, work hard at learning Whatever I could about things that meant something to growing my career in the area that I believed was where I was meant to land. It worked, although, it took a lot of time, personal research and apparently, there were not short cuts to my success based on the trial and error of creating my own relationships and personally, not having the know-how to walk-the-talk without having a personal mentor and/or coach.

Empowering Inquiry was born on the concept that, Women need other Professional Women to lead direct and leverage talent. Back in the day, we women were afraid of other powerful women since; the reputation was “deadly.” These women could make or break you and more often than not, the latter based on perhaps how difficult it was for them to gain access to the C-Suite and climb the ladder that really doesn’t exist today and break that proverbial glass ceiling. I am not about competition with others; I am about competing with you! With competing with yourself, you always win—even if you have some trials that make you feel you have lost. There is no losing with Empowering Inquiry—it is all about leading by example, Appreciative Inquiry, building upon strengths not weaknesses, allowing one to dream without a label or pre-judgment about whom you are, and growing at the pace you are ready to achieve!

Q: You’ve lived a rich life in both academic and professional experiences in New York. Do you often draw from these experiences when working as a HR Consultant in NYC and a Career Development Coach in NYC with your clients?

I absolutely draw upon my rich experiences from the NYC Market while working with my local clients and otherwise national accounts. As Frank Sinatra astutely sang, “If I can make it there, I can make it anywhere, it’s up to you New York, New York,” that resonates within my core being. I look at NYC as my playground, the place where I gained my stripes and accumulated knowledge that was both in the form of an erudite learner and as a streetwise, astute, intuitive type that adeptly assesses situations and people and gains that emotional intelligence in which to respond agilely to things going on around oneself. That in and of itself is a gift—one that through a mentorship and or coaching relationship for someone coming to NY from another location, can highly benefit from the “shortcuts” or “mental heuristics” that is needed to thrive and not only survive. I have a plethora of cultural, educational, networking, resources and association connections that can highly benefit my clients. What I make clear to them up front upon the time when we are “inking the contract” and have both decided to work with each other due to the purity of the intent on both sides to do this work—it is a journey, an open, fluid process, a facilitation of ideas and questions, and you get what you put into it as a client. I also ensure that the client wants advice and counsel, and not purely coaching being that coaching is an internal guiding through questioning to the client by the coach where the answers are drawn out and powerful revelations are made by the coachee. With Consulting, there is a portion of the dialogue between the coaching dyad where, the Coach asks permission to give advice and based upon past practices that have been successful or information that is known by the Coach that can truly benefit the Coachee, an exchange of a directional response is given with information sharing for enhanced growth.

Q: Your website (www.empoweringinquiry.com) notes that you’re qualified to administer a wide range of assessment tests. How much do you conform or personalize your coaching to meet each client’s unique needs?

I always personalize my coaching services to uniquely suit my client’s needs. I am ethically bound by certifying bodies, such as the International Coach Federation as a Coach and the American Counseling Association as a Counselor, along with the APA – American Psychological Association where, I do what I do with the right intent and not for financial gain solely as a purpose to prolong a process that is not beneficial to the client. What makes me different is that, I want to get my clients going, on board with what they truly want out of life and back in the saddle. I know that I do not have a magic wand or crystal ball; so therefore, I do customize a process that is manifested through the 30 minute free intake consultation that is mutually arranged according to our schedules in which the client always calls the coach for the appointment. Furthermore, I belong to the National Society of Career Managers and the Association of Psychological Type International in which, they both speak to my vocational training in my niche as a Career Manager that utilizes assessment tools with precision as a diagnostic tool in which to assist us in realizations, identification, understanding and is not a prescription for success or a diagnosis of a deficiency—it is just the opposite. Which ever assessment tool or tools are selected to benefit the client, are random sampling response data that has been correlated and validated in which to determine how the client answered questions against this normative data. I know it sounds so complicated and scientific, although, the good thing is, it is only a sampling of personality or personal attributes! When one becomes concerned with a “test” and feels at awe about being “discovered” or “uncovered” or feeling “naked” it is SO not that. It is about the client gaining awareness and through that awareness, building upon that in which to create a fertile mind in which to draw connections that can build the bridge from the unknown to knowing!

Q: How long does a typical relationship with a client last?

A typical relationship with a Career Development Coach lasts 3 – 6 months, depending upon needs and level of security in making a successful and lasting transition that will prevent derailment at all cost. Package pricing is available on a monthly basis for those that are planning to stay the course to do the necessary work, research, self-exploration to find lasting satisfaction and overall career bliss. Job Security is an anachronism and is no longer something that most companies today can guarantee or offer. You therefore need to be a Career Fitness Professional – flexing your muscles, your brain, thinking ahead on trends, reading journals, staying current in professional organizations, and not remaining complacent in a role you hold today, for, tomorrow it may not be a field that is “hot” or may downsize employees or outsource them internationally for cost savings. I take a full intake with each candidate and in doing that, I make only suggestions as to what I feel will benefit the individual. The client has the choice, although, minimally 3 months with a person transitioning or trying to leverage their transferable skills into a new field will require that amount of time in order to affect change.

Q: You are accredited in a wide range of skills like resume writing and public speaking and have an extensive list of degrees and certifications from career development associations. Why do you feel it is important to continually grow in your role as a Career Development Coach?

It is imperative to continually grow as a Career Management Coach and Branding Strategist with a background (as I have) in Human Resources. Everything changes, and nothing is static, and as you can imagine, information becomes outdated and no longer pertinent in the role of action planning and guidance with clients. Once a Coach becomes ineffective, it is transparent and easily detectable as, there are others out there doing what I am doing, and that is gaining momentum within their niche in which to service their clients exceptionally well and differentiate them to stand out amongst the other contenders in the game of life! I describe myself as a curious mind, one that draws connections constantly, intuits information and is able to integrate meaning at a laser fast speed. This is my personal talent and ability, and something that helps me with my clients. The information that I gain in my certifications, training, and continuing education is the “food” that “fuels” my mind power to create these connections and ideas that transform the dynamics of the relationship between the Coachee and me. I am a self-described life-long learner and as a life long learner, I am motivated by success, being the best that I possibly can, and sharing information with others that are lacking whatever they bring to me as their area of concern or question so that together, we can synergize our energies and shift the situation in a way that cannot happen alone!

Q: What areas of New York are you available for consultation in and does your coaching occur in person, on the phone or online?

I am a career development coach and HR consultant in Brooklyn, Bronx, Staten Island, Queens, and Manhattan. My Coaching occurs both – either on the phone for those that are my national and local clients that just don’t have the time to arrange an in-person meeting and in-person (which is priced at a premium rate based on arranging travel time in which to meet and securing space—if necessary). This can all be determined at the initial 30 minute free consultation since, sometimes, a client may request an initial in person meeting to get a sense of my style or our ability to work well together—which is understandable. Then, they realize, “boy, meeting virtually by phone is even better, since, there are absolutely no distractions, and the client is taking in the process via one sense—hearing—versus multi-sensory experience in person that can sometimes make one feels unveiled and self-conscious. My clients absolutely ADORE the ability to talk to me at a scheduled time so that they have this time that is just theirs for extreme self-care by an objective person who is truly listening to just them in which to get them back on track or to give them valuable advice that they are missing. How cool is that? Lastly, if a person is in the NYC area and has an office at their workplace, I can meet them there (if after the initial 30 minute free consultation that becomes the Premium Coaching rate) and can be accommodated by scheduling this up front and over time. If the person does not have space that is private at work, then, there are other alternatives in which I have an office space that is flexible based on where they are located. Again, this is something that can be determined once we agree to work together and how we will be working together, i.e., either by telephone or in person. Corporate clients that are out-of-state looking to work with me onsite at their business can also hire me, and this would require a separate contract in which we will need to arrange airfare and hotel accommodations and any incidentals, as part of the expense to utilize my coaching, facilitative and consulting services.

Q: If a person wants to hire you as a Career Development Coach, what do they need to do to begin?

If a person wants to hire me as a Career Development Coach, the best thing to do is, contact me via email at Renee@Empoweringinquiry.com with your area of concern and improvement in which you want to work on. You can check out my website at www.empoweringinquiry.com to view my services and see what fits your needs. Email me dates and times in which to schedule your complimentary 30 minute consultation with a choice of 3 – 4 dates and times for the upcoming week in which to start our conversation about your success. Its’ that easy!

Renee M. Alfieri’s passion for empowering women is matched by the confidence that comes from success in the financial, logistics and retail sectors. She’s accredited through many professional organizations and has received degrees from notable New York institutions, including Cornell, New York and Pace University. Renee M. Alfieri’s balance of professional accomplishment with academic instruction makes her an effective career coach for professional women clients in Bronx, Brooklyn, Staten Island, Manhattan or Queens, Ulster County. For more information on Renee M. Alfieri and her company Empowering Inquiry by Renee, visit www.empoweringinquiry.com.

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