How to Find a Career Coach: 3 Key Questions to Ask

If you’re at a career impasse and it’s time to make progress, one solution might be to find a career coach.

Career coaches offer help with everything from job search to pursuing a promotion, to reevaluating your career path entirely. Any question that you have about how to be more effective in your career, there’s a coach that can help you find the solution.

In fact, there are bunches of coaches out there, each with a little different style, different strengths and a different perspective. So how do you find a career coach that’s right for you?

Here are five questions to ask a potential career coach to see if they’re the right fit for you:

1. Who is your typical client? Some coaches work with specific industries, or only Marketing pros, or only executives. Knowing where they focus their time can help you understand the places where they have the greatest impact, and if you seem to fit the profile.
2. How did you get into coaching? Every story is a little different. Oftentimes coaches are former successful managers in industry, and they can bring a good perspective of organizational politics, career pathing and industry needs. Some coaches have a counseling background, which makes them well-equipped to guide you through decision making. Still others (like me) have background in recruiting and can advise you on effective job search. The right coach will have a background that supports your particular challenges.
3. How do you help your clients be successful? Just as in your own job search, specificity here is good. Most career coaches have an arsenal of tools, techniques, programs and services to help you move forward. Ask them about their coaching style, their methodology, and how they determine what a client needs.

There are lots of other ways you can evaluate a potential coach — including asking for references, checking out any speaking or presentations that they do, or even checking them out on Google — but these three questions will make finding the right career coach much easier.

If you’d like to ask me any of these questions, or any other questions, to see if I might be able to help you advance your career, contact me.

photo credit: jonathanb1989

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3. Are you the phoenix? Coping with career challenges
4. Career Trends and Career Change: Interpreting Employment Trends in 2010
5. Get the Job You Want Even When No One’s Hiring: Interview with author Ford Myers

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