How To Choose A Career Coach
The first time I tried to hire a career coach, I was told the hourly rate was $900. I immediately thought career coaching was not for me, it wasn't affordable. To my surprise, I later discovered that there's a wide variety of coaching services, and the rates were different for each person, all I had to do was find the right coach.
Finding a coach however wasn’t easy. It’s an industry that’s scattered and gated, and you never really know what to look for. We’re here to demystify that process and break it down into steps that can help you find the right person.
We will share all the necessary information you need including what the process looks like, understanding your coaching needs, recognizing the characteristics you are looking for in a coach, what questions you should ask, and how to set a budget.
How Do You Find A Coach?
A career coach works with you to set goals, take action, overcome challenges, and achieve your goals. It is NOT a “One Size Fits All” service. At Unleash, we aim to expand your access to coaches and provide you with options that best fit your needs.
Identify what your coaching needs are. What are you looking to get from career coaching?
Coaches often specialize, so finding a coach that has experience helping people in a similar situation as you is a good way to start your filtering. Here are some common specialty areas:
Career exploration/transition: for people looking to move into another role or industry but are unsure about how to navigate that process
Leadership coaching: for people who wish to develop confidence and leadership skills in the workplace to help them manage teams and exercise leadership-tasks.
Job search: for people who are ready to apply to jobs and need a strategy to position themselves, network, apply, and interview.
Finding purpose: for people who are not fulfilled with the purpose and impact they have and want to explore different options.
Promotions: for people who want to move up the ladder in their current company
Research coaches (or use Unleash’s matching tool!)
In your research, try to identify who you would click with and who will help you achieve the results you want. You need to be motivated by this person so you need someone you respect and that you can trust.
Professional and coaching background: read about their expertise, is this aligned with what you want to achieve? They don’t need to have your same background to be helpful, but try to see if they’ve been in comparable situations so they can empathise with what you’re going through
Previous clients: if they don’t have a similar background to you, have they at least coached someone similar and can speak to the results they helped them achieve?
Communication style/approaches: check out their social media profiles and see if the way they present themselves resonates with you, will you be able to take advice from this person and will you feel accountable to them?
Schedule Consultations
Reading about them is great, but getting on a 15 min call with them can help you see how the relationship would look like throughout your coaching journey. Once you’ve narrowed down coaches who fit your needs and have the experience you’re looking for, schedule a consultation with them.
Check for chemistry: how do you feel when talking to them?
Ask them questions: we’ll cover those in the section below.
Compare Coaches
Finding the right match isn’t always straightforward, don’t hesitate in scheduling multiple consultations. At the end of the day this is a big investment in yourself, and finding the right person might take a little extra effort. Don’t be afraid to tell your coach that you’re exploring your options before committing, they know that they’re probably not the only coach your’re talking to.
Book multiple consultations
Ask for proposals
What Questions You Need To Be Asking
The career coach isn't the only one who's gonna be doing the talking! You need to involve yourself by asking the right questions. Take the opportunity to learn more about the coach and how they approach coaching.
Here are some questions you can ask:
What made you decide to pursue career coaching?
How do you tailor your approach to each client?
How do you think you can help me?
Can you walk me through your coaching process and approach?
Have you worked with people with a similar case to mine? Can I speak to them?
What is your definition of a successful coaching journey?
How much should you pay?
Fees vary between coaches depending on their expertise, certifications, time per session, etc. It is always a good idea to get proposals from multiple coaches to benchmark them and be confident in your decision.
This is an investment in your future and we understand that it’s a considerable amount of money. The ROI comes over a period of time where you will see yourself more fulfilled, motivated, and successful. At Unleash, you are provided with a wide range of prices from $100/hr to $500/hr. We vet all of our coaches for quality so you can be sure that you’re getting a good coach no matter how much you’re paying, you just need to be comfortable with what you’re spending.
Is all of this worth it?
YES! Finding the right coach can be life-changing, investing the time to make the right decision and evaluating your options will pay off big time when you start working with your coach.
Don’t want to spend too much time on this? That’s what we’re here for! Take our quiz and we’ll narrow down your options to 3 coaches who can help you unleash your full potential.