5 Things To Look For When Hiring A Career Coach

1. Real-World Experience

This is the most important aspect of choosing a Career Coach. You want someone with actual hands-on experience to help you.

• Has the Career Coach changed jobs?
• Better yet, have they transitioned to a new career? If so that would indicate they probably developed a job search strategy, along with an updated resume and prepared for an interview.
• Do they have experience as a hiring manager?
•  And here’s where it gets real: Has the Career Coach ever been laid-off or fired?

While being laid-off is not a necessity to be a good career coach, it brings another level of experience to the table.

Your career coach should have experience conducting their own job search, developing a job search strategy, writing resumes and cover letters, know how to prepare for an interview and successfully find employment. They should also be well-connected professionally, have good networking skills and use social media.

2. Social Media: Are They a Maven or Missing in Action?

Check out the Career Coach’s social media presence. Look at their LinkedIn profile, and see if they are on other platforms such as Twitter, YouTube, Pinterest, Instagram, etc. Presence on these platforms may indicate they are up to date on networking techniques other than relying solely on phone calls.

• Do they write about career-related topics?
•  Are they published anywhere, such as a blog, a major newspaper or have they written any books?

3. Degrees and Certifications

While hands-on experience is the number one thing to look for, you still want a Career Coach who has received some “book learning” as well as actual experience working with clients.

In addition to a college degree, look for a Career Coach who has a certification from a reputable organization, such as Certified Professional Career Coach (CPCC) from the Professional Association of Resume Writers and Career Coaches.

The CPCC program, for example, requires online classes plus homework that includes coaching a client through a minimum of four one-hour sessions with written documentation, as well as writing the clients’ resume. Students must pass a final exam to receive certification.

4. Graduation Date

Usually it’s considered a “no-no” to discuss a person’s age when hiring. When hiring your Career Coach, you want someone who has some serious experience – which means they are probably going to be a bit older.

Make sure your career coach has had enough experience to hire and fire people, or even be hired and fired themselves. Last years’ graduate may be a nice person but simply will not have been in the workplace long enough to help you.

5. Compatibility

It’s super important that you really like and respect the person you’re working with. You can get a feel for the coach’s style from their website, and then get to know them during an introductory call or meeting.

• Do they sound enthusiastic?
• Are they authentic when answering your questions?
• How about meetings – will they agree to phone calls, Skype or in-person meetings?

Tiny word of caution: The job of a career coach is to guide you to achieve your career goals by identifying and moving past obstacles, even if that obstacle is yourself. Don’t be swayed by a “bright, shiny, object” that only tells you what you want to hear.