Choose the right coach by asking the right questions.
Photo by Jordan McQueen
Many job search and career coaches offer free consult calls as a way to connect with you.
But the free consult isn't really a chance to get a lot of free advice. Instead, it's a way to explain your situation and then flip the tables around to interview the coach and see if you should hire them to help you get hired.
To make the best choice, you need to know the best questions to ask during a free consultation.
Note: There is a poll embedded within this post, please visit the site to participate in this post's poll.
Free bonus:Download JobMob's Free Coaching Consults Guide which contains a directory of coaches offering free consults, and a list of the top questions to ask them during those consults.
17 questions job seekers should ask in a free consult
Name: Thea Kelley
Based in: San Francisco Bay Area, CA, USA
“Based on what I’ve told you about my situation, how can you help me get more interviews and then succeed in those interviews?”
“Why do I need interview coaching now? I’ve just started my job search.” (Answer: A phone screening or informal “conversation about an opening we might have soon” could happen any minute.)
“What’s your approach to interview coaching?” (My answer is: It’s proactive: not just “how to answer common interview questions” – and we will cover that – but knowing what you want to emphasize, why, and how.)
Name: Ford Myers
Based in: Haverford, PA, USA
“Here are a few great questions clients have asked during the initial consultation:
– How do I figure-out what kind of work I’d really like to do and how I’d ideally like my career to be?
– How can I identify what’s holding me back and getting in the way of reaching my career potential?
– How do I close the gap between where I am now and where I want to go in my career?”
Name: Shayna Lee
Based in: New York, NY, USA
The best question any job seeker or person can ask a coach is, “How are we measuring the progress I make by working with you”.
While the client is the one doing the work and generating the results they desire, it is the coach's job (in my view) to hold that client accountable to the process and help them to stay on task. So tracking and monitoring tasks/milestones will be a key factor for defining success!
Name: Sharon McCormick
Based in: North Carolina, USA
The best questions are when my clients tell me that they care about people and our planet, and they want to know HOW to make a career change to do more for humankind. They want to know HOW to develop as greater leaders. I LOVE that. I looked through my client communications and those questions are a common theme and the best in my opinion. I love people who think like that – like how to help others!
Name: Tina Monk
Based in: Neutral Bay, NSW, Australia
I think that the best question to ask is: How do I get the most out of our time together?
Name: Hamza Zaouali
Based in: Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Towards the end of the consultation, the #1 question I would ask a coach if I was a job seeker is:
“I need to tell you that I'm currently in touch with other coaches as well and I want to make sure I make the best choice. In your opinion, why do you think I should choose you?”
If the answer is not convincing, move on. If you feel your question irritates him/her, I wouldn't pursue either.
Name: Naren Chellappah
Based in: Melbourne, Australia
The typical questions we get asked are “why can’t I get interviews and why won’t the recruiters/companies offer me the job?”
The other common questions are – “Is there something wrong with my profile stopping me from getting a job?”
After we have assessed the person’s profile, we can advise them on the issues holding them back – such as poor quality job application, no local experience, poor interview skills or competition from stronger candidates (which we need to help them match).
Name: Michelle Flint
Based in: USA
The best question (which I frequently get) is, “Can I really do this?”
Many times, my clients come to me discouraged because they are really stuck. Perhaps they have no idea what they want to do with their lives, or perhaps they have been job hunting for a long time with no results, or perhaps they have a terrible, critical boss who has left them completely without confidence. As a result, they are afraid they will never find a good job that makes them happy.
I appreciate when clients bring this question to the table right away because then I can talk to them about what we're going to do differently together that will get them where they want to go. Usually clients leave that initial consultation with a lot more hope about their worth and their future– that's why it's such a great question to ask.
Name: Bethany Wallace
Based in: North Central Arkansas, USA
The best question job seekers ask me during an initial free consultation is:
“What is the next step I should take as a job seeker?”
In my opinion, this is the best question because it demonstrates a willingness to learn and grow, and it's not just asking for facts (like how much I charge as a career coach). It's gathering real advice.
Name: Mark Anderson
Based in: Brighton and Sussex, UK
1. Can I contact any of your previous clients to discuss their experience?
2. What makes you different from any other Career Coach?
Question of the article
What do you think is the best question to ask in a free consult? If you've asked it, did you like the coach's response? Tell us in the comments.
We usually find it pretty easy to call other people names, but could you do it for yourself in a job interview?
It's a good intellectual exercise that's harder than you'd think.
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Free bonus: The One Job Interview Resource You’ll Ever Need is a handy reference to help you prepare for any kind of job interview. Download it free now
One real-world example
From one of the comments on Scott's article:
“I was asked this very question in an interview.
I stammered, so he (the interviewer) revised it, “One *good* word”. I was still dumbfounded, so he revised it yet again, “One *good* word, one *bad* word.”
Smart. Ass.
Easy
I got the job.”
How you should describe yourself
If you've done your company research at any point before the interview, you should have an idea of what kinds of values they appreciate. Simply choose one that accurately describes you and run with it.
If you haven't noticed any particular company values standing out, choose a favorite word from these 130 powerful personality adjectives, all of which are positive.
Recruiter Jeff Altman answers in more detail:
Your turn
Imagine if you were asked to do this test in conciseness in your next job interview. Without answering ‘unique' (too easy), how would you respond?
He also asked that people describe him in one word too and some people linked the two together. ‘Me' is the commenter, and ‘you' is Scott Adams. Here are the ones I liked most:
A handy directory of top career coaches who let you try before you buy.
Photo by Austin Neill
Why do top athletes have coaches?
Simple: to get better results, faster.
Similarly, in 6 Reasons You Might Need a Job Search Coach Now, job seeker coach Rita Ashley said that having a coach helps in “securing a better job, reaching it faster and gaining the intangible benefit of control over” your job search.
Who doesn't want that?
But then, how do you find a good career coach who can get you that?
You could try googling ‘career coaches near me', but where you live will largely decide how useful that is. Plus the fact that a career search coach is local in no way guarantees they're any good.
You could try asking your network of contacts for recommendations, and if you're lucky, someone you trust will actually be able to speak from experience. But what if they're in a different industry, or at a different stage in their career?
It's not so easy to find the best career coach for you, which is why I've compiled this list of career coaches from around the world who offer a free consult upfront.
Most of the coaches here offer initial phone or Skype consult calls you can use to explain your situation and discuss their coaching services and pricing, while some give free resume and CV reviews.
Use the free call to see if there's good chemistry with the coach to be, and try to understand if you'd enjoy working with them.
Note: There is a poll embedded within this post, please visit the site to participate in this post's poll.
Target audience: High level professionals, CURRENTLY EMPLOYED but seeking to make a career transition or an up level into a role that fulfills their passion and nurtures their talent either at their current company or a different company.
Name: Sharon McCormick
Based in: North Carolina. Sharon has a virtual practice and serves other cities around the USA.
Target audience: Consists of mid-career changing professionals who want to advance in their jobs or make a career change. I work with my clients virtually, so I work with clients across the country. I assist clients from most industries including Government, Non-profit, Corporate and Higher Education.
Target audience: job seekers – people who have been made redundant or are looking for a new/better job, they know what they want but don’t know how to get it; career changers – people who are not happy in their current career and want to make a change but don’t know what to; and people who want to achieve life goals, such as relationships; and leaders who want to improve their leadership skills. They are Sydney-based with a median level income or above.
Name: Simon Scantlebury
Based in: Berkshire, Hampshire, Surrey and Wiltshire and other locations across the UK
Target audience: “individuals who think they could benefit from professional career coaching/counseling, and who are ready to invest financially in professional career services.”
Target audience:
✓ Female, mid to late thirties, infant children, London, south-east or home counties, university education, professional – has worked long hours to achieve high status role in a profession but this is no longer compatible with having a young family.
✓ Male, creative, arty type in a job that is not creative or arty. Early forties. Live in Home Counties. Young family. Wants to do something with the next chapter of his life that keeps income level high but doesn't destroy his soul.
✓ Single female professional, ambitious, focused, expert in her field. Wants to move into a different industry or a different company but has been in one company all of her career. Early forties. Change feels scary. Doesn't think she can have what she wants without going back to uni. Well-read, like nights out with the ladies, good independent cinema, pop up restaurants, travel.
Target audience: anyone who wants to discover what their most fulfilling career and job would be and a way to achieve it. This is a creative, individualized 4 step process. It works best with people willing to determine what they’d like first, and then figure out what they need to do to get there. It’s not a good match for people who want to start with their skill set and see who’s asking for that set. It’s also not for people who prefer to use standardized assessments. Can meet in-person if in Twin Cities, Minnesota area.
Target audience: “Ideal for those who are changing careers, reentering the workforce, looking for a promotion, wanting greater satisfaction out of their career, or needing a better work/life balance. Ideal for Executives that need strategies to build and manage teams, navigate corporate politics or get to the next level.”
Target audience: “executives, professionals and executive assistants to pharmaceutical sales reps, newly discharged military personnel, fashion photographers and union plumbers. With clients across the U.S., Europe, Central and South America, she enjoys coaching professionals and creatives at all levels and in every industry.”
Target audience: “Professionals (not new graduates) ready to make changes in their career at this time and serious about investing their time and money in receiving independent, professional support to achieve that aim.”
Target audience: “helping people to feel a sense of fulfilment in all aspects of their lives and she has had great success coaching clients to achieve their personal, career and life goals.”
Target audience: “helping professionals since 2009 and has now helped hundreds of happy clients to find their next role, make big career changes, start businesses, develop confidence, get promoted and noticed, and much much more.
Target audience: “20somethings and 30somethings around the world to discover their authentic careers, land more job offers and launch their dream businesses”
Target audience: “Anyone, worldwide. There are no geographical boundaries. We would be pleased to talk with you about career coaching and explore together how it might benefit you.”
Target audience: Mid-management to top executive level. I coach professionals around the world so no geographical restriction. I specialise in Job Search Coaching, CV Writing, Interview Preparation and Salary Negotiation (or Re-negotiation)
Target audience: “We help international students secure top graduate jobs by providing graduate careers advice and professional coaching on a one to one basis. ”
Target audience: “I help DC overachievers find and communicate their inner awesome, whether they are looking for that next step in their career or aiming for greater things where they already work. I have worked with clients from a variety of backgrounds, including business, advocacy, public policy, public relations, and international development.”
Target audience: We are international company with websites in 12 countries servicing anyone that requires our services in English, German or French and we work with anyone of any age, looking to further their career.
Target audience: “Our coaches offer free coaching on various topics: Career, motivation, limiting beliefs, relationships, confidence, family, parenting, work-life balance, well-being, healthy living, fitness, change, habits, and many more. Therefore, we don't have a specific target audience. Anyone who wants to improve their lives can work with our coaches.”
Question of the article
If you've used a job hunting or career coach in the past, what was most helpful?
