How to find the right coach for your career

Just imagine a time in your life when you wake up every day and can't wait to get to work.

You feel empowered. You feel valued. You love the team. You get on brilliantly with the senior executives. You relish the flexibility. Your ideas are listened to. You get involved with setting strategy. And on top of all that you're getting a good salary.

Think it's all a pipe dream?

Think it's impossible?

I know from my clients that it IS possible to have a life and a career you love. I love my work, so why can't you.

I'm not saying every day is perfect however, overall, I love the work I do. I'm making a difference. I'm creating impact. I'm helping women to step into their full power.

How did I achieve this?

It all started when I worked with a coach back in 2011. I wanted more balance in my life. I wanted to spend more time with my children; not just more time, but more quality time. That's all I was looking for.

However as a result of exploring my work-life balance, my values and the impact I want to have on the world, I quit my job and launched my business.

That was NOT the result I was anticipating at the start of the coaching relationship. But once I got clear on what I really wanted, I found the confidence to just do it!

Maybe you've been wondering about working with a coach. This then sets out to be the Ultimate Guide to Finding the Right Coach for Your Career and will explore:

• Why work with a coach
• What can a coach help you do
• How does a coach work
• How to find the right coach
• How much does it cost
• How do you guarantee results

Why work with a coach

The role of a coach is to act as a catalyst or agent for change. Their role is to help you figure out what you really want and then decide on the right solution for you. Some reasons that you might want to work with a coach like me:

• You have more than a niggling feeling that life isn't all that it could be and you don't know what to do about it.
• Maybe you want to get back into paid work after a career break or redundancy.
• You're stuck in a job that you don't enjoy but you don't know how to take the first steps to get out.
• You're feeling overwhelmed, anxious and scared, maybe trapped by your lack of self-confidence.
• You've lost your sense of self or sense of identity.
• You're wondering when you're going to get found out.
• You're going through the motions and don't know how to break out of the routine.
• Or maybe you lack confidence to go out and get that promotion that you deserve.
• Or actually you feel like you're doing everything to get that promotion and it's just not happening, and you don't understand why.
• You wonder whether there is a better way to manage the work-life-family balance.

What can a coach help you do

I have worked with women who wanted to:

• Make a bigger impact at work to get promoted.
• Kick start a successful job search.
• Get off to a good start in a new role.
• Go back to work after a career break or redundancy.
• Manage the work-life balance more confidently and not feel so overwhelmed.

How does a coach work

A coach might work with individuals or a group. Whichever option you prefer, you can expect your career coach to provide a safe environment where dreams and challenges can be shared without judgement or repercussion.

'Safe' in this context is about holding the space so that you feel safe to be honest and open. When you work with a coach, you may find yourself being encouraged beyond your comfort zone. 

You can expect your coaching sessions to be positive, proactive, personal and in the present. As the client, you retain control over your goals and their challenges. You may be asked to complete a preliminary questionnaire. Many coaches offer a complimentary clarity session or discovery session.

Currently in the UK, coaching is not a regulated profession which means that somebody can claim the title of coach without a formally recognised training or qualification. I trained and qualified with The Coaching Academy (ICF accredited). Check who your coach trained with and whether that organisation is ICF accredited. ICF is the International Coach Federation.

Many coaches use the GROW model in which case a session would follow a format similar to this:

•  identify and get clear on your GOAL i.e. what you want to achieve and why
• explore the current REALITY - what resources or experiences you have or need
• brainstorm the OPTIONS and ideas to achieve your goal
• and finally, commit to the WAY FORWARD and the actions that you will take.

One thing I want to make very clear.

Don't expect a coach to tell you what to do. Rather, through coaching questions, you will find the answers within you. Maybe you're wondering how that can possibly work however a coach is very skilled at asking questions, reflecting back and when necessary challenging your answers.

Most coaches use a combination of active listening and practical exercises to help you find the right answers. It's amazing what knowledge and answers you have within when you are being listened to, properly listened to, by somebody who cares and yet has no hidden agenda for you.

A coach is very much future-focused whereas a counsellor tends to explore what happened in the past, and a consultant will give you advice based on their specialist experience.

Some coaches only work face-to-face. Others work online e.g. Skype or Zoom. Or a combination of the two.

When you select a coach, do ask about session availability. Some coaches only offer daytime slots. Others might also offer (or only offer) evenings or weekends.

I typically work online, using Zoom, which means it takes up less of your day, and you don't have to travel to get anywhere.

Many coaches only work with individuals.

However I am a big believer in the power of group coaching, with my Complete Career Confidence programme and my LinkedIn Kickstart programme. When ambitious talented women gather together, magic happens and the result is always bigger than the sum of the parts.

How to find the right coach

Ask around for recommendations.

Although a good coach could coach you in any topic - the expertise is in the questions and the listening skills - most of us feel more comfortable working with a coach who has specific experience in the challenge that you face.

Perhaps she has lived that experience herself or she has undertaken additional specialist training, or it simply comes down to years of experience helping others in that same or similar situation.

Search online, on LinkedIn or look at an online coaching directory. Check out some coaches and their websites. Look at their recommendations on LinkedIn.

As I mentioned earlier, most career coaches will offer a complimentary discovery session. Sometimes referred to as a clarity call or introduction conversation or discovery call. Book a few with different coaches.

Get a feel for the coach and whether you can build trust and rapport with that person.

More than anything, trust in your gut instinct.

How much does a good career coach charge?

The cost of a coaching session varies enormously.

As with most things in life, you get what you pay for. Typically the more you pay, the more experienced the coach is, however that's not always the case.

I would suggest you would expect to pay an absolute minimum of ￡50 per session.

At the other end of the scale, I hear of coaches who charge ￡10,000 for a one day VIP session. The investment is not necessarily a reflection of the coach's experience.

To get good traction, you will normally be expected to commit to a set number of sessions e.g. 6 or 8 sessions.

Some coaches offer one-off sessions to deal with a very specific challenge. For example I offer a one-off Quick Fix to help you focus on one thing - whether that's your CV or your LinkedIn profile or to prep for a job interview.

And if you're wondering, I'm somewhere in the middle: not the cheapest but nowhere near the most expensive with a Quick Fix costing you ￡199 and my signature Complete Career Confidence being ￡1200.

How do I guarantee the results

This is a tough one ... a coach cannot guarantee results. Particularly as you are the one doing the work - the coach is the catalyst, your agent for change. There are no magic wands.

No matter what you want to achieve, you need to make the right decisions, make the commitment and then most importantly it is down to you to take action. (Though a good coach will call you out if you keep not following through on the actions).

You most definitely can get that dream job in the dream location IF you put your mind to it. However in order to fast track your success, working with a career coach is an incredibly powerful way of getting there more directly and with less overwhelm.

And why on earth wouldn't you want to get support, accountability and encouragement from an expert.

Tell me in the comments if you've worked with a career coach and how you found the experience. I'd love to hear from you.

And if you've wondered about working with a career coach, the hardest part might be plucking up the confidence to have that initial chat with me.

Go on – feel the fear and do it anyway. You owe it to yourself.

Click here to find a date and time that works for you.

There’s absolutely no commitment but as an action-taker myself, I will encourage you to take action, whether that’s to work with me or to take a different first step.

About Sherry Bevan

An author, coach and speaker, Sherry Bevan is a former Global Head of IT Service for a City law firm. After 25 years in the City, she created The Confident Mother, an independent coaching practice.

Sherry works with individuals and organisations in technology and professional services, to help ambitious women manage their career with confidence and purpose.

She specialises in helping women achieve their career goals. She also offers one-to-one coaching as well as workshops in the workplace on topics such as resilience, confidence, career and leadership.

To find out more about working with Sherry, click HERE.