6 tips for hiring a career coach p1 - Military Career Development Strategies & Tips - Military Times EDGE

Many people are thinking it’s time to hire a career coach to help find a new — or better — job. A coach can help you focus in on your skills and think more broadly about the types of jobs for which you qualify. They also can help you work through personal issues that may be in the way of successfully landing a job, such as appearance, interviewing, and preparing a good résumé and cover letters, said Joel Garfinkle, an Oakland, Calif.-based career coach and author.

Coaches likely will establish a specific number of meetings a month and discuss their preferred communication methods, whether it’s telephone calls or e-mails. A charge of $100 an hour is not uncommon and could be considerably more in some cases.

Don’t rush in, though; there are plenty of pitfalls in this rapidly growing business. Anyone can call themselves a career coach, so if you’re in the market to hire one, keep these tips in mind:

1. Make sure the person you’re considering subscribes to a professional code of ethics advocated by one of the professional trade groups.

2. Choose someone who’s been through a coach training program to ensure the person has had some professional preparation. Career counselors listed by the National Career Development Association, for example, hold a graduate degree in counseling with a specialization in career counseling.

3. Ask for credentials. The International Coach Federation credentials, for example, require members to follow a code of ethics, have specific training and pass written and oral testing and an application process.

4. Look for experience in the area for which you are seeking help. If you’re an executive, seek a coach with executive experience.

5. Narrow your choices down to a couple of coaches and ask them for references of clients you can call.

6. Be sure there is a chemistry between you and the coach. In your initial interview with a prospective coach, spend 15 or 20 minutes talking about one of the issues you want to tackle, Garfinkle said. See if he is willing to coach you a little right there on the spot.