Career Coach [My Top 6 List]

Knowing you should hire a career coach and actually finding and hiring a good one are two very different things. The second is very challenging. It seems that everyone and their mother is a career coach, resume writer, or life coach these days - many without the qualifications to do so in my opinion.

Hiring the right career coach could save you tens of thousands of dollars and a lot of stress. Hiring the wrong one (hey, we’ve all been there) could cost you thousands of dollars with no return on investment.

This week, I’ve been tracking down and interviewing all kinds of career coaches and their clients to find out who’s worth it and who’s not.

In this article, I’ll give you recommendations on coaches that you can work with and I’ll cover how you can determine if they’re the right fit for you.

What is Career Coaching

For our purposes today, career coaching is one-on-one help to achieve a career goal. That could be a combination of things or one thing. And depending on your unique challenges, different coaches may make sense.

I’ll divide this article up into coaches I recommend for interviewing, negotiating, job searching, getting a promotion, making a career change, career advice about handling your workplace, or any combination of those items.

If you’re feeling stuck, doubting your career choices, or dealing with frustrating situations at work, I would consider a career coach.

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The 6 Best Career Coaches

Susan Collins - My Top Pick for Executives and Aspiring Leaders

John Gates - Best for Salary Negotiation Coaching

Andrea Tropeano - Best for Interview Coaching

Erin Riska - Best Job Search Consultant

Bernadette Pawlik - Best Executive Job Search Consultant

Lukas Sundahl - Best Accounting Career Coach

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How to Find the Right Career Coach

Even though I’m going to recommend some coaches for you to check out, not every coach is for every person. Here are some things I would consider when vetting a career coach.

They Are Good at One Particular Thing

When I look for any kind of coach, I always look to see if they are good at the particular thing I’m trying to do. That could mean a variety of things.

It could mean that they understand my industry niche. It could mean that they work with people at my level. There are big differences in the problems an executive will face compared to someone who is early-career.

It may also mean they are experts in the situation I need help with the most. Perhaps I’m job searching, getting interviews, but having trouble landing a job offer. In that case, I would want to work with someone who is an expert at interviewing.

If I was a parent who was returning to work after several years, I would want to work with someone who understands how to do that and is an expert at doing it today (not 10 years ago).

They Have Authority

They should have authority in the space that I need them to be good at. Have they done what I am trying to do before?

That doesn’t mean they have to have done it themselves either. For example, I spent a decade recruiting CPAs out of public accounting and placing them in private industry. While I’ve never personally moved from public accounting to private industry, I have deep experience in doing it and know how to do it.

That would make me a good person to speak with if that was your situation. I have authority in that area.

They Are Likable

I would never hire a coach without conducting a free consultation first. To get value from career coaching, interview coaching, or anything other type of coaching, you will need to be vulnerable.

It’s much more likely that you’ll have success with this if you like the other person and they have a matching personality to yours. That doesn’t mean they have to have the same personality, but it’s one you can work with and be open around.

They Offer Value

Lots of people look at the price tag of coaching. I think that’s foolish. Instead, I would look at the value. Keep in mind that just because one person got X value out of someone’s coaching service, doesn’t mean that you’ll get the same value. You have to determine value on your own.

For example, if I worked with a salary coach who could help me negotiate a $20,000 raise but costs $10,000 and I stayed at that job for 2 more years, that would be $30,000 in value. That’s well worth the money.

Or if I worked with an interview coach who cost $200 for an hour but in that hour they helped me get unstuck by identifying what I was doing wrong and I then landed a job making $8,000 a month. If without that, I would have been unemployed for another 2 months (not uncommon in this market), then they provided me with nearly $16,000 in value. That’s well worth it.

And let’s not forget about the non-tangible values like reduced stress and more confidence either. It’s hard to put a price tag on those things.

Coach or Consultant

There is a difference between a career coach and a career consultant. The former will help guide you through your problem and most likely stay with you until you’ve accomplished your goal. It’s a long-term relationship.

A consultant on the other hand is someone you may meet with one or two times. There’s no self-discover involved. You will tell them what is going on and they will help you troubleshoot one particular sticking point and then move on.

You hire a consultant to tell you what to do. You hire a coach to help you figure out what to do and then help you do it. That’s how I see it. Neither is better than the other, but you need to hire the right person for your situation.

If you’re trying to figure out a particular sticking point in a career change, a consultant can help you with that. But if you’re trying to figure out the entire career change, I would hire a coach.

Certifications

There are several coaching certifications out there and I do think they can be helpful. Certifications help teach people the mechanics of coaching and how to work through problems with their clients.

It is not a substitute for authority and expertise though. And I often find that non-certified coaches are often better than certified ones for this very reason.

I don’t put a lot of stock in coaching certifications. Rather I would look for expertise in a specific field, especially if they have some type of senior HR or TA experience.

Executive Career Coach - Susan Collins, ACC, PHR

If you’re at the Director level or above, I highly recommend Susan Collins. If you’re at this level, don’t sit in a job and wait for the next thing to arrive. Susan is all about planned career advancement, not career advancement by accident.

Susan Helps With

• Career Planning

• Leadership Coaching

• Resume Coaching

• Interview Coaching

• Job Searching

Background

Susan spent 30 years in talent acquisition for a $2B organization. She led teams, strategy, and technology. There are few people as qualified as Susan. She’s sat in the room where decisions were made about promotions and hiring at the director and VP levels.

She is a member of SHRM (Society for Human Resource Management) and holds multiple certifications including Associate Certified Coach, Leadership Circle Certification, and a Level 2 Conversational Intelligence Accreditation.

Services

When you hire Susan, it’s not just here but an entire team. Yes, you meet with her for an hour each week or every other week depending on your needs, but you also get 2 hours with a resume coach who is a current executive recruiter, 2.5 hours with an interview coach, and time with a social media strategist for building your brand.

The entire process is very collaborative and Susan covers everything you could possibly need to make career decisions or change jobs. The thing I like about Susan the most is that she looks at your whole life when helping you figure out what you want to do. Many coaches only look at your work life, but Suan takes a holistic approach.

One of the first things Susan does with most of her clients is to complete a leadership circle profile which gives you insights into where your leadership opportunities are, find out what others think about you, or why you’re not getting promoted.

Next, she’ll work with you to complete a value survey, next offer, and determine the best roadmap to get you there. As Susan says, “You never want to run from a job, but to a job.”

Pricing

Susan bases her pricing on the career level of each of her clients. Her pricing starts at $5,000 and that covers weekly sessions with her for 6 months plus meetings with resume coaches, interview coaches, and brand strategists along the way. It’s one price and includes everything she offers.

One of the reasons she offers 6-month packages is because she knows that when you feel pressure you have a tendency to speed up, but in reality it’s often best to slow down to find the right job.

You can book a free consultation with Susan here.

Salary Negotiation Career Coach - John Gates

If your goal is to make more money and you know what your career path is already, I can’t speak highly enough of John Gates. John is the author of Act Your Wage.

John Helps With

• Interview Coaching

• Salary Negotiation

Background

John has been a Director or Head of Talent Acquisition since 2007 and worked in a diverse set of industries ranging from healthcare to energy. There are few people on the corporate recruiting side that have the diversity of hiring as John does.

I’ve talked with John on multiple occasions and this guy has overseen the negotiation of over 75,000 job offers throughout his career. He’s experienced and he knows his stuff.

If you’re looking for a recruiting insider who knows how (and how not to) increase your take-home pay, John is your guy.

Services

John takes a holistic approach to salary negotiation and realizes that you don’t negotiate salary in a bubble at the end of the hiring process when an offer is made. It’s something you set yourself up for throughout the entire hiring process.

If you sign up with John, the first thing he will do is spend time with you to learn about how you approach conversations. He won’t be negotiating for you so he will learn your style and personality to help you negotiate naturally.

John doesn’t do structured appointments but rather will tell you to book appointments with him when someone asks you to book an interview so he can talk to you first and prepare you. He’ll then debrief with you after your interviews. This is all to help you build value during the interview to help you move your potential offer amount up later.

John doesn’t just tell you what to say, but he’ll coach you through understanding the politics of offer approval and what happens in the compensation department, HR department, and with the supervisor so you can better navigate the entire job search journey.

John views compensation and negotiation as something that happens throughout the entire hiring process.

When you do receive an offer, John will talk to you again and teach you how to react in a collaborative way. It’s an unlimited time model until you get a job. John doesn’t cap the hours you speak with him. He’s there until you get a job and teaches you in real time as things develop.

John is thorough when it comes to negotiation including examining details such as severance and relocation. For John, it’s not just about getting you the highest base salary, but also the total compensation package.

The only piece of the job search John doesn’t do is resume writing. For that, check out my recommendations and reviews for resume writers.

Pricing

John typically works with director-level professionals or higher. His pricing is based on your most recent pay package and typically starts around $5,000. Keeping in mind that this gives you unlimited access to John until you land your next job and his emphasis is on landing you more money than you were making before, it’s a pretty good investment.

John also offers payment options for unemployed job seekers to help them get the help they need. He also guarantees that you will get the best offer a company can reasonably give and makes sure that nothing is left on the table.

You can learn more about John’s services and book a free consultation here.

Interview Coach - Andrea Tropeano

Andrea works with many young adults, mid-career professionals, and leaders for interview prep. She also does outplacement work. She’s based in Philadelphia but has clients throughout the US. If you find yourself not getting past phone screens, second-round interviews, or securing job offers, Andrea can help.

Andrea Helps With

• Interview Coaching

• Job Searching

Background

Andrea has spent over 10 years in talent acquisition, human resources, and executive search, working at big-name companies like Pfizer and Merck-Medco. She is a Certified Career Coach through the International Coaching Federation, Center for Credentialing and Education, and ADD Coach Academy. She has a graduate degree in organizational psychology.

Andrea knows first-hand what happens behind the scenes of interviewing and why managers may be asking you certain questions. That combined with her professional training means she’s very qualified to help you give the best interview you possibly can.

Services

Andrea customizes all of her services and you can book one or multiple sessions with her depending on your need. I like to think of interview prep like any other skill. A skill takes time to develop, so sometimes, it’s best to book 2 or 3 sessions so you can build your interview skills. Given that she’s so affordable, I would recommend that.

Usually, you can book next-day sessions or a couple of days out with Andrea. She will ask you for your resume and the job listing you are interviewing for (or want to interview for). She will then send you a shareable document with potential questions that you could be asked. This allows you to brainstorm answers and for Andrea to review them with you.

Many interview coaches will do a mock interview with you, but Andrea goes a step further in actually helping you prepare your answers before practicing the mock interview. It’s a two-step process. She will help you prepare strong answers and then deliver those answers in Situation, Action, and Result methodology.

Andrea is one of the most thorough interview coaches I know, and she will help you prepare for technical skill questions and soft skill questions.

Pricing

Andrea’s pricing is between $150 and $200 for a 1-hour session. The price is usually based on your career level. For example, someone with a few years of experience may only pay $150, while a senior executive may pay $200. No matter your level, this is one of the best prices I’ve seen for an interview coach of this caliber.

You can learn more about Andrea here and book a free consultation with her before purchasing anything.

Job Search Consultant - Erin Riska

If you don’t need an entire program, but rather someone to help you figure out what to do in a particular situation regarding a job search, then Erin is your gal.

Erin Helps With

• Interview Coaching

• Job Searching

• Resume Coaching

Background

Erin has spent over 15 years in human resources and talent acquisition. Today she runs a recruitment firm called Search and Rescue. She’s a generalist recruiter which means she has had diverse exposure to many different hiring managers and candidates, in many different industries. That’s a huge asset to someone looking for a coach.

Services

Erin doesn’t consider herself a coach, but rather a consultant. She doesn’t have a long, involved process. Rather she lets people book 75-minute sessions with her where they can ask questions. And like a consultant, she will tell you what to do in your specific situation.

If you find it hard to commit to a coaching program or find the thought of it intimidating, Erin could be a good alternative.

Erin spends many of her sessions helping others identify industries that they may be ignoring but should be targeting in their job search. She then helps you parlay what you’ve done into other similar roles and industries to open up your job prospects, strategically.

She can also take a look at your resume and give you specific directions on what you should change and how you should go about applying for specific jobs. She doesn’t write resumes, but she does give feedback.

Pricing

Erin charges by the hour, or rather by every 75 minutes. A session with her costs $125 and you can come back for as many as you want.

Executive Job Search Consultant - Bernadette Pawlik

Bernadette Pawlik is one of the most experienced executive recruiters I know and today she runs Coffee and a Consult. Similar to Erin, Bernadette offers by-the-hour career coaching services.

Bernadette Helps With

• Resume Coaching

• Interview Coaching

• Job Search

Background

Bernadette started her career doing legal searches and then transitioned to CEO searches. She used to work for Korn Ferry, one of the world’s premiere executive search firms, before starting her own practice.

One thing I can promise you is that if you spend 5 minutes with Bernadette, you’ll come out smarter. She’s a sharp woman and has more experience to draw on than anyone else I’ve ever met (and I’ve met a lot of people).

Services

When you sign up to work with Bernadette, she sends you a discovery guide where you tell her the 7 things that are most important to you regarding your job search. She’ll also ask for a copy of your resume and a few job postings to get a sense of your qualifications ahead of time.

Bernadette is one of the most skilled coaches I know. She’ll ask you if you want her to be candid or gentle during the call and she’s great at adapting to whoever she’s working with so you get the most out of your session.

If you need encouragement and support, she’s there. If you need someone to give it to you straight with no fluff, she can do that too.

If you mention you need help with your resume, she’ll walk through your existing resume, compare it to the jobs you sent her, and let you know your chances of getting that job based on how your resume reads currently. She’s also really good at helping you better articulate what’s missing in the resume.

If you need one, she has an executive resume template, the result of a collaboration between a number of executive recruiters, that she can send you.

If you need help with your LinkedIn profile, she is qualified to tell you how a recruiter would look at it. Bernadette has been using LinkedIn to source candidates for almost as long as LinkedIn has been around and she knows exactly how to be found in the right search results.

If you mention that interviewing is your weak spot, she will ask for information about the job and then either do the research for you or tell you how to do the research during your session. She has a great approach to researching manager backgrounds, uncovering what they might care about, and what concerns they might have about your candidacy.

Interview prep with Bernadette isn’t about canned questions and answers. It’s more about understanding who you’ll be meeting with and their perspectives, and then preparing for that. She’ll prepare you for the worst-case interview so you’ll be prepared.

Pricing

You won’t find another coach with this level of expertise as affordable as Bernadette. She charges $175 for an hour of her time. You can sign up for one hour and come back for more as you need it. She doesn’t sell any packages.

Accounting Career Coach - Lukas Sundahl, CMA, CSCA

Lukas Helps With

• Accounting Skill Development (including software proficiencies)

• Accounting Career Change and Promotions

• Accounting Credentialing and Exam Prep (CPA, CMA, etc)

Background

I’ve known Lukas for several years now and he’s one of the most skilled management accountants I know when it comes to financial analysis, controllership, and accounting leadership. In addition to his professional certifications (CMA and CSCA), he’s mentored others in accounting for years, focusing on helping both beginners and leaders.

His knowledge and teaching approach is rooted in practical, real-world applications. He’s also one of two instructors for the Best CMA Exam Review.

Services

When you sign up for coaching with Lukas, you’ll start with an initial consultation to identify your goals, challenges, and strengths. From there, Lukas will work with you to design a step-by-step roadmap with milestones for your career growth. In between sessions, he encourages clients to email him for support, questions, or updates.

Because of his real-world experience, he also has a lot of resources and industry insights he can share with you.

Pricing

Lukas prices his services by the hour and allows you to book sessions with him as you need him. He charges $100 for one hour.

Are You A Career Coach?

I’m always looking to connect with new career coaches who do great work. If you’re a career coach or you’ve worked with someone really good, reach out to me at hello@optimcareers.com and let’s connect.