Job search coaches, buyers beware

If you are facing unemployment or a career change in this market a good coach can be your best friend but do your homework and be ready to work. Today virtually everybody could use a good coach. At this time in your life what could be a better investment in your future. Today no matter what your skills are or what your specialty is a productive and successful job search is a fulltime job. A coach can make you more effective and the process more comfortable but you still have to do the work. If a coach tells you that he will make your search “easier” find another one. Here are some other signs of a coach you do not want to sign with.

Avoid coaches who tell you that they can find you interviews and ultimately a job because they are also recruiters who have access to jobs you will not find on your own. A coach who tells you this should not charge you because if he really is a recruiter the employer pays his fees. Recruiters do not charge candidates.

Run from who “promise” to help you find a job. Again, coaches do not find jobs. They are not recruiters. Even if they work as both coach and recruiter they do not mix the two jobs.

Do not be sold or pushed into a decision. Read about what they do. Get their “promises” in writing and get all your questions answered. If when you say that you want to think it over you are pushed to sign up “now” scratch that one off your list.

Chemistry – The coaching relationship is intimate. You will need to be totally honest about everything related to your career and job search. A good coach will be brutally honest with you. He will be critical of your resume, your interviewing skills and your lack of effort if you are not doing what you committed to do. You must like him and be comfortable. If that little voice in your head says to walk away, do it.

Make sure that you know what you can afford before you start talking to a coach. There are a lot of coaches who charge $2000 to start and there are also good ones who charge less than $500. Do not make your decision on cost alone. Make sure that you are getting what you need in a coach.

Hire the right skill set. You do not want a “Life Coach”. You want a coach who specializes in job search coaching for the individual job hunter and has probably spent his career working in the for profit employment marketplace. You are not looking for a psychologist.

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Comment by Michelle Morettini on August 12, 2009 at 4:55pm: Mark-I couldn't agree more...sort of. As someone who has been RIF'ed and gone through outplacement with a large firm that I no longer do business with, I can tell you that the process can be wildly frustrating. My old employer paid for me to have one on one consulting with a job search “expert.” My personal experience involved a coach who spent his time telling me how wealthy his children are, that he knew how to spell H-R, and culminated with a revised resume filled with typographical and grammatical errors. When I gave my final survey, I told the company that I thought my service was worth exactly what I had personally paid for it.

However, since then, I've turned my recruiting know-how and personal experience into a certain style as an outplacement coach (yes-I'm the dreaded job search coach now). My typical candidate beats the outplacement average of time to land in a job. So I know that there are a ton of good, reputable coaches out there that can and do help candidates improve the efficacy of their searches. But bottom line-candidates need to be prepared to do the work regardless of who they have backing them up. Too many people think that having a job search coach equals having a personal assistant, and it's simply not true! This market requires the courage of David, the wits of Road Runner, and the persistence of Hugh Herr (Google him people-it’s worth it!)...While I think your comments are incredibly valid, I could not resist the opportunity to speak out for the honest, well-connected, passionate coaches out there who can and often do make a difference for the candidates that they work with.