Should I Hire a Career Coach?
When's the right time to invest? What to look for in a coach? How do I get my company to sponsor my coaching?
(Teddy the Corgi, Berkeley Hills, CA)
Hiring a career coach is a large investment in terms of time and money. As a coach, I also care about being there for you when I can be most helpful.
Here are some common reasons clients begin to work with me. If one of these resonate with you, it is a sign that we could be a great fit to partner.
Large Role Changes
You are taking on a bigger scope as a result of a new project, promotion, or role change
You are working towards a promotion with a timeline or some guidance
You are a first time manager, manager of managers, or executive
You are taking over a new function as a leader
Transitions
You are considering a looking for a new job but aren’t sure if it’s the right next step
Your job search isn’t going as well as you had hoped
You want additional support through the application - interview - negotiations process to land the most optimal outcome
Personal Growth
You’ve received career feedback that feels vague (e.g. executive presence, be more strategic, do more)
You are frustrated at your current role with lack of growth, toxic environment, uncertainty, etc
You are at or beyond your capacity and yet feel like you have to do “more” to grow your career
But do I need a coach?
Do you need a teacher to learn piano? Do you need a coach for public speaking? It all depends on what your goals are, how quickly you want to get there, and how good of a self-learner you are.
There are executives who have made it there without coaching.
However, there’s fewer and fewer who take this path. Instead, executive coaching has, particularly in silicon valley, become the norm. Boards and CEOs have realized that in order to maximize team performance and get the most out of their highly paid executives, hiring coaches for them or the entire team, is a high return on investment.
For anyone who aspires to become an executive, I would highly recommend a coach as you move up the ranks. While it is possible to “figure it out” alone or with a group of peers, as the problems and challenges become more complex and intractable, it is much more effective and efficient to have a coach help you identify problems and work through potential solutions.
Similarly to my advice for people practicing for Meta interviews: if you only practice with people who are interviewing (and have not passed the interview), then you do not know where the bar is or what a “good answer” looks like.
Finding the right coach
There are many different types of coaches out there.
Life coach: Life coaches help you through life’s problems. They help you identify what you want in life generally (across personal goals and career goals), and partner with you to achieve changes and transitions you want to make. While I have done life coaching for some friends and long time clients, this is not where I focus.
Executive coach (me): An executive coach focuses on coaching executives (VP, C-suite). They help the executive be as effective as they can be in their roles. At times, executive coaches work with an entire executive team on team collaboration. They are often hired by the company.
Career coach (me): A career coach who has experience in the role that you want, who has traveled down a path you want to go down, is invaluable in helping you identify what you need to work on and avoid the pitfalls along the way.
Interview coach: An interview coach focuses on job transitions and practicing for interviews. The great ones start with helping you create a narrative, build a cohesive resume, and strengthen your interview answers. While I have done a significant amount of interview coaching (and am quite good at it), I do not solely focus here.
[Functional] coach: Marketing Coaches, Communication Coaches, Product Strategy Coaches all focus on their functional expertise. They coach on a particular area. I specialize in product strategy, execution, and org building. I primarily work through VCs with early-stage startups in this capacity.
What to ask/look for:
Look for personality fit: you’re going to tell your coach some embarrassing truths about yourself and you’re in for some critical feedback. Find someone you intuitive trust.
Ask how they work and who they’ve worked with: What’s their process? How do they set goals and milestones? What types of clients do they work with and why?
Look for selective coaches: Look for people who are in it because they love it, not because they need the money. Yes, most coaches rely on coaching for income. However, it’s important to find people who are selective about their clients and truly care about being able to deliver value.
What to avoid:
Sometimes if feels like everyone is a coach. How do you know who’s actually good and what you need? Here’s some watch-outs:
Coaches with little experience in the workplace and/or in coaching
Coaches who are “old school” in their approach or practice
Coaches who are too sales-y
Coaches who worry more about their tiktok videos than your problems.
Getting sponsorship for coaching
If your company has a professional Development or Learning & Development budget for things like classes, certifications, or conferences, career coaching falls into that category.
Career and coaching can be extremely helpful for high-potential, up-and-coming leaders. When seeking approval from your manager, highlight how a career coach will help you develop and in what areas specifically. Make a business case for your ask if possible. At the end of the day, the reason the company will pay for your coaching if is it can get a more productive and effective employee in return.
Example email:
"Hello [name], we've been discussing [insert opportunity area, e.g. being more strategic, being more empathetic, leading through influence, or executive presence] as an opportunity area in my last performance review. I did research on potential options from courses to certifications and believe that working 1:1 with a coach is the most effective approach.
I am interested in working with Yue Zhao, former Chief Product Officer now career coach. She has the relevant experience as an operator, founder, and executive herself, and has been coaching for many years aspiring executives like myself. You can learn more about her and her coaching here: https://www.yuezhao.coach.
Through working with her, I believe we can:
e.g. increase the success that [impactful project x] is a success
e.g. increase my bandwidth as a team leader to take on additional work like project xyz
e.g. help me develop and scale as a leader, which in term allows Team A to hit goal X.
I’d like to know if [company] has budget to sponsor a 6-month engagement with her this quarter. I can share a document with specific milestones we want to accomplish together and an invoice for the engagement. Please let me know if there’s any additional information needed.”
There you have it. If you’re looking for a career coach and interested in working with me, you can find out more about my 1:1 and group coaching services here. Schedule an intro session to get started!