One of the things I love most about having been a coach for so many years is the wide variety of individuals that I have been privileged to work with. I routinely meet with everyone from juniors and seniors in high school to CEOs of billion-dollar companies who make seven figures, and everyone in between. I start with students as young as age 16, and have coached some people in their early 70s who were experiencing career and life transitions.

The challenges of figuring out what you want to do next in life are not unique to any age range, education level, or economic status. It’s why I like to schedule an initial no-cost meeting, either in person on the phone, or via Skype, to learn about what is going on with you and determine if I can be of assistance and what that would look like.

Great question! The answer is I’ve been in the recruiting and coaching business for over 30 years. As a Headhunter, I recruited and negotiated deals for professionals from Engineers to Senior Executives, Presidents and CEO’s at salary levels from near entry level up to packages into 7 figures. As a coach, I’ve helped a wide spectrum of people discover or re-discover both themselves and their new, more rewarding careers. You can check out my full bio HERE.

Well if you are reading this I’d like to think you’ve found one. But here are some qualifying questions to ask any potential coach.

1. How long have you been doing Career Coaching? Because of the recent economy woes, there are a lot of unqualified people entering the coaching business.
2. Where did they get their experience? It’s not enough to say “I’ve done this for 2, 5 or 20 years.” Find out where they’ve worked and check out the reputation of that firm.
3. I personally offer testimonials but don’t offer references due to confidentiality reasons, but you can ask for references or testimonials. Some coaches provide them, some don’t. But it doesn’t hurt to ask.
4. Most important, ask for an initial consultation (I personally offer a free initial consultation via face-to-face, phone or Skype), and see if you get a good feeling about the coach. Trust your judgment and walk away if you don’t.

Unfortunately “Certified” doesn’t mean very much in this field. There are lots of people taking courses and becoming “Certified Career Coaches” or “Certified Resume Writers” with zero experience.

Unfortunately, there is very little way to predict that. Everyone’s situation is unique, and depending on someone’s background and earnings level, it could take a couple weeks or up to 6 to 8 months or more for executive level or highly specialized occupations.

I think the two biggest factors in length of job search are first, how hard are you willing to work at it? If you are unemployed, are you treating it like your 40 hour a week job and being laser focused on it, or are you letting things around the house distract you from your job search mission.

And second, how effective of a job search are you conducting? Unfortunately, 100% of us don’t know what we don’t know. Do you know the particular tasks you should be doing every single day in order to maximize your efforts and minimize the time it will take you to land in a new, highly satisfying role? If you are unsure about this then contact me.