A career coach is often only discussed as someone is well into their career. 

The concept of having a coach is foreign to many.

Common questions include:

What is the role of a coach?

How is this different from a mentor?

And how much does it cost?

There are many factors that go into finding the right coaching match. 

Yesterday, we covered the different types of engagements including self-coaching, one-on-one, and group coaching. 

Today, we will focus on 1-on-1 coaching.

Below are and discuss popular services, types of engagement, and pricing.

Popular Services

The following list are just some of the coaching services you might encounter.

  • Personal Development – Interpersonal skills, delegation, presentation, time management
  • Personal Branding – Resume and cover letter development, identification of strengths
  • Job Search and Interview – Customized search plan, networking strategies, mock interviews
  • Career Transition – Switching industries, moving up/down the corporate ladder.
  • Leadership Development – Managing teams, effective communication, setting vision.
  • Executive – Similar to leadership development for executive level leadership
  • Entrepreneur – Business planning, market research, financial management
  • Small Business – Revenue streams, pricing analysis, marketing

Types of Engagement

Coaches typically offer two types of engagements – single sessions and packages. 

For the sessions, you pay an hourly fee each time you want to schedule a meeting with the coach. 

The advantage here is that you manage the frequency and the budget. 

However, for more than 1-2 sessions, there is likely a financial advantage to selecting a package. 

Packages typically come in two forms:

  • Time Based – These packages often give a discount for scheduling more than one session.  Popular time-based sessions include offers like meeting every other week for six months or meeting monthly for a year.  Sessions typically range from 30 minutes to 2 hours.
  • Tailored Program – These packages are typically a bundle of 3-5 sessions focused on a topic.  Popular tailored programs include personal branding, career transition, and entrepreneur.

Coaching Costs

With the variability of the services and packages, there is a wide range of coaching costs. 

Factors such as the expertise of the coach and location of sessions (in-person vs. virtual) can increase/decrease the rate.

Below are some guidelines to expect:

  • Entry-mid level employees – Average around $100-150/hour
  • Mid-to-upper-level managers – Average around $200/hour with some upwards of $500/hr
  • Executive and Entrepreneur – Average around $350/hour with some upwards of $1000/hr

Your Turn

Have you hired a career coach? 

What were the benefits? 

Do the services/pricing here seem accurate?