Professional coaching is not therapy and it’s not magic. It’s a structured partnership designed to help you make clearer decisions, build stronger professional habits, and execute a plan that actually moves your career forward. The outcome depends heavily on who you choose.
Coaching vs mentoring vs therapy: be precise
Coaching focuses on goals, experiments, accountability and measurable progress. Mentoring is more advice-driven and experience-based. Therapy addresses mental health, trauma, and clinical distress. A serious coach knows their limits and will refer you out when needed.
Step 1 — Define what “success” looks like
- Goal: promotion, career change, leadership, negotiation, first management role, confidence, burnout prevention, etc.
- Timeframe: 6 weeks, 3 months, 6 months.
- Success criteria: a decision made, a strategy built, a portfolio updated, interviews improved, a leadership routine implemented.
If you can’t define success, you can’t evaluate the coach.
Step 2 — The coaching frame is non-negotiable
Expect clarity on objectives, session rhythm, confidentiality, cancellations, boundaries, and what happens between sessions.
- Agreement/contract (even a simple one)
- Confidentiality explicitly stated
- Ethics (no unrealistic promises, no manipulation)
Step 3 — Certification: a signal, not a guarantee
Credentials (e.g., ICF, EMCC) can indicate training standards, supervision, and an ethical code. But certification alone does not prove fit. What matters is training + practice + supervision + professional maturity.
Step 4 — Experience: relevance beats prestige
Ask for relevance to your context:
- Have they worked with clients at your level (IC, manager, exec) and with similar constraints?
- Do they understand your environment (corporate politics, international teams, regulated industries)?
- How long have they coached, and how much of their time is real coaching?
Step 5 — Specialization: match the coach to the problem
- Career transition: positioning, narrative, search strategy, confidence under uncertainty.
- Leadership: influence, feedback, conflict, decision-making, executive presence.
- Communication: assertiveness, public speaking, stakeholder management.
- Burnout prevention: boundaries, workload, recovery, sustainable performance.
Step 6 — Method: “How do we work?”
Good coaching is not vague. It typically includes assessment, hypotheses, experiments, feedback loops, and accountability.
- Tools: exercises, role plays, structured reflection, action plans.
- Between sessions: short tasks with follow-up.
- Measurement: simple indicators of progress.
Step 7 — Chemistry matters, but it’s not the whole story
You must feel safe enough to be honest. But “nice” is not the criterion. A strong coach can challenge you, call out patterns, and keep you out of endless overthinking.
Questions to ask in a first call
- What clients and topics do you coach most often?
- How do you structure a 6–10 session engagement?
- How do you handle confidentiality and ethics?
- Share an anonymized example of outcomes and how you supported the process.
- What do you do when a client is stuck or not progressing?
Red flags
- Guaranteed outcomes (“promotion guaranteed”, “double your salary”).
- Pseudo-science or mystical claims used to impress.
- No clear frame, no agreement, no boundaries.
- Aggressive sales pressure, guilt-based persuasion.
- Role confusion or dependency-building behavior.
Pricing: think ROI, not hourly cost
What is the value of a faster decision, better interviews, stronger leadership habits, or a better negotiation? If the coach cannot articulate the value and the structure, pricing becomes arbitrary.
Practical tip
Compare 2–3 coaches, then choose the one with the best mix of clear frame, demonstrated competence, workable method, and trust. On a platform like Miraye, filters (specialty, language, experience) help you shortlist and book efficiently.