How to find the right coach: an 8 step guide

You’ve decided to work with a coach - congratulations! It can be a big decision to start a coaching journey and many people put off getting the help they need to work towards their goals. However, as the coaching field continues to grow, there are more and more life coaches entering the space, each offering a slightly different approach, focus, or results. On top of that, as coaching is not a regulated profession, some coaches will be highly qualified, dedicated, and passionate about what they do but others will just be in it for the money. This can make the task of choosing the right coach for you challenging, which is why I decided to compile this guide to help you start this exciting journey. 

1) Make sure that you want to work with a coach

Coaching is often used interchangeably with other related disciplines, such as counselling, mentorship, or therapy. However, each of these has a distinct purpose and characteristics (read more about the differences between coaching, counselling, therapy, and mentoring here). Coaching is a goal-oriented and future-focused approach that aims to help you maximise your personal and/or professional potential. As a result, a coach will not spend much time digging into your past and instead will focus on helping you build self-awareness and explore opportunities so that you create meaningful and lasting change. A good coach will also not offer advice or opinions, instead, their role is to guide you to your own insights and solutions. 

Does this sound like what you are looking for? Read on.

2) Get clear on why you want to work with a coach

This step is important as it will determine what type of coach you need to look for. For example, are you looking for a life coach to help you manage your stress levels and find a work-life balance? Or do you need a career coach who specialises in making a career transition? Or are you looking for a relationship coach to help you address the challenges in your relationships? Whatever your goals, make sure you are clear on the specifics of what you want to achieve by working with a coach. This can then determine the coach’s speciality and the approach the that might best suit your needs and goals.

3) Research-time!

Now that you know what type of coach you are looking for, you can start searching for the right one. How you go about this is really up to you but here are some ideas: ask your network for recommendations, do a google search using specific keywords (for example “burnout coach” or “confidence coach for women), have a look on the social media platforms you use or check out an online directory, such as the International Coach Federation or the Coaching Loft. Have they written any articles or covered any topics that interest you? What does their personal brand say to you? Do you connect with their online presence? Make sure that the websites or social media accounts of the coaches resonate with you and trust your intuition during this process.

4) Check if they have the appropriate training and accreditation

Once you have identified some coaches that speak to you, make sure that they are legitimate. This is especially important when searching for a coach because, unlike therapy, coaching is not a regulated profession and anyone can call themselves a coach. As a result, there are many coaches out there who do not have any credentials or further education. A good coach will usually have completed training from an accredited institution which will have given them the relevant knowledge and skills (usually involving some client work) and assessed their abilities. A great coach will typically continue their professional development through further training, attending conferences, reading books, and incorporating their clients' feedback into their practice. Although having good training and accreditation does not necessarily mean that the coach is the right one for you, it is a good starting point.

5) Take a look at the reviews left by their previous clients

Another way that you can learn a lot about a coach's process, outcomes, and overall feel, is by reading the reviews, testimonials, success stories, and feedback from their previous clients. What was their experience? Did it translate into tangible results? Do they recommend that coach and their services? 

6) Ask them (many) questions!

A good life coach will generally welcome your questions and if answering your question is not pertinent to the coaching relationship or process, they may focus on understanding why you are asking them. Here are five questions that can help you can ask your potential coach to see if they are the right one for you:

• My goal is [insert] - can you support me with that?

• What is your coaching style?

• What methodologies or tools do you use?

• What role does our relationship play?

• What are your strengths or experience as a coach?

7) Schedule a consultation

Most coaches will offer a free consultation. This is a great opportunity to determine if the coach is a good fit for you before committing to a long-term coaching relationship. In the consultation, you can ask the coach any questions you might have, experience first-hand their style, and see if you feel at ease with them. Another thing to look out for is whether you think this coach will support and challenge you.

8) Put it all together

Now that you have done your research, asked questions, and had a few conversations with potential coaches, it’s time to evaluate. There is no exact science to this but here are some questions to help you make that final decision:

• Did they make you feel heard and provide you with a safe and non-judgemental environment?

• Do their specialisation and approach align with your goals and personal preferences?

• If you are looking for additional tools and resources, does this coach provide them?

• Do they have the credentials that matter most to you?

• Are they available for sessions when it is convenient for you?

• Do they provide between-session support, such as emailing or texting?

• Were they easy to get a hold of? And did they follow up after the consultation?

• Do you feel that being coached by them will translate into tangible and meaningful results?

Takeaways

Finding the right coach can feel challenging and overwhelming, but it doesn’t have to be. Hopefully, these eight steps can guide you through this process and help you find a coach whose knowledge, experience, and style are best suited to you and your goals. It is also important to mention that putting pressure on yourself to find the perfect coach overnight might backfire and, instead, taking your time to clarify what you really want and doing the research can help this process be much more enjoyable and effective. And last but not least: follow your gut! 

I would love to hear about your experience of searching for a coach. So leave a comment below and let me know if any of these tips helped you on your path of finding the right coach for you.