Career Coach

Is a career coach worth it?

Updated

Coaching helps, moderately: a review of 37 randomized trials found a moderate positive effect of workplace coaching (de Haan and Nilsson, 2023). At $272 an hour on average in North America (ICF, 2023), it's worth it when you have a precise goal worth more than the package, and you act on it between sessions.

What the research says

  • It works, moderately. Across 37 randomized trials and 2,528 people, coaching improved leadership and personal outcomes by a moderate amount; the authors note the effect may be somewhat overstated, since studies with weak results get published less (de Haan and Nilsson, 2023).
  • On several fronts. Performance and skills, well-being, coping and work attitudes all improved, and working toward one's goals the most (Theeboom and others, 2014).
  • Format and length matter less than you think. No difference between face-to-face and blended or online coaching, nor by duration (Jones and others, 2016); effects "do not depend much" on the length of the assignment (de Haan and Nilsson, 2023).
  • For career decisions. In a randomized trial, five coaching sessions over eight months reduced career-decision stress in medical students and made them more certain of their choice (Fris and others, 2025).
  • For a job search. Job seekers in job search programs, often in groups, had 2.67 times the odds of finding a job, but only when the program built both skills and motivation (Liu and others, 2014).

When it is worth it

  • You have one goal with a deadline: a promotion case, a raise, a career change, a new job.
  • You will do the work between sessions: the conversation you prepared, the application you send.
  • The goal is worth far more than the package: a raise pays every year.

When it is not

  • You want someone to find the job for you: a coach prepares you, the search is still yours.
  • You have had symptoms like trouble sleeping or losing interest for two weeks or more: see a therapist first.
  • You can't afford it right now: free career coaching exists, and a mentor is often free.

To decide, put a number on the goal (the raise, the salary of the job you want) and compare it with the full cost of the package, not the hourly rate. Prices are on what a career coach costs.

Start from your situation

Want structure and follow-up for one goal, on a small budget? Career Coach (that's us) is not a person: it's a 12-week online plan for one goal, 10 minutes a week, with a weekly check-in on what you said you'd do. It starts with what the people around you see in you: you choose who to ask (a coworker, a former coworker, a friend), and they pick your strengths in one minute. Free to start, then costs less a month than one paid hour with a coach.

Get started

Questions

Does career coaching actually work?

Research on workplace coaching finds positive, moderate effects across 37 randomized trials. Career coaching has fewer trials, but one found less stress and more certainty about career decisions.

Is online coaching as good as in person?

A 2016 meta-analysis found no difference in effect between face-to-face coaching and blended or online coaching.

How many sessions do I need?

Research finds that effects do not depend much on the length of coaching. Our advice: start with one clear goal and a few sessions, and act between them.

Sources