Using a Career Coach

In this age of "bleeding edge" developments and paeans to productivity, more and more people are hiring coaches to help them with their careers or businesses. But what, exactly, does this new kind of coach do, exactly? (That was easy to figure out when we were in high school or college -it was someone who yelled at us to do more push-ups or "take a lap" when we got out of line.) And, if you choose to hire a coach, how do you know what to look for?

For answers to these questions, I contacted Mark Nida, who is a coach based just north of San Francisco. Mark said his job, as a coach, is to conduct one-on-one sessions with his clients in order to help them develop a fuller life. "It's whatever is important to them. Whatever they want more of or less of, whether that is starting a business or changing careers. Many people also hire a coach to help them achieve some balance in their lives, between work and other priorities. I help them to tailor their thinking, to clarify exactly what they want and how they want their lives to be." Often, he says, a client will have a "little voice" inside them that says, "You could be doing something differently here." The client will hire Mark to help them fine tune the changes originating from that voice.

"People frequently want to change some aspect of their life but feel afraid. We call that the ‘gremlin voice' - the voice that stops us, wants us to stay in the status quo", Mark says. His job usually consists of weekly 30-to-60 minute sessions with a client on the phone. During that time, he helps to motivate his client, clarifies goals, helps a client around obstacles and holds the client accountable for making changes. "Basically, a coach helps keep you moving and gives you an outside voice that can make observations you may not make yourself."