Your friend calls. She’s upset. She’s been working with a coach for a couple of months or maybe a lot longer, and now she’s quitting without achieving her goals. “I wasted a lot of time and money and I don’t even know what went wrong. My coach had credentials and good references. And I did the work. What happened?”

Many things might have happened. Maybe your friend didn’t properly apply what she learned. Or maybe the coach wasn’t that good. But much more likely is that it was a bad match. Just as in any kind of partnership, the two partners may both be ready and willing to do their parts, but they may not mesh well or communicate well with each other.

So how can you tell in advance if someone is the right coach for youwhich is the best match?

References and testimonials are important. But most important is the job interview.

Yep. Job interview. You need to be the interviewer. The potential coach is the one interviewing for the job as your coach. Like any job interviewer you want to make sure your potential investment of time and money in someone working for you will be well worth it. What should you ask? Here are 7 fundamental questions that can form the basis of your interview.

7 KEY INTERVIEW QUESTIONS

1. What makes you successful as a coach?

Ask this instead of asking the usual: What are your qualifications?

Asking for qualifications tends to result in an oral resume full of prepackaged credentials. Asking what makes you successful lets the person talk about those same qualifications but in terms of their real- world importance to clients. It’s the difference between a list of academic degrees and a discussion of how someone has applied those degrees. The answer might include information about their education, experience, success stories, and coaching process.

2. How do you determine who are appropriate clients for you and your approach?

See if this matches up with what you want. If the coach works with everyone, that may be fine, but you might prefer someone who is more of a specialist, dealing with your particular challenge or problem (for example, determining a new career vs. putting together a business plan).

3. What between-sessions work am I likely to do? Can you give me some examples?

Typically, you will have activities to do between sessions. What will these be like? How you will spend your time? The homework should be something you would be able to do and would help you. It may be hard work at times, but in general it should also be engaging and meaningful. It can also be fun and exciting if your coach is creative and knows how to motivate and bring out your creative powers.

4. Is your coaching by phone, email or in person? How long are the sessions? How long do people in my situation generally work with you?

Some coaches work with people every week in person for a year, while others think a fast track is best for empowering the client (6-8 sessions). Others turn from individual to group coaching or short phone check-ins in a couple of months once a client is on his way, while others work with unlimited emails for a year. Which is best for you, your schedule, and your finances?

5. What are your fees, and what do they cover?

Find out exactly what the costs are and what they include, not only for the initial sessions, but also for all the other options that might come up later that you may use, such as group coaching and email coaching.

6. Can I get a few references and testimonials?

If the answer isn’t yes, you probably need to say no to their coaching.

7. Why should I choose YOU?

This is the MOST IMPORTANT QUESTION. Whatever the answer, this question can let you know what the coach focuses on, what elements of coaching he or she thinks is most important in relation to your needs. After all, this is the ultimate question a coach needs to answer for a potential client.

The information you get can help you decide which coach to choose. But don’t just listen for the information. Also notice

How they talk and interact with you.

How you feel talking with them.

If they have great credentials, but they seem distracted or hurried and you wind up feeling uncomfortable, you may want to look elsewhere. On the other hand, if you feel good about what the person says and how they interact with you, this might be the coaching match that will speed you forward toward your most cherished career or life goals.

© 2006 Leonard Lang.

Career coach and creativity trainer Leonard Lang, Ph.D., helps people get unstuck, find purpose, and land their dream jobs. You can get a free creativity ezine, learn about coaching opportunities, or obtain Leonard’s step by step book on careers, Guide to Lifework: Working with Integrity and Heart, at http://www.beardavenue.com. Or email Leonard at llang@beardavenue.com with your questions or ideas. Note: You have permission to reprint this article if you reprint it in its entirety without changes along with this paragraph and its links.

Tags: career coach choose, career coach find, coach success, dream job, vocationcareer coach choose, career coach find, coach success, dream job, vocation

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In the limited time an interviewer has with you, their mission is to know you and assess your worth, especially in relationship to the other candidates interviewed. Asking you questions is the way they accomplish that mission.

You’ll be asked to tell the interviewer about yourself, your qualifications (especially as they pertain to the specific opening), your professional background, your likes and dislikes, your strengths and weaknesses, and your goals. So the first step is to know yourself. Be prepared to talk about your skills, competencies, qualifications and accomplishments. Understand your strengths and weaknesses. Explore the goals you have for yourself - both current and future.

Especially know how to convey the value you bring to the table - the strengths, unique gifts and marketable assets that are distinctly yours. Know your value proposition; it describes your worth. It is what uniquely defines you, and differentiates you from the crowd. If you want to stand out in the huge ocean of candidates that represents your competition, you need to become fluent in this arena.

You may also be asked why you left your previous position. This is where the interview can get a bit tricky. How you answer this question can make or break your chances. No matter how challenging your supervisor was or how grueling the workload or the sixty-hour weeks were, you must frame your response in a positive light. If you left your previous employment because you were downsized, that’s ok. That’s happened quite a bit in the past few years. If you resigned, be very careful how you state this. Your attitude can enhance or end your chances. Be honest, and be sure to indicate your desire for stability as an overriding factor.

Keep in mind that while your answers will help the interviewer assess your skills for the position at hand, it’s how you respond that more importantly determines your overall fit with the company. Personality is ninety percent of the battle. You may answer a question factually, but your attitude might tell them no. On the other hand, it’s far better to establish a rapport with your interviewer than to answer every question correctly. A skill can always be taught, but when was the last time you successfully altered someone’s personality?

Find out everything you can about the interviewer’s quirks and traits. Is the interviewer confrontational or laid back, serious or informal, friendly or stern? What is their position within the company, and how long have they been employed there? Are they the decision-maker and therefore in a position to make you an offer? They may simply be a screen, filtering out all the non-viable candidates from further review by higher-ups. If they are a screen, try and discover upon whose shoulders the hiring responsibility falls.

You need to learn as much as you can about the position for which you are interviewing. Why does the position exist - are you replacing someone or is this a new position created because of company growth? If you are replacing someone, is it because they retired, resigned or were terminated? Understand the fundamental responsibilities of the position, especially in relationship to similar positions you have held in the past. Know what possibilities exist for your growth within the position and the company.

Research the company, using Google, Dunn & Bradstreet, Hoover’s, Standard and Poors, or any of the other sources of corporate information. Who are the company’s competitors in the marketplace and what percentage of the market do they own? Are their processes state of the art and at the cutting edge of technology? Are they a public company or privately held? If public, how are they perceived by investment advisors, what is their earnings track and how has their stock performed? If a privately held company, is it a family-run business with non-family members being in the minority? That would be ok; however, it could affect your chances for future promotions and growth.

Know the industry. The company might be at the forefront in terms of their processes, sales and marketing efforts, and growth, but its industry may be on its way out. If you see a delicious-looking apple growing on a dying tree, you might hesitate before pulling it off and taking a bite.

Do your research in all these areas so you can be well-prepared. Get on the Internet and find out everything you can. Make phone calls. Make sure you know all there is to know, so that you will go to your interview with great confidence and self-assurance.

Come to the interview dressed appropriately. Establish a comfort level early in the interview and maintain that rapport throughout. The initial handshake must be firm but not gripping. Eye contact is critical throughout the interview. How you sit in your chair and shift your posture can make or break your effectiveness. Remember, you’re there to sell yourself, so be sure to ask for the offer before the interview is over. Fully armed, you can ask all the right questions and come away a success.

Copyright © 2005 TopDog Group All rights reserved.

David Richter is a recognized authority in career coaching and job search support. He has spent many years in recruitment, staffing, outplacement, counseling psychology and career management spanning most industries and professions. David founded TopDog Group in response to the needs of job candidates to have a higher quality of career coaching and support available on the Internet. David understands the mechanisms for success. He has formulated specific strategies anyone can use to secure interviews and receive offers. His extensive knowledge and experience sets David apart in this field, allowing him to offer a wealth of information and a vast array of tools, resources and strategies not found anywhere else. He has shown countless job seekers how to differentiate themselves and leverage their potential to the highest possible level, making a real difference in their careers. David holds both a Bachelors and Masters in Electrical Engineering and a Master of Arts in Counseling Psychology. David’s website address is: http://www.procareercoach.com

Tags: interview preparation, interview questions, job search, unique giftsinterview preparation, interview questions, job search, unique gifts

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Interviewing for a position with your current company? Here are six tips for excelling at internal interviews.



(1) Emphasize how your specific experience and extensive knowledge of the company will make you the ideal person for the job. But provide details; don’t assume the interviewer knows all about your past accomplishments (even if he/she does, spell them out).



(2) Use your “insider knowledge” to come up with answers to expected questions that will target what your company wants to hear. For example, if your company is always emphasizing the importance of customer service, be sure to talk specifically about how you’ve enhanced customer service in your current job.



(3) Research the position for which you are applying, just as you would if it was at another company. Talk to people who work in that department; find out what they’re currently working on, and their goals–then prepare to talk about how you can help to achieve those goals during the interview.



(4) Be careful not to sound too casual or overly confident, especially if you and your interviewer know each other well. You may have a great advantage over external candidates, but don’t assume that’s all you’ll need. “Sell” yourself just as you would if interviewing for a different company.



(5) Don’t assume you will know the interviewer(s). Companies often bring in people from other agencies to provide an unbiased interview panel. If this is the case, you’ll have to be particularly careful about highlighting your experience and accomplishments without using company-specific jargon that an outsider might not understand.



(6) In case the hiring supervisor is thinking about bringing in an external candidate because he/she feels a need for a fresh perspective and/or new ideas, be sure to work your creativity into your answers. Show that you can be innovative and inventive, and are full of “fresh” ideas yourself!



(7) Internal candidates often overlook this step: ask for a letter of recommendation from your current boss or someone in a higher position. You may be pleasantly surprised about the supportiveness of your supervisor when it comes to helping you advance!

Bonnie Lowe is author of the popular Job Interview Success System and free information-packed ezine, “Career-Life Times.” Find those and other powerful career-building resources and tips at her website: http://www.Best-Interview-Strategies.com

Tags: internal job interview, job interview, job interview tipsinternal job interview, job interview, job interview tips

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