So you have decided to get yourself a Life Coach!
Whether looking for a Life Coach on Long Island, NY (where we’re based) or Long Beach Island, CA, chances are that you have one of two motivations for coming to this significant decision: 1) You feel stuck and want to work with a partner/guide who will help you to get out of a rut; or 2) You have identified a very ambitious goal which you know is going to require far more effort and execution than you have ever put forth and you want a partner/guide to help you achieve it. Either way, your next step is: Find the Right Life Coach”. How to do this?
Start with Google Search for a Life Coach
Simple enough. Start Googling Life Coaching services. This will get your feet wet. You’ll start to see the diverse life coach specialties, packages, backgrounds and approaches that are available to you. As you search for “life coaching” you’ll understand that, if you haven’t already done so, you’ll need to start narrowing your search parameters. It’s unlikely you’ll have all your criteria clarified from the start, but you’ll soon be noticing preferences for considerations such as:
- Amount of experience
- Certifications
- Gender
- Type of experience
- Geographical location/time zone
- Availability
- Price Range
- And much more…
Google Search or Life Coach Matching Sites
Once you’ve run through a few Google searches you’ll start to come across sites which will invite you to register so that you can be matched with potential Life Coaches. These sites are designed to do some of the searching for you. Just as there are service provider matching sites for Home Repairs, Child Care, Pet Care and many other services, there are now multiple sites that will connect you to Life Coaches who fit the profile you prefer.
My advice is not to restrict yourself to using service matching sites exclusively. Using them can be one branch of your search, but continuing to conduct your own search via Google and other search engines will give you a broader range of possibilities. Some of the best Life Coaches who may also be a perfect fit for you may not be found on these matching sites. So casting a broad net at the start is better. You can quickly start to narrow it down.
Be Thorough in Your Search for a Life Coach
This is a significant investment of time, money and energy for you, so it merits a thorough search. That doesn’t mean it has to take very long. It’s also important to “strike while the iron is hot”. You’ve already made the decision to do it. If you drag out your search, other distractions and urgent matters may interfere with following through. You ought to be able to complete your search in a couple of days. Being thorough in this case means the following:
- Refine your criteria first (write them down and tweak them during the early stages of your search if necessary)
- Come up with a list of five Life Coaches (this will be relatively easy as there are many good Life Coaches available)
- Interview at least three Life Coaches (see interview questions below)
- Re-Check qualifications, LinkedIn profiles and experience
- If you are still unsure, ask for a second interview
- Make your decision
Interviewing Potential Life Coaches
Any good Life Coach should be willing to offer a free consultation of at least 30 minutes. If not, you can move on and they should come right off your list of eligibles. Consider this as an exercise very similar to a job interview. You are the interviewer and the Life Coach is the candidate. You can also expect that the Coach will have questions for you, particularly about what you hope to work on in Coaching. This is fair in any interview for there to be exchanges of questions, but remember, that this is your time and be sure to not conclude until you’ve had the opportunity to ask all your questions and have them satisfactorily answered. Prepare your questions so that they’ll be consistent across the multiple interviews you’ll be having with each of your candidates. Be selective and concise in choosing your questions so that you both can respect the agreed upon timeframe for the interview.
Some suggested areas for your interview questions are around the topics of:
- Availability/Scheduling
- Approach to Coaching
- What experience/perspective does the Coach have relevant to the areas you intend to work on
- Rates/Packages; any flexibility?
- Share how you’d like to be coached and ask Coach to respond to that
Decision Time – Choose a Life Coach
Once you have completed your interviews be decisive! This is a big decision that you have made. This is no time to waver. Keep your positive momentum going. Choose your Life Coach and ask how to get started.
One word of advice. If after a few sessions, you are not seeing some immediate benefit coming from the Life Coaching relationship, consider moving on quickly to one of your other good candidates. Better to not be shy about it and better to not waste time and money. It’s unlikely, but it’s possible that after a couple of sessions you could realize that it is just not a good fit. You should absolutely feel that it is a good fit and that your Life Coach is helping you with tapping into motivation, effective strategy and accountability.
You’re On Your Way – You Have Your Life Coach
You’ve done it. You did your thorough research. You interviewed candidates consistently and thoughtfully. You narrowed it down, and you made your choice. Congratulations! You’re now on your way to accountability and progress.
WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN LIFE COACHING AND THERAPY? Learn More Here
