The idea of hiring a career coach in theory is great.

Who wouldn’t want a sounding board to guide you through tough decisions like how to pivot to a new career, how to build a stand-out resume, build your mindset to expect positive outcomes, or ensure you push all the right buttons during an interview. BUT when the newly-polished resume, the positive mindset, and the career plan are put in place what happens next?

What happens when application after application goes unnoticed, not responded to, or flat out rejected?

What is the career coach going to do? What is he going to say?

The cold, hard truth is that the vast majority of career coaches are missing a vital component of experience. 

Knowing exactly how to help a candidate position himself as a product, market himself to the right target audience, and solicit direct, favorable response is a skill that can only be honed by doing it over and over again.

As a result, many career coaches are great with the theory aspect but downright out of their league when it comes to implementing these vital steps.

To quote Al Pacino from the movie Any Given Sunday:

“you find out life’s this game of inches…the margin for error is so small. I mean one step too late or too early and you don’t quite make it.”

It’s imperative that you recognize not all career coaches are created equal.

The next time you seek out coaching, make damn sure you ask about their experiences with implementing the “product concept to commercialization” strategy on behalf of clients and speak with those references.

Then go out there and win the damn game!