There are dozens of career coaching services out there, with huge variations in prices that sometimes bear little relation to the quality of the coaching.
Use this guide to work out which career coaching service is right for you. We've categorized coaching services by different needs and specialties.
- IGotAnOffer (Best for planning next career steps)
- Pathrise (Best pay-on-results mentoring)
- MentorCruise (Best for long-term career mentorship)
- Career Contessa (Best for women coaches)
- The Muse (Best for budget career coaching)
- Arielle Executive Coaching (Best for executive coaching)
- PathUp (Best for in-depth career change program)
- CloseCohen (Best for management coaching)
- IGotAnOffer (Best for leadership coaching)
Before we get into our top picks, let’s first look at what a career coach is and whether it's a worthy investment.
1. What is a career coach?↑
A career coach is a coaching expert who can help you with your career decisions and development, no matter where you are in your career.
Unlike a resume coach or interview coach, a career coach doesn’t just focus on one aspect of the job application process; a good one will help you gain clarity and confidence about your overall career path, helping you come up with an actionable plan to reach your goals.
2. Is career coaching really worth it?↑
Not always. Hiring a career coach is a significant investment. Only you can decide if it’s worth it, depending on your specific situation and the challenges you’re facing in your career.
Let's take a look at some examples in which hiring a career coach can definitely help.
2.1 You're considering a career change/transition
If you’re confused about whether you’re in the right career or if you’ve been actively considering a career change, hiring a career coach would greatly enlighten your decision-making process.
For example, you’re considering switching to a new industry, such as tech. Choose a career coach who has worked in that industry or who has made a similar transition to the one you’re planning. They will have a very clear idea of what you need to do and outline challenges you can expect.
2.2 You're having difficulty landing a job
Most career coaches also work as resume and interview coaches, so they can help you at every stage of your job search; from picking what jobs to apply for to getting the offer.
This is particularly beneficial if your coach has extensive experience in your specific industry (such as finance, sales, consulting, tech, etc.), as they can give you deep insights into what's required and how to make yourself a stronger candidate.
2.3 You're facing challenges at work
If you're feeling stuck, navigating a complex problem, or having trouble adjusting to a new role, a career coach could help you get to the bottom of your troubles and guide you through finding a workable solution.
A coach with experience working in your specific role is likely to have encountered the same issues and challenges you’re facing. Therefore, they should be able to give you highly relevant and actionable advice.
2.4 You're seeking to level up your career
Got specific goals to level up your career but not sure how or where to begin? A career coach can help you gain clarity and confidence in your career decisions. You can discuss how to boost your qualifications for a promotion, come up with a good strategy for negotiating a raise, or create an action plan to prepare for a leadership role.
2.5 You want to improve specific skills
Imagine you’re an engineer who needs to boost your people management skills or a product manager who needs to boost your analytical skills. A career coach with experience in your industry could help you create an improvement plan that’s best suited to your situation and current skill set, whether that’s doing regular practice and feedback sessions with them or using additional courses or training.
3. Benefits of getting a career coach↑
Why do you need to pay for career advice from a professional coach when your work mentor or friend could give it out for free? Well, here are a few reasons:
3.1 A professional career coach is free from bias
Colleagues and friends will generally shy away from pointing out your weaknesses and may often tell you what they think you want to hear. Plus, the advice they give you may be highly subjective.
In contrast, a career coach will be objective about your career needs. They should quickly be able to identify where you need to improve and they are used to giving honest advice, constructively.
3.2 A career coach can hold you accountable to your goals
If sticking to goals and commitments is something that you struggle with, a career coach will help you work your way through it.
Together, you and your coach should develop a strategy that includes setting SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-bound) goals and a structure for regular check-ins and celebrating milestones.
3.3 A career coach has a broader knowledge of the job market
With the job market in 2024 in a state of “transformation and turbulence,” having a coach who has a broader knowledge of what’s going on in your industry can be a way of gleaning high-level insights to help you adapt to trends and market forces. They can guide you through making the right career decisions, based on your values, goals, and current situation.
4. Top 9 Career Coaching Services ↑
To generate this list, we analyzed the customer reviews, prices and packages, ease of booking, and the roster of coaches for each company. Of course, it’s not an exhaustive one. We’re sure there are some more excellent career coaches that we haven’t been able to include.
Nevertheless, if you want to save time doing your own research for a reputable career coach, this list will give you some great options for online services.
Let’s take a look.
1. IGotAnOffer (Best for planning next career steps)↑
Cons: Online only, in-person not available
Okay, we may be biased here, but a 4.95 average star rating from over 10k reviews is hard to ignore.
If you’re looking to make a career switch into tech, consulting, or finance, or are considering your next steps in those industries, IGotAnOffer is the ideal platform for you. Its 190+ career coaches have worked at top companies such as Google, McKinsey, Goldman Sachs, etc., and so will be able to give you expert, highly relevant advice.
Click on a coach’s profile and you can instantly see their hourly availability and book your online session in just a few clicks, something that can take longer on similar platforms. Prices are clearly displayed before you book and if you’re not satisfied with your session, you get a full refund.
2. Pathrise (Best pay-on-results coaching)↑
Cons: 12-month commitment; only open to working with candidates eligible to work in the US
Pathrise offers 1-on-1 job application mentoring for candidates in software engineering, product management, strategy, operations, data, marketing, and sales. Its mentors have worked at top companies such as Microsoft, Apple, LinkedIn, and successful startups like GitHub. Unlike on most career coaching websites, you don’t get to choose your mentors–the ones you get will depend on the industry track you choose.
What makes Pathrise unique is that candidates are only required to pay once they’ve landed the job they’re aiming for upon joining the program. The actual fees are not available on the website, but some reviews estimate the program cost to be 5% to 9% of your first annual income. Pathrise offers two income-based repayment options.
Upon applying to the program, you can try their service for 2 weeks on a free trial. If you plan to continue with their service, you’ll have to commit to a 12-month program. Understandably, the 12-month commitment might be a bit too much for some. You can opt to cancel early on after the free trial, but that could incur a fee. If you don’t land a job within 12 months, your fee is waived.
3. MentorCruise (Best for long-term mentorship)↑
If you’re looking for a long-term career mentor, we've heard good things about MentorCruise. They offer a range of long-term mentoring packages, ranging from $40-$500 per month. Other more experienced mentors will charge a bit higher, as well as those from more prestigious companies.
Not all mentors will offer the same package. Some mentors will offer 3 x 45-minute calls per month, while others will provide 4 or more.
While this type of structure might work for some people, paying for and committing to a whole month of mentorship might be a little too expensive for others. MentorCruise does offer a 20-minute introductory call for $39, so you can get that if you’re not sure whether a long-term career mentoring program is right for you. They also have a 7-day free trial to help you assess whether a specific mentor is a good match.
Find out more about MentorCruise and alternatives.
4. Career Contessa (Best for women coaches)↑
Career Contessa is a career resource website for women. Aside from career coaching services, the website offers a job board, online workshops, and a podcast all about helping women thrive in the workforce.
If you’re specifically looking for a female mentor who knows the struggles of women in male-dominated industries such as tech, then Career Contessa is a good match. They may have a limited range of mentors, but they do represent a vast array of industries. The price range of each mentor also greatly varies, with some charging as low as $75 per session and others with a rate of $250, depending on their years of experience, so there’s one for every budget.
IGotAnOffer also has many female mentors, especially in the tech, finance, and consulting fields. If your target role or industry is not represented in Career Contessa, you might find a good match on IGotAnOffer instead.
5. The Muse (Best for affordable career coaching)↑
The Muse is a highly rated career coaching website with a roster of high-quality coaches offering traditional career coaching services, from full-on career coaching to resume review, and LinkedIn review, among others. They offer three tiers to suit different budgets: Mentor, Coach, and Master Coach. You can filter out your options based on these tiers, coaching services, or specialty.
If you’re just seeking a quick session to answer a few job-related questions, a 30-minute career Q&A with a Mentor is your most cost-effective option. This option will include a call and a follow-up plan of attack from your coach. While the 30-minute Q&A may work for some people, if you’re looking for a more thorough coaching service, this might not work for you and you may have to get their more in-depth (meaning: pricier) services.
6. Arielle Executive Coaching (Best for executives)↑
Arielle Executive Coaching offers coaching services targeted toward senior business leaders, C-level executives, and board members. Its bespoke 360° service gets consistently high ratings from clients. If you’re targeting a top leadership position or aiming to map out a C-Level career path, then Arielle Executive Coaching could be a great investment for you.
Arielle primarily focuses on helping senior leaders come up with a personal brand, building a resume, and a 360° strategy to position you as a top candidate in your specific field. For this reason, you’ll only maximize their service if you’re absolutely clear about what you want to achieve. But if you still have a few doubts or need expert advice to clarify your direction, they do offer a separate Strategic Career Coaching session.
7. PathUp (Best for in-depth career change program)↑
PathUp offers a 1:1 coaching program for professionals looking to make a career change called the Career Fulfillment Program. Its primary goal is to help clients identify a new career path, providing some soul-searching guidance and practical solutions to navigate your career transition.
The program is pretty in-depth and requires you to commit to weekly coaching sessions for 3 months. It looks a bit pricey, but the company offers a 2-month payment plan to make it easier on the pocket. If you don’t have the budget or time to commit to a long-term program, you could opt for their single coaching sessions as well.
The website only profiles founder and lead coach Teresa Lee, but not the company’s team of coaches. So if you want the flexibility of choosing your own coach, you might not have that option here.
8. CloseCohen (Best for management positions)↑
CloseCohen offers career coaching services for senior-level and executive professionals and has gotten great reviews from clients across various industries. If you’re aiming to get promoted to a senior management position, it’s a great place to consider. Their Senior Level Career Coaching program is a comprehensive program that helps you identify your market fit, which jobs to target at your level, how to best present and pitch yourself at interviews, all the way to negotiating a salary.
CloseCohen’s principal coach, Alisa Cohen, has 20+ years of coaching experience and has held impressive leadership positions at big corporations like Starbucks and Amazon. It’s not clear whether the company has other coaches or if Cohen is the only coach you’ll be able to work with.
Unlike on IGotAnOffer, their website does not readily provide the rates, so you’ll have to book an intake call to get a figure.
9. IGotAnOffer (Best for leadership coaching)↑
Cons: one-size-fits-all pricing
If you’re working in or targeting a management/leadership position, a leadership coach could help you come up with a clear strategy for getting promoted or boosting your pay, give you a practical guide on how to tackle a specific work challenge or recommend ways you can improve your skills to achieve your goals.
You can look through IGotAnOffer’s roster of leadership coaches across various industries and companies to find a coach in your field of expertise. You can start with a single session and from there, decide to expand your program, depending on your need and your coach’s recommendation.
5. How much does career coaching cost?↑
The range of prices for career coaching in 2024 can vary greatly, just as the range of services and packages offered can differ. Here are the price ranges for the career coaching services we’ve recommended:
You can see that there is a real range of pricing available, and if you're willing to take a chance on sites like Fiverr, you can find coaches for under $50 per hour. We recommend that you consider your budget in relation to the long-term benefits you expect to get from the investment, and then make your choice - just make sure that you read the coach's reviews first!
Book Career Coaching Sessions with IGotAnOffer↑
We hope you found our recommendations useful! We’ve made sure to include a range of good career coaching platforms fit for different situations, but we believe IGotAnOffer is an excellent all-round option with a wider range of high-quality coaches than anywhere else.
So if you want to check out our career coaching services, browse our platform’s over 190 coaches with experience at many top companies. Search by industry, role, or company to get the right match for you. You can see the coaches' hourly availability and book your online session in a couple of clicks.
Frequently asked questions↑
1. How important is career coaching in career development?
If you want to take a proactive approach to your career development, career coaching can give you a leg up in the long run. Instead of simply following traditional career trajectories, you can make informed decisions about your career with the guidance of a career coach. A career coach will help you clarify what it is you want out of your career, and from there the two of you can work together on the best plan of action for you to achieve your goals, both short-term and long-term.
2. What is the difference between a life coach and a career coach?
A life coach may touch on certain aspects of your professional life as it pertains to work-life balance, life goals, and mental health. But if you’re specifically looking for a coach to help you navigate a promotion, plan a career path, solve specific work-related issues, or improve your chances of landing a desired position, then you would need a career coach.
3. Where can I find the best career coach?
The best career coach is not one-size-fits-all. Getting the best coach for you depends on your own professional needs, preferences, time, and budget.
What qualities should you look out for when deciding on the best career coach for you?
1. Years of experience in your field or within the area of recruitment
Someone who has been in a professional situation similar to yours: a coach who’s successfully transitioned to a role that you’re considering, a senior leader in your industry, or a startup founder in your field of interest. You can learn not just from their successes but from their mistakes and missteps as well.
2. Extensive experience working as a coaching
Ask for references or case studies demonstrating a coach's success stories.
3. Excellent communication skills
If you have an initial call with them, observe if a coach has the ability to voice their ideas clearly and give feedback in a constructive and supportive manner
Reading reviews from previous clients is a good way to learn more about career coaches and whether their expertise and approach fit your needs.
