Are you ready to find a life coach?

Here are some questions you can ask potential candidates during your interview to make sure you find the right fit:

1. What specific areas do you focus on?

It’s important to find someone who is an expert in a specific area or two because you want someone who has dedicated enough time so they have learned the subtle nuances of each area.

2. Is there any area you don’t focus on?

Ideally you want the coach to answer yes and tell you which areas they don’t focus on. Someone who is a generalist is not someone who has become an expert in a specific area.

3. How long have you been coaching?

Depending on the type of coach you are looking for and what your budget is, you want someone with a minimum of two years.

This does not mean that someone new to coaching can’t support you. But you should not be paying a premium for someone new to the practice.

4. How many clients have you worked with during this time?

On average, most good coaches will see between ten to twenty clients a month. Since most coaching sessions last three months, then a coach can work with at least forty clients a year.

Since you want someone with at least two years experience, then eighty to a hundred clients is a good number to start off with.

5. Why did you decide to become a life coach?

This is a very important question because it will asses their level of authenticity and dedication.

Once they share with you their “why?”, it will either resonate with you or not.

6. What do you love about coaching the most?

Because coaching can be a long-term relationship, you want to find someone who exudes passion and a high level of enthusiasm.

7. What is the biggest challenge you helped one of your clients through?

Depending on how difficult your situation is, this interview question will help you determine whether or not they will be able to handle your type of situation is.

8. What is the biggest obstacle you have overcome in your own life?

It’s important to get a sense of how a coach handles issues in their own life.

No…a coach is not perfect nor should you expect them to be.

This is really just about seeing how they respond or react in their own life to their challenges.

9. What frustrates you the most about your clients?

Pay attention closely to the answer to this question because if they respond with issues that you may exude, then they will not be a good fit for you.

Also, this is a good way to see how compassionate, patient, and understanding they are.

10. What types of clients do you most like to work with?

This is similar to the previous question but looks at it more from a positive point of view.

11. How would you describe your approach to coaching?

When trying to find a life coach, you want to get a sense of their approach and philosophy. You want to get a sense of how they view the coaching relationship and what it means to them as every coach has their own unique perspective.

12. Do you offer online coaching?

If you are a busy person and find it difficult to spend time driving to an office, then you will want to find a online life coach.

13. Have you been accredited through the ICF?

The International Coach Federation ensures that coaches have, at the very least, gone through a specific amount of training that they have qualified.

If someone is not accredited by the ICF, this does not mean they are not a good coach for you. It just means that they have taken another path and it is up to you to discern whether or not they are a good fit for you.

14. Where did you get your training?

Some schools offer training programs that take place over the weekend and are what some in the industry consider “Cookie Cutter Schools”.

Ideally you want to find someone who has gone through a proper certification program.

15. What are your favorite three self-help books?

This is a great way to glean the personality of your coach and what virtues they believe are the most essential in their approach.

16. What skills or experience have you gained outside of coaching do you integrate with your practice?

It’s good to find a coach who has developed other skills outside of coaching that are complimentary to their practice. This way they bring more experience to the table that can support you.

17. What do you expect to transpire from each coaching session?

The answer to this question will help you gain a better understanding of how they expect to see a coaching session to unfold.

This will allow you to get a peek into what your sessions will look like.

18. What can I expect from you after our coaching session?

Some coaches will provide a summary of the session and others may even follow up with you while others may not do anything until the next session.

19. What do you expect from me during and after our coaching session?

Setting expectations is paramount to the success of any relationship and you want to make sure you have a clear understanding of what your coach will expect from you.

20. Have you worked with any clients in the past that are going through something similar as I am?

After you have answered all of the coaches questions that will help them get a better understanding of your situation, this is a good question to follow up with so you can assess their level of experience with your type of situation.

21. Do you allow sessions to be re-scheduled? If so, what is your policy?

Lets face it, we are all busy and sometimes things come up that may make it difficult for you to make your session.

So make sure you have a clear understanding of their re-scheduling policy.

22. How much do you charge and what types of packages do you offer?

This one is pretty straight forward as you now just want to get a sense of their pricing.

We highly recommend that you interview at least three coaches before you select one.

With that said, feel free to speak with more until you find the right person. Never settle as this can lead you toward a bad experience.

After your consultation and you finish asking your questions, sit with the answers for a couple of days. Generally speaking you should know within 48 hours whether or not “It feels right”.

Need help finding a life coach?

Our free matchmaking service will connect you with the right professional.

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