How to check a coach has genuinely helped people switch careers

The smoothest talker in the room is often the one least likely to have moved anyone's life forward. A career coach's job is measurable: clients should have secured roles in new fields, reset their professional foundation, or made deliberate sideways moves. To verify this happened, you need more than testimonials on their website.

Search their professional registration

Start with the basics. Ask the coach for their registration details with their professional body. In South Africa, coaching credentials are governed by bodies like the International Coach Federation (ICF) and local equivalents; some coaches hold certifications from SACSSP (the South African Council for Social Service Professions). Before the conversation goes further, request their registration or credential number and verify it yourself on the relevant website. A genuine coach will hand this over without hesitation. This step filters out people calling themselves coaches because they once read a book or completed a weekend course.

Beyond credentials, ask whether they've formally worked in the field their clients are transitioning into. If someone claims to coach people switching to tech but has never held a tech role, they're selling framework, not insight. A coach doesn't need a decade in the target industry, but they should have demonstrable experience or credible continuing education in the spaces where their clients land.

Request documented outcomes, not anecdotes

When a coach says "most of my clients move successfully," push for specifics. Ask them to provide anonymised data: over the past two years, how many clients engaged with them for a career transition, and what proportion secured roles in their target industry within six months of coaching? How many are still in those roles after a year? These numbers are not perfect, but they tell you whether the coach tracks what actually matters.

If they can't produce this, or if they're cagey about it, they may not be measuring outcomes at all—they're measuring completion of their coaching package. Ask whether they stay in touch with clients beyond the coaching period to verify they're still employed in the new field. Coaches who don't follow up have no real way to know if their work stuck.

Also ask for permission to speak with recent clients directly. A coach with genuinely successful clients will have no shortage of people willing to vouch for them. If they offer only written testimonials or claim all clients are under confidentiality, that's a yellow flag. Real outcomes stand up to a phone call.

Talk to past clients about concrete progress

When you contact a reference, don't ask, "Was the coach good?" Instead ask: What was your role before coaching? What role are you in now? What specific actions did the coach help you take—did they help you retrain, rebuild your CV, network differently, or shift your confidence in interviews? How long did the transition take from start to new job? Are you still in that role?

Listen for specifics. A strong answer sounds like: "I was in marketing, wanted to move to data analysis. The coach helped me identify which skills transferred, pointed me toward a three-month course, introduced me to someone in the field, and we did mock interviews." A weak answer sounds like: "It was really motivating and I felt great about myself afterward."

Also ask whether the coach adapted their approach when the client hit obstacles. Career transitions rarely go in a straight line. Did the coach pivot with you, or did they push the same playbook? Flexibility matters.

Check they don't guarantee outcomes

Be wary of any coach who promises a job within a set timeframe or guarantees your next role. They can't control whether you'll be hired; they can only help you prepare and position yourself. Legitimate coaches set boundaries: "I'll help you be job-ready and show you how to network effectively, but the final decision rests with employers." If they're hedging that promise with caveats like "if you do everything I say," that's them shifting accountability onto you.

These checks take time, but they're cheaper than paying for coaching that leaves you motivated but no closer to your next chapter. On Strove, verified career coaches show credentials and past client reviews upfront, so you can start these conversations with someone already vetted.