Executive Coach, Career Coach or Mentor: Which Do You Need?
Senior leaders get offered a lot of help. An executive coach through work. A mentor from a leadership program. A career coach recommended by a friend. A resume writer found through LinkedIn. Each one promises something useful, and the titles overlap enough to be confusing.
The result is that many executives end up with the wrong kind of support for the problem they have. They work on leadership presence when the real issue is direction. Or they rewrite their resume when what they need is a clear view of where they are heading.
This guide sets out the main differences, how to choose and what to watch for. I am a career coach and resume writer myself, so I will try to be fair about where each type of support fits, including where mine does not.
Why the labels are confusing
There is no single definition of any of these roles in Australia or New Zealand. Anyone can call themselves a coach. Some people work across several roles at once. Others use “executive coach” to mean anything aimed at senior people.
So it helps to look past the title and ask a simpler question. What problem is this person set up to help with? Once you know that, the choice gets much easier.
Executive coach: performance in your current role
An executive coach usually works with you on how you lead and perform in the role you have now. Common topics include:
Leadership style and how others experience you
Managing a board, a CEO or a difficult peer
Stepping up into a larger role after a promotion
Communication, influence and presence
Handling pressure, change or conflict
Executive coaching is often funded by the employer, especially after a promotion or as part of a leadership program. The employer may have goals for the coaching, and there may be feedback from your manager or colleagues built into the process.
That is useful, but it also shapes the work. If your employer is paying, the focus is usually on your success in that organisation. It is rarely the right setting to plan your exit.
Career coach: direction, positioning and transition
A career coach helps with where you are going next and how to get there. Common topics include:
Working out what kind of role, sector or career shape you want
Understanding how the market sees you, and how to change that
Planning a move, whether internal, external, interim or board
Positioning yourself for executive search and senior hiring panels
Preparing for interviews and offers
Career coaching is usually paid for by the individual, though it is sometimes included in outplacement after an exit. The focus is on you and your career, not on any one employer.
Career coaches vary a great deal. Some focus on direction and life choices. Others focus on the practical side of job search. Some know senior finance or executive markets well, and some do not.
Mentor: experience shared informally
A mentor is someone further along a similar path who shares what they have learned. It is usually unpaid and informal. You might meet a few times a year, or call when you need a view on something.
A good mentor gives you perspective, contacts and honest opinions from someone who has done the job. A former CFO who now sits on boards can tell you things about that move that no course will.
The limits are also clear. A mentor’s advice reflects their own path, which may not match yours. They may not have time for regular, structured work. And they are not usually trained in coaching or career strategy.
Resume writer: the documents
A resume writer produces your resume and often your LinkedIn profile, cover letters or board documents. A good one will interview you in depth to draw out evidence you would not think to include. Our guide to the executive resume writing process explains what that usually involves.
What a resume writer does not always do is help you decide what role to target. If you are unsure of your direction, documents alone will not solve that.
When people combine roles
Many professionals work across more than one of these roles. Some career coaches also write resumes. Some executive coaches also mentor. Some resume writers have a recruitment background and offer market advice.
That can work well, because the thinking and the writing feed each other. It also means you should ask exactly what is included. “Coaching” can mean one session or twenty. “Resume writing” can mean a full rewrite or a light edit.
Worked example: matching the need to the support
This is an illustrative example, not a client story.
Three finance leaders each say, “I think I need a coach.”
The first is a newly promoted CFO who is struggling with a demanding CEO and a board that asks hard questions. She does not want to leave. She wants to succeed in the role. An executive coach, possibly funded by her employer, is likely the best fit.
The second is a Group Financial Controller who has been in the same business for twelve years and is not sure whether to aim for CFO, move sectors or try interim work. He needs help with direction first. A career coach is likely the best fit, with documents to follow once the target is clear.
The third is a CFO who knows exactly what she wants next and has a strong network. Her resume is old and undersells her. A specialist resume writer is likely the best fit, perhaps with some interview preparation.
Same words, three different needs.
How to choose
Start with the problem, not the provider.
Name the problem in one sentence. “I want to do better in this role.” “I do not know what to do next.” “I know what I want but my documents are weak.”
Decide who is paying. Employer-funded support will usually focus on your current role.
Check the background. Look for experience with senior people and with your market.
Ask what is included. Sessions, time frame, documents, follow-up.
Talk to them first. Most providers offer an initial conversation. Use it to test the fit.
If your problem is direction, our piece on running a career audit before you apply is a useful first step, whoever you end up working with.
Questions to ask any provider
What kinds of clients do you usually work with, and at what level?
What does a typical engagement look like, from start to finish?
How do you work with people who are unsure of their direction?
What will I have at the end that I do not have now?
What is outside the scope of what you do?
Who else might I need to work with alongside you?
The last two questions are revealing. A good provider will tell you plainly what they do not do.
Red flags
Promises of a job or an outcome. No one can guarantee you a role. Be wary of anyone who implies it.
A fixed program for everyone. Senior careers vary too much for one approach to fit all.
No clear scope. If you cannot tell what you are paying for, ask until you can.
Pressure to commit fast. A good provider will give you time to decide.
Little knowledge of your market. Advice on executive search, board roles or finance careers in Australia and New Zealand should come from someone who understands them.
Common mistakes
Using an employer-funded coach to plan an exit. The setting is rarely right for it.
Rewriting the resume before deciding the direction. You end up with a strong document pointed at the wrong target.
Relying on one mentor for everything. Their path is not your path.
Choosing on price or title alone. Fit and experience matter more.
Expecting a plan to hold still. Senior careers change as the market changes. Our piece on why career plans do not work explains a more flexible approach.
Questions to ask yourself
Is my problem performance, direction, positioning or documents?
Do I want to stay in my current role or leave it?
Who is paying, and does that shape the advice?
Have I spoken to more than one provider?
Do I already have a mentor I could use more?
If you are comparing specialist writers and coaches, our comparison of CFO and board resume writers sets out the main options side by side.
The right help for the right problem
Most senior leaders will use several of these at different points in their career. An executive coach after a promotion. A mentor over many years. A career coach and resume writer when it is time to move. None is better than the others. Each is suited to a different problem.
If you want help working out your next move and how to present yourself for it, see how I approach executive positioning.
If you are unsure which kind of support you need right now, book a complimentary Clarity Session and we will look at the problem you are trying to solve and who is best placed to help.
