Career Coaching

Career coaching helps you decide what to do next and then actually do it. Most people arrive with the same underlying problem: they are competent, they are not progressing, and nobody has told them why. Sessions are led by Samira Saberi, an ICF PCC certified coach, at $285 per session in Los Angeles or over Zoom.

Who this is for

Three situations account for most career coaching engagements.

The first is the stall. You are performing well, you have been in the role three or four years, and the next step has not arrived. Nothing is wrong enough to force a decision, which is exactly what makes it persistent.

The second is the transition. You are changing industry, leaving corporate employment, or moving into a founder or consulting role, and you cannot tell which of your strengths will transfer and which were specific to the environment you are leaving.

The third is the offer on the table. A role has been proposed, the decision has a deadline, and the people you would normally consult all have an interest in the outcome.

What the work covers

Sessions start with an honest read of where you actually are: what you are genuinely good at, what the market pays for, and where the gap between those two sits. That assessment is usually less flattering and more useful than the version you carry around.

From there the work is practical. Positioning yourself for a specific role rather than for advancement in general. Building the case in terms your organization recognizes. Preparing for the conversation that decides it, which is almost always a conversation rather than a form. And knowing which relationships need to exist before the decision is made, because by the time a promotion is discussed the outcome is often already settled.

Career coaching and executive coaching are different

The distinction matters when you are choosing. Executive coaching works on how you perform in the role you hold. Career coaching works on which role you should hold and how to get there.

They overlap, and a single engagement often moves between them. But if your problem is that you are struggling in your current job, that is executive coaching. If your problem is that you are doing your current job well and it is not leading anywhere, that is career coaching.

Sponsorship, which is not mentorship

A mentor gives you advice. A sponsor spends their own credibility putting your name into a conversation you are not in. The second is what moves careers, and it is distributed far less evenly than advice.

Sponsorship usually cannot be requested directly, and good work alone does not produce it. It typically follows from a senior person having watched you handle something difficult and having some reason to associate themselves with your trajectory. Being deliberate about that feels uncomfortable and is considerably more effective than waiting to be noticed.

How engagements run

A first session runs ninety minutes and establishes the current position and what would need to be true in six months. After that, sixty-minute sessions every two weeks at $285. Career engagements are often shorter than leadership ones, because the goal is usually a decision and a move rather than a change in habit.

Sessions are available in person across West Los Angeles or over Zoom, in English and Farsi.

Frequently asked questions

How much does career coaching cost?

Novator Coaching charges $285 per 60-minute session. Career coaching engagements are often shorter than leadership ones, typically three to four months, because the goal is usually a specific decision and move. The first 30-minute session is free.

How is career coaching different from executive coaching?

Executive coaching works on how you perform in the role you hold. Career coaching works on which role you should hold and how to reach it. If you are struggling in your current job, that is executive coaching; if you are doing it well and it is going nowhere, that is career coaching.

Can career coaching help me change industry?

Yes, and it is one of the most common reasons people start. The work maps what actually transfers, including skills, relationships and credibility, and what does not. It also tests the direction before you commit, which is cheaper than discovering the mismatch after the move.

Do you help with interviews and negotiation?

Yes, as part of a broader engagement rather than as a standalone service. Preparation for a specific conversation is usually more effective once the positioning work is done, because what you are negotiating for becomes clearer.

Is career coaching worth it if I already know what I want?

Often yes, because knowing what you want and being able to act on it are different problems. If the obstacle is genuinely information rather than action, a few conversations with people in that field may serve you better than an engagement.