Every question, answered
We believe the best coaching relationship starts with full transparency. Here's everything you need to know — about career coaching, how Realign works, what sessions look like, and how we serve organizations.
What coaching is — and what it isn't
Clear answers to the foundational questions, so you can decide if coaching is right for you before you spend a dollar.
What is career coaching, exactly?
Career coaching is a structured, goal-driven partnership where a trained professional helps you identify what you want from your work life — and builds a concrete plan to get you there. Unlike advice from a friend or a manager, a coach is 100% in your corner: no agenda, no politics, and no judgment. Sessions focus on clarity, strategy, and action, not venting or revisiting the past.
How is career coaching different from career counseling?
Career counselors typically work within academic or government settings, helping with assessments, occupational information, and education planning. Career coaching is results-driven and forward-focused — your coach is a strategic partner helping you move from where you are now to where you want to be, faster. Think of a counselor as a guide to the map; a coach as a co-pilot on the journey.
How is coaching different from therapy?
Therapy is a licensed mental health practice that addresses psychological patterns, trauma, and clinical concerns — it looks backward to heal. Coaching is future-focused and performance-oriented: it assumes you're fundamentally capable and helps you close the gap between where you are and where you want to go. Our coaches do not provide therapy, and if you're navigating a clinical concern, we'll always encourage you to work with a licensed therapist alongside (or before) coaching.
Is career coaching actually worth it?
The data say yes — strongly. More than 90% of Realign clients receive a job interview within three months, and many clients land roles with significantly higher salaries, titles, or satisfaction than they would have found alone. The hidden cost of staying stuck — in a job you dislike, or unemployed six months longer than you need to be — almost always outweighs the investment in a great coach.
How long does a coaching engagement typically last?
Most clients work with a coach for 8–16 weeks, depending on their goals. A focused job search or interview prep sprint can run as short as four weeks. A deeper career-change or leadership-transition program often runs three to six months. Your coach will recommend a realistic timeline in your first session, and you're never locked in — you can extend or wrap up as your situation evolves.
How much time do I need to commit each week?
Plan for one live session per week (typically 45–60 minutes) plus roughly 1–2 hours of between-session work — updating your résumé, practicing interview answers, researching target companies, or completing a reflection exercise your coach assigns. The more you put in, the faster you move. Most clients find the between-session work is where the real breakthroughs happen.
Matching, guarantees, and how we protect you
How we find your coach, what happens if it's not the right fit, and the promises we make — in plain language.
How does the coach matching process work?
You start with a short quiz that captures your goals, industry, career stage, and coaching style preferences. Our matching algorithm — refined over hundreds of thousands of coaching relationships — surfaces two or three coaches who fit your profile. You can review each coach's background, specialty, and client reviews before deciding. There's no pressure, and if you want to see additional options, just ask.
What if my coach isn't the right fit?
We get it — the right chemistry matters. If your first session doesn't click, just let us know and we'll rematch you at no cost and no awkwardness. We'd rather find you the right coach than have you push through a relationship that isn't working. Our 100% satisfaction guarantee means that if you're not happy within 48 hours of your first session, you'll receive a full refund — no questions asked.
Is what I share with my coach confidential?
Yes, completely. Everything you discuss with your coach stays between you and your coach. Realign does not share session content with employers, partners, or any third party. Coaches operate under a strict professional confidentiality standard — the same expectation you would have with a therapist or attorney. The only exception is if you disclose an imminent risk of harm to yourself or others, where legal obligations apply.
What exactly does the 100% satisfaction guarantee cover?
If you're not satisfied after your first coaching session, contact us within 48 hours and we'll issue a full refund — no fine print, no partial credits, no runaround. We can also rematch you with a different coach if you'd prefer to keep going. This guarantee exists because we're confident in our coaches and want you to feel zero risk in getting started.
Can I end my coaching engagement early?
Yes. There's no lock-in. If your situation changes — you get the job, your goals shift, or life intervenes — you can pause or end your engagement at any time. Unused prepaid sessions are refunded on a pro-rated basis. We build programs around your needs, not subscription revenue.
How quickly can I get started after signing up?
Most clients have their first session within two to five business days of completing the matching quiz. If you have an urgent deadline — a final-round interview this week, a layoff that just happened — tell us during the quiz and we'll prioritize your match. Many coaches hold same-week availability for urgent starts.
What to expect on every call and between them
Practical answers about scheduling, platforms, frequency, and what actually moves the needle between sessions.
How do online sessions work — what platform do you use?
Sessions are conducted via video call using your coach's preferred platform (Zoom, Google Meet, or Microsoft Teams). You'll receive a calendar invite with the link after scheduling. No special software install is required — a laptop or phone with a stable internet connection is all you need. Sessions can also be conducted by phone if you prefer audio-only.
How often should I meet with my coach?
Weekly sessions are the most common cadence and tend to produce the fastest results — the momentum compounds. Bi-weekly works well for clients who are mid-search and have a lot of between-session output to produce. Your coach will recommend a rhythm based on your timeline and goals, and you can always adjust it as you go.
What happens between sessions?
Your coach will give you specific action items after each session — a revised résumé to write, companies to research, an outreach message to draft, or a practice exercise to record. Most coaches use a shared document or a lightweight messaging thread so you can ask quick questions or share drafts between sessions without waiting for your next call. Progress happens in the white space between sessions, not just on the calls.
Do you use assessments or tools as part of the coaching process?
Many Realign coaches incorporate validated career assessments — such as StrengthsFinder, MBTI, DISC, or proprietary interest inventories — to surface patterns about how you work best and what kinds of roles are likely to energize you. Assessment use depends on your coach and your goals; if you've already done assessments, bring them along — your coach can build on them rather than starting from scratch.
Corporate programs, outplacement, and reporting
Everything HR teams, L&D leaders, and workforce organizations need to know before bringing Realign inside their company.
How do corporate coaching packages work?
Organizations typically purchase a program — a defined number of coaching hours or sessions — that employees draw from as needed. Realign handles coach matching, scheduling, and session delivery. You receive a single point of contact for program management and regular reporting on engagement and outcomes. Programs can be structured as a cohort (e.g., all new managers in Q3) or as an on-demand benefit employees access throughout the year.
Do you offer white-label arrangements?
White-label isn’t our default model — and for good reason. People who know their coach and their platform have better outcomes. Our standard partnership is a preferred-provider arrangement: Realign coaches work under the Realign brand, and you stay the trusted owner of the relationship. You bring your people or clients; Realign brings the coaches, matching, scheduling, reporting, and onboarding — fully managed. If you have a specific use case that requires white-labeling, we’re open to that conversation.
What kind of reporting and outcome tracking do you provide?
Realign provides program administrators with engagement reporting (session utilization, completion rates, active participants) and outcome reporting (self-reported goal achievement, interview rates, placement rates for outplacement programs). Reports are delivered monthly or on-demand and are designed to give HR and L&D leaders data they can present to leadership. Individual session content remains confidential — aggregate data only.
Is there a minimum team size for a corporate program?
There's no hard minimum. We work with small teams of five to ten employees all the way up to enterprise-wide deployments. For smaller groups, we often recommend a shared-access pool structure rather than per-seat licensing, which provides flexibility without waste. Contact our team and we'll recommend the structure that makes the most sense for your headcount and goals.
How does your outplacement coaching work?
Our outplacement programs pair departing employees with a dedicated coach who helps them process the transition, identify their next move, refresh their résumé and LinkedIn profile, and run a focused job search. Programs are typically 60–90 days and include unlimited session access within that window. Providing quality outplacement protects your employer brand, reduces severance-related legal risk, and is genuinely the right thing to do for people who gave your organization their time.
Have a question that isn't answered here?
Talk to our teamTalk to a real person — or just get matched
Our team answers questions every day. Or skip straight to the quiz and let the coach matching do the talking.