Job Search Coaching

Q: What makes Close Cohen's job search coaching different from other programs?

Three things set it apart. Coaches are former executives, not certified coaches without real-world hiring experience, so they have sat on both sides of the table at companies your target employers benchmark against. The program is ghostwritten, meaning your coach writes your resume, LinkedIn, and career materials with you rather than as an add-on. The mock interview process runs three stages with video recording and written analysis at every stage, compared to the single practice round most programs offer.

Q: How does the three-stage mock interview process work?

Close Cohen treats interview preparation like elite athletic coaching. Stage one identifies where you are losing the interviewer, the specific questions and transitions that are not landing. Stage two rebuilds those weak points through direct coaching and deliberate practice under real interview conditions. Stage three tests the rebuilt performance under full pressure. Every stage includes video recording and written analysis so you can track your improvement across sessions, resulting in a prepared candidate rather than a rehearsed one.

Q: Can Close Cohen help if I am currently employed and need to keep my search confidential?

Yes. Most of Close Cohen's job search clients are currently employed, and all engagements are conducted with strict confidentiality. Client names, employers, and search details are never disclosed to a third party. Coaching sessions run over video on a schedule that fits around existing work commitments, and employers are not informed unless the client chooses to tell them.

Q: When should I start working with a job search coach?

The best time to start is before actively applying, ideally as soon as a move looks likely within the next several months. Early engagement allows target role strategy, resume, and LinkedIn positioning to be built before opportunities surface, so applications go out ready. Close Cohen supports executives both in early preparation and already in market, with most engagements completed within three to five months.

Q: Should I hire a coach before I start applying, or once I'm already interviewing?

Both work, but starting before applying produces the strongest results, since a coach helps define target companies, sharpen positioning, and build materials so the first applications go out polished. Executives who wait until they are already interviewing can still benefit from mock interview preparation and negotiation coaching, but they miss the upstream strategy that prevents wasted applications.

That Gets Offers

The hiring game is real. We help you beat it.

Close Cohen Career Consulting is a nationally recognized executive career coaching firm. The Job Search Career Coaching program serves senior professionals from around the country— directors, VPs, and C-suite executives — who are conducting an active job search and need a structured, full-service coaching engagement to land their next role. Close Cohen has coached professionals from companies including Amazon, Microsoft, Apple, Google, Meta, Adobe, Walmart, and Roblox, and has been recognized as Best Executive Career Coach four consecutive years.

The program delivers end-to-end job search support including target role strategy, resume writing, LinkedIn profile development, networking strategy, mock interview preparation using the Close Cohen three-stage method, and salary negotiation coaching. Most clients complete a job search engagement within three to five months. The program is designed for established professionals with careers in progress.

Five-star reviews

2,500+

Executives coached

Clients land their next role in an average of 4 months.

What the Close Cohen Job Search Career Coaching Program Includes:

A proven, structured, and tailored approach that covers the entire job search process – everything from networking and resume writing to interviewing and closing the deal.

Natalie S.

Incredible expertise, these are not your average coaches, they’re the executives you wish you had.

The Close Cohen Job Search Method

A proprietary six-phase framework built for senior professionals who are selective about candidate-market fit.

Candidate-Market Fit Assessment

Most senior professionals targeting their next role get this wrong — not because they lack qualifications, but because they are targeting the wrong roles, the wrong companies, or both.

Close Cohen begins every job search engagement with a structured Candidate-Market Fit Assessment: a diagnostic that maps your actual capabilities, leadership record, and compensation expectations against real market demand at your level.

The output is a clear picture of where you are overqualified, correctly positioned, and underleveraged — and a targeting strategy built on that data, not on gut instinct.

Output: A prioritized target list of role types, companies, and sectors where your candidacy is strongest.

Job Search Strategy & Target Architecture

A job search without a strategy is a job search that takes twice as long. In this phase you and your coach build a custom job search architecture — a sequenced plan covering which roles to pursue, which companies to target, which relationships to activate, and in what order.

Up to 70% of senior professionals target their next role incorrectly. Close Cohen’s targeting methodology corrects that before a single application is submitted. Output:

Output: A written job search strategy your coach holds you to throughout the engagement.

Career Brand Portfolio

Your resume, LinkedIn profile, cover letter, and executive bio are not documents — they are a sales system.

Close Cohen ghostwrites and edits your complete career brand portfolio from scratch, positioning your experience in the language hiring managers and executive recruiters at your target companies actually respond to.

Every word is written to pass AI screening systems and land with the human decision-maker on the other side.

Output: A complete, professionally written career brand portfolio ready for immediate deployment.

Refreshing to feel so accomplished at the end of each session.

Jennifer T.

Wow that went fast! We never stopped focusing on our mandate which made the work very clear.

Ryan L.

Elevator Pitch & Interview Story Development

The most common reason qualified senior candidates lose offers is not their experience — it is how they talk about it.

Close Cohen’s pitch development process extracts the highest-value stories from your career history, structures them using a framework built for executive-level interviews, and rehearses them until delivery is confident, concise, and compelling.

You will know exactly what to lead with, how to talk about difficult chapters, and how to answer the questions most candidates fumble.

Output: A library of polished, rehearsed career stories mapped to the questions you will actually be asked.

Three-Stage Mock Interview Process

Close Cohen’s mock interview process is the most rigorous interview preparation available at the senior level.

Stage one focuses on behavioral question responses and story refinement under low-pressure conditions. Stage two simulates full interview conditions at increasing difficulty, including hostile or rapid-fire questioning. Stage three addresses senior-level panel interviews, case presentations, and executive stakeholder scenarios.

Every stage is recorded on video with written analysis so you can review your own performance and track measurable improvement.

Output: Interview-ready confidence backed by three rounds of recorded, analyzed, and coached practice.

Offer & Salary Negotiation

Getting the offer is not the finish line — closing it on the right terms is. Close Cohen provides a structured negotiation framework, real-time coaching during active negotiation, and support through counter-offer decisions and competing offer scenarios.

Close Cohen clients have collectively negotiated millions in additional compensation above initial offers.

Output: A negotiated offer that reflects your full market value.

Leverage our job search experience and play to win in the job market

Top Rated Career Coaching Reviews

Liza Jane Green

3 months ago

I highly recommend working with Jenna. She is outstanding, and does an exceptional job at balancing genuine encouragement with clear, actionable feedback that actually drives improvement.

For our interview prep session she had reviewed the role, researched the interviewer, and built a highly tailored mock interview. Her insights were sharp, practical, and grounded in experience, helping me focus on the highest impact changes. Most importantly, she helped me show up with clarity and confidence. Thank you, Jenna!

Rochelle Lietke

3 months ago

I hired Close Cohen to help update my resume and prepare for looking for new jobs. Jenna did an amazing job spending time with me to go through my skill sets and fine tune my pitch. She also helped me ramp up my interview skills which have been paying off with getting follow up interviews. I’m so happy with their service and have been recommending them to my friends and colleagues.

Cameron Griggs

4 months ago

I’ve had an overall great experience with Close Cohen Career Consulting, especially working with Jenna. She is phenomenal! Insightful, supportive, and incredibly easy to work with.
The process was very flexible, which made a huge difference as I was actively job searching and interviewing. I initially came in looking for help with mock interviews, but I walked away with so much more… mainly a clearer understanding of the modern job search process and how to effectively brand myself for the roles I’m targeting.

I’m very grateful for the support and would highly recommend Close Cohen to anyone navigating their career or job search!

Tracy

5 months ago

I had the opportunity to work with Brett Coakley at Close Cohen during a pivotal moment in my career, and the experience exceeded my expectations. After many years in a prior role, I found myself navigating a dramatically different — and highly competitive — job market in 2026.

Brett took the time to do a true deep dive into not only my skills and experience, but also what I wanted from the next chapter of my career. Together, we developed a focused, strategic campaign that began generating results almost immediately. The work we did on refining my elevator pitch and engaging in rigorous mock interviews was transformative — it sharpened my message and positioned me clearly and confidently as a leader.

The clarity, structure, and confidence I gained through this process opened the door to the opportunities I was seeking. I would strongly recommend Brett and the team at Close Cohen to anyone looking to make a thoughtful, strategic transition and elevate their next career move.

Chris Buchanan

6 months ago

Working with Brett was a highly valuable experience. He brought a clear, strategic point of view and a coaching style that helped me think differently about how I present myself as a leader.
Brett goes beyond surface-level edits, focusing on clarity, positioning, and making sure your message reflects who you are and where you are going. His guidance was practical, direct, and confidence-building.

Lauren Riefflin

6 months ago

I had a great experience working with Nancy. Our sessions were focused, very personalized, and extremely productive. Everything was modern, actionable, and tailored to where I was in my career. I left feeling confident, current, and much clearer on how to position myself. The accountability and structure built into the process was a huge plus for me as well. Highly recommend!

John Bowen

9 months ago

Brett was instrumental in helping me frame my story in regards to a career pivot. He pushed me to focus on the impact of my work rather than merely listing responsibilities. This shift in focus has helped me become more strategic in my future career path. He helped me realize that career coaching is more than simply submitting a resume; it is a means to reshape a career narrative.

Kyle Teager

9 months ago

I can't recommend Brett enough. He helped me rework my resume to ensure my experiences and expertise shine through to create a stronger resume. Not only did he help improve my resume, but he was also able to explain the process of updating and adapting it to new positions in a way that was easy to understand. I’m a lot more confident about how I’m presenting myself now.

David Stoner

9 months ago

Working with Brett was a game changer. He didn’t just update my resume, he helped me clarify my story and position myself for the next step in my career. His approach as a career coach goes beyond formatting and keywords; he challenged me to think strategically about how I present my experience. The process felt collaborative, professional, and insightful. I’d recommend him to anyone serious about elevating their career narrative.

Terri Hendricks

10 months ago

This was my first coaching experience, and working with Nancy since the beginning of the year has been very valuable. She has helped me better understand where I am in my career and how to navigate the early stages with more clarity. She has also helped me build confidence at work and given me the tools to apply more strategic frameworks that open up new ways of thinking. Each session gives me practical advice and clear takeaways I can put into action right away.

Nancy brings empathy, energy, and fun, and she makes it easy to have conversations I hadn’t had or even thought about before.

Maddie Heye

10 months ago

Working with Nancy Poznoff has been truly transformative. At a time when I was feeling stuck and misaligned in my career, she helped me take a powerful step back and reorient everything around my values, purpose, and long-term vision.

Through thoughtful conversation and coaching, listening, and just the right amount of challenge, Nancy guided me through a period of change. I gained clarity, confidence, and a renewed sense of direction.

If you're an executive or professional navigating transition, questioning your next step, or wanting to lead with more authenticity, I can’t recommend Nancy highly enough.

Carlee Price

11 months ago

I have worked with Close Cohen for many years, both at junctures in my career and also where I could use support in an existing role, to level up my game or move through a tricky spot. I've found better clarity through my work with them, and some incredibly practical and enduring tools and resources. If you want to invest in yourself & your career, if you want to build understanding of the system operating around you and "make sense" of your professional environment, there's no better place to turn. Highly recommend this talented team.

Elizabeth Hawkins

11 months ago

I’ve been working with Close Cohen on and off for 12+ years now and after a session the other day I realized I should update my review to reflect the multiple career transitions they’ve supported me with since I was a law firm founder seeking leadership development support for myself and my team. I reached out because after taking somewhat of a career break to raise my two young children abroad, I’m trying to figure out my next steps and needed some wisdom and guidance. Even after a multi-year hiatus, within minutes we had gotten to the heart of the matter and I came away with renewed confidence and optimism about the next phase of my career, multiple concrete action steps and a framework for making the decisions that loom on the horizon. Having a team this dedicated in my corner makes me feel like anything is possible. Thank you!

David Cole

11 months ago

Brett is great to work with and had some very helpful advice while I was navigating a difficult career transition.

Flavio D

11 months ago

I've worked with Close Cohen for executive coaching for almost three years and it has been a great professional investment. My sessions with Alisa Cohen helped me understand how to tell my professional story, how to present to peers and leaders. They know their stuff at Close Cohen.

The coaching was practical and focused on real leadership challenges I was facing. Alisa helped me think through situations in ways I hadn't considered before, and it definitely improved both my presentation skills and how I work with my teams. Worth considering for anyone looking to level up their leadership and executive skills.

David Kellis

11 months ago

I chose CloseCohen based on a personal recommendation. They stand out for delivering actionable coaching that elevates my performance. And I value the accountability. The two coaches I worked with brought exceptional expertise and a clear results focus. I'd recommend them to anyone.

Andy T

11 months ago

Close Cohen has been an exceptional partner in sharpening my leadership approach. The coaching is thoughtful and immediately applicable to high-stakes work. Both coaches I’ve worked with combine expertise with a collaborative style that makes the process both effective and enjoyable. They helped me land my last two jobs, significantly elevating my scope. Recommended

Joey Coats

1 year ago

I recently worked with Brett while searching for a new role. The program was outstanding! The roadmap for our work together was comprehensive enough to meet today’s job search challenges but also flexible enough to permit us to adjust as we went to account for actual opportunities. The homework was manageable and also helped me organize and see all of the great work I have accomplished in my career.

I also really appreciated the time spent on digging into what I wanted and needed from the new role both professionally and personally. I also valued Brett’s recommendations on how to work on further development in areas I identified as opportunities.

Overall a great experience and highly recommended!

Blake Ramsey

1 year ago

I've had the opportunity to work closely with Brett during a pivotal stage in my professional journey. His ability to cut through complexity, surface clarity, and drive meaningful progress is unmatched. What truly sets him apart is how he frames every experience as a learning opportunity, fostering continuous growth and building on each success. The structured roadmap his team leverages is a powerful tool for creating that momentum. Strategic, grounded, and incredibly effective, Brett is the kind of partner who helps you unlock what’s next.

Hannah C

1 year ago

Brett offered exceptional guidance and thoughtful insights when I sought his perspective on navigating career growth. He provided clarity around roles, responsibilities, and aligning career choices with personal priorities. His balanced advice and strategic thinking made him a valuable resource. I highly recommend him.

Libby Postovoit

1 year ago

Daria is a fantastic career coach -- smart, empathetic, and strategic. She was an invaluable thought partner during my most recent career transition, helping me understand what mattered most to me in a company and role, and the areas where I was competitive as a candidate. She also provided excellent guidance on how to optimize stakeholder relationships and impact. Working with Daria was a great investment for me during my transition into a more visible and senior role. I can't thank Daria and the team at Close Cohen enough.

John Fulton

1 year ago

In the Spring of 2024, I reached out to Alisa Cohen feeling stuck, unprepared, and lacking confidence after a long, challenging tenure at a toxic company. From our very first meeting, I felt a renewed sense of hope and excitement about the future of my career. Alisa’s comprehensive and thoughtfully designed program pushed me to truly reflect on my work history and skills, and helped me define what I genuinely wanted to pursue next.
Her guidance was transformative. We overhauled my resume, revamped my LinkedIn profile, refined my portfolio, and prepared strategically for interviews. Yet, beyond these tangible changes, Alisa provided a steady stream of encouragement, focusing on my strengths and reigniting my self-belief.

The results were almost immediate. My applications began getting more attention, and I found myself going through multiple interview loops for executive-level positions. After 5.5 months of hard work and dedication, I received two incredible offers on the same day. Alisa then helped me carefully evaluate the options and provided invaluable advice on negotiations, ultimately helping me secure a role that will allow me to leave behind a toxic environment.

Alisa’s work may feel magical, but the results are real—and so worth the effort. She makes you dig deep, and she empowers you to find the answers within yourself, all while building you up every step of the way.

I often refer to Alisa as my career therapist. Her warmth, empathy, and practical approach to career growth not only rebuilt my confidence but truly changed my life.

Colleen McArdle

1 year ago

I reached out to Close Cohen Consulting when I was at a crossroads in my career and needed help in focusing on future goals and how to tactically get there. Alisa Cohen is such a great coach and mentor! She listened and provided the feedback that helped guide me to new decisions and reshape my approach about my career and what I really wanted and needed out of it. I cannot recommend her and Close Cohen enough!

Danielle Allsop

2 years ago

I happily recommend Alisa to anyone seeking executive coaching. She's a fantastic coach, supporter, and partner during the journey -- highly organized, insightful, top notch listener, supreme writer/editor, and that's just the tip of the iceberg. Working with Alisa was essential for building my confidence, launching my candidacy, and landing my next role. Five Stars and then some!

Scott Merlino

2 years ago

I worked with Alisa Cohen and she was fantastic. I highly recommend her if you're looking for career consulting/coaching advice and support.

Erica Paoli

2 years ago

Alisa is an amazing coach – smart, kind, and encouraging. I learned so much from her during our time together, and she helped me build confidence in myself; especially with interviewing and asking for what I’m worth. She was always available to answer questions, offer support and feedback along my journey and beyond. The best part is – I landed a fantastic new role a mere 4 months after working with her, and I could not have done it without her!

Amy Persell

3 years ago

Alisa is a terrific coach. Her thoughtful and organized approach was appreciated. I really liked how I was kept accountable. In addition, I found her coaching to be a great mix of informal counseling and specific job search tasks. Unlike lots of couches that you will find on Google-Close Cohen is all about finding the right fit for YOU, not about filling roles at specific companies where you may or not be a good fit.

Andrew Cardillo

3 years ago

I am writing to leave a 5-star review of Close Cohen Career Consulting, LLC based on my experience with their Senior Level Career Coaching package. I wholeheartedly endorse the services and attention I received throughout the entirety of my time.

Alisa Cohen gave me practical, results-oriented advice right from the start of our sessions. This advice has materialized as increased views of my LinkedIn profile, a suite of new tools to aid in my career progression, and strategies to help me network, apply, and negotiate through every phase of the process.

I have gained genuine confidence from defining and owning the value proposition I offer to an organization. If you are looking to enhance your own career progression, I assure you that for me the results speak for themselves.

Thank you Close Cohen Career Consulting!

Alina Perez-Campos

3 years ago

Alisa Cohen acts as a beacon, guiding you through your career journey. With her exceptional ability to identify and highlight your key strengths, you'll stand out amongst the competition and secure the job of your dreams. Her guidance is both insightful and compassionate, consistently encouraging you to stay true to yourself. Investing in her coaching services is a wise decision that will yield long-lasting benefits for years to come.

Vivian Ramos

4 years ago

I worked with Laura back in 2018 when I was looking for a new role and in general a new outlook in my career. My experience was life changing to say the least. She was empathetic and warm, and she came up with an action plan that I still reference to this day.

Fast forward to 2022, and I started working with Alisa for interview coaching. I seriously couldn’t have gotten my new role without her. Her coaching and feedback was crucial to my lengthy interview process, and I owe her for helping me land my dream job.

Laura and Alisa are incredible and I’m so grateful to have them as lifelong allies.

Lindsay Burke

5 years ago

The team at Close/Cohen career consulting was fabulous. They helped me through every step of my career move. From building my self-confidence and building my resume to making my social profile interesting to making me interesting for interviews, Alisa was the mastermind. I felt completely comfortable and supported through the process. I always knew Alisa was in my corner. She helped me negotiate when I was given an offer.
I plan to stay in contact and hope to utilize their services throughout my career.

Frequently Asked Questions About Job Search Career Coaching

What is job search career coaching?

Job search career coaching is a structured, coach-led program that helps senior professionals run a targeted, competitive search from strategy through signed offer. At Close Cohen, the program is not generic advice — it is a six-phase engagement with defined deliverables at every stage: a candidate-market fit assessment, a custom job search strategy, a ghostwritten career brand portfolio, pitch and story development, a three-stage mock interview process, and salary negotiation support. Every phase has a concrete output your coach is accountable for delivering.

Who is job search coaching at Close Cohen designed for?

Close Cohen works with Directors, VPs, Senior Managers, and C-suite executives at companies including Amazon, NVIDIA, Anthropic, Moody’s, Google, Microsoft, Apple, Meta, Adobe, Walmart, Spotify, and Roblox. The program is designed for established professionals with at least seven to ten years of career experience who are targeting senior individual contributor or people-manager roles. It is not designed for recent graduates, career changers in the first few years of their careers, or professionals targeting roles below the manager level.

What makes Close Cohen's job search coaching different from other programs?

Three things. First, Close Cohen coaches are former executives — not certified coaches with limited real-world hiring experience. They have sat on both sides of the table at the companies your target employers benchmark against. Second, the program is ghostwritten — your coach writes your resume, LinkedIn, and career materials alongside you, not as an add-on service. Third, the mock interview process is three stages with video recording and written analysis at every stage. Most programs offer one round of practice. Close Cohen offers three, at increasing difficulty, with documented feedback you can review between sessions.

How long does a job search engagement with Close Cohen take?

Most clients work with Close Cohen for three to five months. Timeline varies based on target role, seniority, market conditions, and how quickly the client moves through the preparation phase. Close Cohen has helped clients land offers in as few as four months from start of engagement.

How does the three-stage mock interview process work?

Close Cohen approaches interview preparation the way elite coaches approach athletic performance. We do not run you through a generic practice session and send you home. We treat you as the athlete — isolating the specific moments, responses, and delivery patterns where you are not performing at your level, then providing targeted support to understand and correct each one. Then we go again. And again. Until the performance is there.

Stage one identifies where you are losing the interviewer — the specific questions, transitions, and trust building strategies that are not landing. Stage two rebuilds those weak points with direct coaching and deliberate practice under real interview conditions. Stage three tests the rebuilt performance under full pressure — and we do not stop until it holds. Every stage includes video recording and written analysis so you can see exactly what we see and track your improvement across sessions.

The result is not a rehearsed candidate. It is a prepared one — and there is a difference that hiring managers at the senior level recognize immediately.

Output: interview-ready performance built through the same iterative, feedback-driven process used to develop elite athletes — not a single practice run.

How does salary negotiation work at Close Cohen?

Close Cohen provides a structured negotiation framework covering how to respond to first offers, how to anchor a counter, how to handle competing offers, and how to negotiate equity, signing bonuses, and non-cash compensation. Your coach provides real-time support during active negotiation — including same-day coaching on specific offers and language guidance for written responses. Close Cohen clients have collectively negotiated millions in additional compensation above initial offers.

Can Close Cohen help if I am currently employed and need to keep my search confidential?

Yes. The majority of Close Cohen’s job search clients are currently employed. All engagements are conducted with strict confidentiality — we do not disclose client names, employers, or search details to any third party. Coaching sessions are conducted via video on a schedule that fits around your existing work commitments. Your employer will not know you are working with us unless you choose to tell them.

How do I get started with job search coaching?

Book a complimentary 20-minute intake call at closecohen.com/contact-us. During that call one of our senior leaders meets with you to assess your target role, timeline, and search readiness, and match you with the coach whose background and expertise best fits your situation.

When should I start working with a job search coach?

The best time to start is before you begin actively applying, ideally when you first decide a move is likely within the next several months. Early engagement lets you build your target role strategy, resume, and LinkedIn positioning before opportunities surface, so you’re ready to move quickly when the right role appears. Close Cohen works with executives at both stages — those preparing for a future search and those already in market. Most clients complete a full engagement within three to five months

Should I hire a coach before I start applying, or once I'm already interviewing?

Both work, but starting before you apply produces the strongest results. A coach helps you define target companies, sharpen your positioning, and build your materials so your first applications go out polished rather than as practice. Executives who wait until they’re already interviewing can still benefit from mock interview preparation and negotiation coaching, but they miss the upstream strategy that prevents wasted applications. Engaging early gives you the full Close Cohen method end to end.

How early can I start preparing for an executive job search?

There is no such thing as too early to prepare for a senior-level search. Many executives begin laying groundwork six months or more before they intend to make a move, building their network, refining their career narrative, and clarifying target roles. Early preparation is especially valuable at the director-through-C-suite level, where searches are longer and more relationship-driven than for junior roles. Close Cohen’s program is built to support that full runway, from initial preparation through offer negotiation.

Still have questions? Send us a note

Get all your questions answered in your complimentary 15-minute consultation.

Reviewed by Laura Close, Founder — Close Cohen Career Consulting.

Last updated:

2 Jul 2026