A few people have asked me this question recently - and asked for my advice on who to hire and whether it’s ‘worth it’. I’d have to say that it very much depends what you want to achieve.

I’ve worked with several mentors and coaches over the past few years - it’s not something I regret doing although I still question whether I got true value from some of them - and would happily recommend some but not others. When it comes to dropping several hundred or even thousands of pounds and dollars on hiring a personal mentor, it helps to know you’re hiring the right person.

If you’re thinking of hiring a coach or mentor, whether it’s a business coach, an internet marketing mentor, a marketing consultant or one of the latest fads, a Social Media consultant, there are a few important aspects you should consider first.

#1 Check out their creds and establish their level and depth of experience

It’s quite easy these days to position oneself as an expert, consultant or coach of this, that or the other and start charging money for knowledge that someone has essentially learned from a book or by reading others blogs/reports and articles - without actually ever putting that knowledge into practice themselves.

If you’re hiring a business coach, you might want to check that they’ve got the relevant industry experience or have depth of experience in the specific function/area you’re struggling with. Does the person have more than a few months of experience to fall back on? Have they experienced the things you want advice on?

#2 Do they walk the walk?

On a similar note, you might also want to check that the coach, mentor or consultant you’re considering hiring walks the walk as well as talks the talk.

If you’re hiring a social media consultant, it’d be wise to see what their personal experience and online activity shows about the extent of their knowledge and experience? Do they have a blog (which has a decent number of subscribers)? Do they use & ‘get’ twitter? Do they have a Facebook profile? Or a LinkedIn profile? Are they actually using these tools to the greatest effect (e.g. by interacting with others) or simply tweeting to themselves, blogging to no-one and socialising with just their friends?

Does the online marketing mentor actually run and market their own business online? (even if they used to, things change so fast in this domain that you really need them to be up-to-date). Have they used the tools they recommend? Are they qualified to point you to one solution over another?

#3 Does their style suit your style?

I’ve worked through a number of mentoring programs and courses - some of which totally suited the style of learning I like and others turned me right off. Equally, in a one-on-one relationship with a mentor or coach, you need to figure out whether their coaching/teaching style suits your learning style.

Example: I worked with a coach who I personally found extremely unreliable. Punctuality is important to me and I find it unprofessional when someone I hire is late, MIA or hasn’t taken the time to confirm or double-check an appointment we have (note, I’m not saying that those things are unprofessional, just that I personally find them to be). On the other hand, some people would suit that flexible, more casual style and wouldn’t have a problem with it.

Does the mentor have the same values as you? Do they place stock on the same things as you? Does their working style suit yours?

If you’re looking to shortcut your way from A to B and the mentor, consultant or coach has done it, their experience and insight can be invaluable. Just make sure that they have the necessary depth of experience to draw from before taking the plunge and hiring them.