Career Coach Vancouver |
Expert Career Coaching & Counselling
Navigate Vancouver’s job market with confidence.
Our ICF-certified coaches give you the skills and clarity to run your own search — 100% online, wherever you are.
- Find a career that fits Vancouver’s market — perfectly.
- Land the job you really want across Greater Vancouver — fearlessly.
- One-on-one coaching with ICF-certified coaches — 100% online.
- Leave with the skills to navigate the market yourself.
“Linda Faucheux was my career coach and she was absolutely fantastic. She supported me through one of the biggest transitions of my life and I will be forever grateful.”
“Linda’s support and expertise gave me the confidence I needed — and I landed the first job I interviewed for.”
Founder & Practice Leader
Career success,
on your own terms.
“Hi, I’m Shirin Khamisa, and I founded Careers by Design with a singular goal in mind: to help professionals achieve success in their careers on their own terms.
Most career advice leans on tests, frameworks, and clinical language to map out who you are. Over more than two decades, we built something different — a way of working we call Connect Head & Heart, because real clarity comes from listening to both.
The heart side of that isn’t just a nice idea — our counsellors are formally trained in the physiology of heart-brain coherence, so guiding you to hear what your own heart already knows is every bit as evidence-based as any psychometric test. It just doesn’t feel like one.
Don’t just settle for a job. Let us help you find work that’s meaningful and fulfilling, so you can be truly happy in your career.”
Warmly…ShirinCoaches who know this market
Shirin founded Careers by Design in 2004 and has spent over 20 years helping Vancouver professionals find work that fits, on their own terms.
With more than 25 years of experience, Linda’s coaching helps Vancouver professionals navigating career transitions build clarity and confidence in their next move.
Jen brings a clinical counselling background to her work with clients across Canada, including Vancouver, supporting people through burnout, uncertainty, or a major career crossroads. Sessions with Jen may be covered under your extended health or EAP plan.
How we help — and why Vancouver’s market is different
Vancouver isn’t Toronto. It’s not Seattle. Career advice that works elsewhere often misses the mark here. We’ve been working with Vancouver professionals across the city’s economy for 20+ years — from Gastown startups to downtown corporate offices, from film sets to resource companies.
Built for Vancouver’s tech & startup scene
From Gastown startups to Yaletown scale-ups, Vancouver tech runs differently than Silicon Valley North fantasies suggest. We’ve guided software engineers, product managers, and tech leaders through transitions at companies like Amazon (Vancouver offices), Microsoft, Electronic Arts, and Salesforce, plus hundreds of BC tech scale-ups.
Real challenges we help with: equity comp negotiations when Canadian companies use US pay scales, managing growth cycles at startups that might relocate to the Valley, and reporting to US headquarters while living here.
“Hollywood North” careers, navigated
Project-based work, union politics, and feast-or-famine cash flow — the creative industries here operate on their own rules. As “Hollywood North,” Vancouver’s film and media sector offers unique career paths, and we’ve helped production coordinators, VFX artists, and producers build sustainable careers in this relationship-driven industry.
We understand: building relationships with key production companies matters more than your resume, managing the financial rollercoaster between gigs, and positioning yourself for the move from below-the-line to above-the-line roles.
BC’s resource sector, in transition
Mining, forestry, and environmental consulting built Vancouver, and they’re evolving fast. We guide professionals at companies like Teck Resources, Canfor, and West Fraser, plus emerging clean tech firms, through transitions as the industry shifts toward sustainability.
Career challenges we navigate: cyclical boom-bust patterns that complicate long-term planning, fly-in/fly-out lifestyle trade-offs, and positioning yourself as traditional resource extraction pivots to clean tech.
Not Bay Street, not Silicon Valley — something in between
Law, accounting, consulting, and wealth management have their own vibe in Vancouver — more collaborative and less hierarchical than Toronto’s Bay Street formality. We help professionals navigate partnership tracks that value relationships over pure billables, and client development that happens at Whistler as much as in boardrooms.
International Business & Trade: Vancouver’s connections to Asia-Pacific markets also create opportunities in import/export, supply chain, and cross-border roles — we help professionals leverage that international experience.
Advancing inside complex public systems
BC’s healthcare system, universities, and public organizations have specific advancement frameworks that don’t always make sense from the outside. We work with professionals connected to Vancouver Coastal Health, UBC, and SFU, guiding advancement through complex public sector organizations.
We help with: union environments and how they affect your options, moving from clinical or teaching roles into leadership, and managing the politics when mission-driven work meets bureaucracy.
The Vancouver-specific stuff nobody talks about
You can’t ignore that Vancouver housing costs make every salary negotiation higher stakes. We help you think about total comp — equity, benefits, flexibility — not just base salary.
This is a relationship-driven market where “networking” often means coffee walks, ski lift conversations, and trail run discussions. We teach you how to build authentic connections without feeling gross about it.
Most people moved here, or stay here, for quality of life — but you still want a meaningful career. That balance isn’t impossible, you just need to be intentional about it.
Tons of Vancouver professionals now work for companies headquartered elsewhere. Managing visibility, advancement, and career development when your boss is three time zones away requires specific strategies.
Support at every career stage
From new graduates finding their first real role to senior professionals navigating a pivot or promotion, our coaching programs meet you exactly where you are — built around two outcomes: finding work that fits, and landing the job you want.
Find Your Career Fit
For anyone feeling stuck or unsure of their next move — get clear on what work actually fits you, at any career stage.
Learn More →
Land The Right Job
Once you know what you’re after, we help you run a focused, confident job search and land it.
Learn More →
Interview Coaching
Practice and preparation that builds real confidence — so you can walk into any interview ready.
Learn More →
Resume Writing
A resume that reflects what you actually bring — written by our Resume & Branding Specialist, Tami Cooper.
Learn More →
Executive Resume Writing
Executive-level positioning and resume strategy from our Executive Resume & Branding Specialist, Adam Winfield.
Learn More →
Outplacement Services
Supporting departing employees through transition with the same coaching approach we bring to individual clients.
Learn More →Three steps to clarity
Book A Free Chat
A no-pressure conversation to talk through where you are and whether we’re the right fit.
Book A Free Chat →Meet Your Coach Or Counsellor
Work one-on-one with a coach or counsellor to get clear on direction and build a plan that actually fits your life.
Move Forward With Clarity
Leave every session with real next steps — not just advice, a plan you can actually act on.
What our Vancouver-area clients say
Career coaching outcomes from clients across Vancouver and the Greater Vancouver Area — read more stories.
“I landed the first job I interviewed for after working with Linda.”
Her calm, centred demeanour immediately put me at ease. Her support and expertise gave me the confidence I needed to approach a significant change.
Greater Vancouver Area
“She supported me through one of the biggest transitions of my life.”
Linda was absolutely fantastic. I’m successfully employed and feel more confident and connected to myself than ever before.
Vancouver, BC
“Rejuvenated my job search — and my confidence.”
Working with Linda was a very worthwhile experience. It rejuvenated my job search, and my confidence.
Greater Vancouver Area
“Linda helped me move toward a positive perspective — and take the risk I needed.”
She recognized my passions and pushed me to consider a variety of options. I made a clear, level-headed decision and moved forward.
Greater Vancouver Area
“They helped me face my fears and finally have the right answers.”
I’m a very quiet person, and interviews made me nervous. The team was patient and kind — a great investment in myself.
Greater Vancouver Area
“It made a huge difference in my life.”
I didn’t know how to put my ideas and expertise in order for interviewers. The coaching I received changed that.
Greater Vancouver AreaReady for clarity like this?
A free, no-pressure chat with a coach who knows the Vancouver market.
Book A Free Chat Read more client stories →Vancouver career coaching, answered
Is career coaching in Vancouver in person or virtual?
+Coaching sessions are held online, giving you the same one-on-one experience with a coach who knows the Vancouver market — wherever you’re working from.
Is career coaching or counselling covered under my BC extended health or EAP plan?
+Many BC employers include career counselling under an EAP or extended health plan, and sessions with our Registered Psychotherapist (RP) are often covered even when general coaching isn’t. Coverage varies by provider, so we recommend checking your plan details, and we’re happy to provide documentation for reimbursement.
How long does career coaching typically take?
+It depends on your goals. Some clients find clarity in a handful of sessions, while others work with a coach over several months through a longer transition. We’ll talk through what makes sense for you on the free chat.
Do you work with professionals in specific Vancouver industries, like tech or film?
+Yes. We regularly work with professionals from Vancouver’s tech, film, natural resources, and professional services sectors, including people coming from major employers like Amazon, Electronic Arts, and Teck Resources.
What happens during the free chat?
+It’s a short, no-pressure conversation to talk through where you are right now and what you’re looking for, so we can recommend the right next step — with no obligation to book anything further.
Are your coaches ICF certified?
+Yes. Our coaches hold ICF (International Coaching Federation) certification, and our team also includes a Registered Psychotherapist (RP) with a clinical counselling background.
Let’s find work that actually fits
Book a free, no-pressure chat with Caroline, our Client Happiness Manager & Intake Counsellor. She’ll talk through where you are and recommend the right next step — no obligation to book anything further.
Serving Clients Across the Greater Vancouver Area
We serve clients across all areas of the Greater Vancouver Area, including Downtown Vancouver, Burnaby, Richmond and North Vancouver. Please note that all consultations are currently offered online or by phone only.
No commute, no waiting room — just flexible, one-on-one sessions online, scheduled around your day.
- Downtown Vancouver
- Kitsilano
- Gastown
- Yaletown
- West End
- Mount Pleasant
- Commercial Drive
- Kerrisdale
- Burnaby
- Richmond
- Surrey
- North Vancouver
- West Vancouver
- Coquitlam
- New Westminster
- Langley