Interviewing for any role can be challenging, but I think it’s particularly challenging to interview agile coaches.
Why?
Because there’s not a clear definition of what agile coaching is or what agile coaches do. Seriously? Yes! And without a clear definition how do you determine what questions to ask? And what a good agile coach, looks like?
Because everyone nowadays seems to be a “highly experienced, passionate, agile coach”. Because of the lack of standards and definitions, literally, anyone can declare themselves to be a coach. So, discerning credible skills and experience can be challenging. (Note: I just did a search for “Agile Coach” on LinkedIn and received ~300k matches)
And, because the few certifications surrounding agile coaches are still a work-in-progress based on #1, it’s challenging for you to depend on them to fill in the understanding and clarity gap.
So, if the challenge is so great, what’s the best way to find competently skilled coaches?