How do career coaches choose a niche?

By career stage and field together, because stage is the strongest filter available and almost nobody uses it.

Career stage determines the problem, the budget, the urgency and the language. A new graduate, a mid-career changer, someone returning after a break and a senior leader preparing for a board role have almost nothing in common as buyers, even in the same industry.

Common niches that work:

• Mid-career changers in a specific industry moving out of it.
• Technical specialists moving into management, which is a well-defined and frequently painful transition.
• People returning to work after caregiving or illness.
• Senior leaders navigating a layoff at a level where the search is different.
• People leaving a specific sector, such as academia, law or the military.

Look at your own background first. If you were a recruiter in a field, or worked at a level, that is where your credibility is highest and your knowledge is genuinely differentiated.

Naming a niche does not stop other people hiring you. It changes who arrives first and what they expect to pay.