Marty Nemko

Marty is the best in his coaching. He is smart and witty but keeps your interests and goals focused. I enjoyed my sessions and followed a systematic approach he recommended. I also feel Marty is much More than just a career coach as he can add somewhat new ways of looking at problems and solutions. He was supportive and helpful in many aspect of my career change.
My biggest advice in working with Marty is to make sure you commit to a long term time line. We kept a good cadence and then had some gaps but Marty remembered everything. He is smart and pays attention. Great system. Great man and great product.

When I first looked over these many 5-​star reviews about Marty’s service, I immediately decided to choose him as my career coach. Obviously, it turned out to be truly worthy! I graduated and then had a short-​term job until I had a baby. I spent 3 years off as a stay-​at-​home mom. In the beginning of the job hunting, I felt hopeless because of my background. I’m not a native English speaker, and I need time to refresh my memory for the knowledge that I learned before. But I still want to get a good job from a great company. It seemed impossible to me.
I met with Marty for several sessions, and he was very sharp, smart, and straightforward. He directly pointed out all my weaknesses, and suggested me many effective ways to improve. Sometimes, your friends don’t tell you the truth, because they don’t want to hurt you. Marty, on the other hand, was very straightforward but in a professional way. He taught me to use the most effective way to tell my own stories. He taught me to be an honest person, and use my unique strengths to convince the interviewers. He is not only my career coach, but also a wise life coach to me.
After meeting with him for several sessions, I went on to a few job interviews, and got my dream job from a great company! I will definitely continue to use him as a career counselor in my future career.

I have been fortunate enough to attend three workshops with Marty Nemko and realized I needed a one-​on-​one session to help move me forward in a new career direction. So glad that I did!
Career burnout has, unfortunately, set in and I wasn’t sure what direction to take; I’m someone with a lot of ideas and a variety of skills, but while I had a few ideas nothing really stood out in terms of a next step. Marty’s questionnaire, to be completed and sent ahead of the appointment, and all of his well-​structured questions helped me gain clarity… this was even before he did and assessment and gave me a more direct opinion of they direction he felt I should go in… which was spot on, by the way.
I love Marty’s direct, no nonsense style. His integrity is impeccable and communication clear and relevant. This is a person who is, himself, doing work that is in line with his natural talents and preferences, and can lead others towards doing this as well.
I recommend that if you go see Marty you are as honest as possible (with yourself and him) about what you need, want, and feel regarding your work, even if you feel embarrassed to say something. It’s only through your «radical honesty» (to use his phrase) that he can truly assist, and a career plan that is authentic to who you are can emerge.

After researching career coaches I reached out to Marty and am very glad I did. I was in a low place professionally after a long struggle with depression that took me away from my career for a number of years. I came to Marty with no confidence and no direction. Marty hit the ground running. From the first minute we spoke he started working with me to hone in on areas where I had skills and interests. From there we spoke about issues that had been holding me back. It was a holistic approach that took into account all the areas of your life as they each impact your career. He is unorthodox and even a little eccentric but that’s why I think he works. This isn’t a formulaic process and I feel like I got advice that was suited to my needs. He is generous and motivating.
I’ve only met with Marty 3 times but I can tell you I have made a lot of progress already. His homework assignments got the ball rolling and with a plan of attack I am feeling focus and determined for the first time in years.
With Marty I defined areas of interest for me to pursue. I got great advice on how to network. I’ve revised my resume, created my professional story and crafted a 10 second and 2 minute pitch showcasing my skills and interests. He helped me reframe my absence from the market and helped me get back my confidence.
This isn’t about someone doing everything for you. This is about being given a new perspective and tools for you to do the work. I don’t know where my career search will take me but I know now that I have worthwhile skills and a plan for finding a position that will benefit from those skills as well as my experience and passions.
I will update this review once I secure a position. But even without a job at the moment I can confidently say that Marty was worth it.
Thank you Marty from the bottom of my heart.

Marty truly cares about helping people and advancing their career goals. He is very generous and no-​nonsense yet has a great sense of humor. He generously gave me an hour of his time to help pull me out of my fog. There’s not a lot of useless chatting, which wastes time, nor does he spend an inordinate amount of time talking about himself. He gets right to things and keeps going without beating a dead horse. He made some suggestions based on my questionnaire on possible careers. Some of them appealed to me and some of them didn’t. But what helped the most is that he got me thinking «out of the box» more. He got me thinking about why and what it is about the suggested jobs did I like or not like. He also made some observations about me that got me really doing some soul searching about myself. I walked away feeling like I had a better idea and «rough draft» for my next steps. I highly recommend Marty for those that need help in shifting careers. Thank you, Marty. I’m very grateful for your time and talents!

I began working with Marty in Aug ’13 because I was changing careers from engineering to web design. I went from having my very first client in Aug ’13 to being a webmaster of for two non-​profits and creating close to 20 websites ranging from small businesses to Grammy-​winning and Emmy-​nominated musicians a year later where I’m aptly compensated. I was also able to secure a job at a web company after less than three months of searching (averaging 3 – 4 interviews/​month before I accepted this job).
Every session I had was personalized and catered to my needs. Marty showed me how to improve my weaknesses that would hinder me professionally and he also acknowledged my strengths as he saw them and how they’d be valued by others. I never had to remind him about what I was doing, where I was headed or where I’ve been because he actively listens and was fully invested.
Others here have said that he is pricey. I would say that Marty is worth every penny because I’ve gained a lot of skills that I can apply in the future. Marty has your best interests at heart and wants more than anything to help you succeed at work and in life. He is a top-​notch professional who’s sharp as a tack, cares about you and is someone whom I highly regard as a person as well as a career coach.

My experience with Mr. Nemko was usefully challenging.
— In essence, I found him to spend extra effort to check my motivations and customize his focus on my particular abilities and needs with respect to the current market. He also was able to modify his concentration on new information upon successive meetings. Further, he also ensured that anything said between us was clearly understood. -
In my initial queries, he did not jump at the chance to consult with me right away. In fact, I actually needed to spend some time with emails back and forth with him to convince him that I did not want to repeat old patterns with him as I have done for past career assistance from other coaches and teachers.
Basically, this told me that, more-​so than a quick buck, he was centrally interested in my success, the extent of my motivation to improve things, and he was willing to spend quite a bit of time before initializing services. And this was certainly reflected more when we actually met.
I think I will repeat here that he was able to modify focus and provide new information upon successive meetings.
He has also been very blunt while having some character. While this can be very challenging, it is also refreshing. The work force is, in a big part, competitive at it’s core and environment (as well as have idiosyncrasies). Yet, often with co-​workers, employers, and clients, hard «truths» can be obfuscated and often thereby become walls blocking overall successes.
To get his services means to go directly to the heart of some things… and that may not always feel good. Yet with him at the core has been the interest in my greater success, if not simply a more whole awareness. It’s being direct accompanied by an over-​all interest in a good experience.
Another reviewer said it well; he can be both a big fan and harsh critic. But I think the key is that both are done respectfully in the effort for my longer-​term success.

Marty really helped myself and my husband with career difficulties by coming up with some very interesting and thoughtful ideas for us. He met with us both together and asked us many questions which we pondered on and gave us the courage to make some moves and the confidence to take chances.
He even invited us to bring our dogs to meetings with him and my little rescue Scottie got on great with his dog, Einstein :)
Marty offers a very honest and sometimes difficult approach but he really makes you stop and take stock of your life and career choices.
I had first heard Marty on NPR and decided it was worth the investment to go and see him, so convinced my husband and we are both very glad that we did!
His method is part therapy, part job analysis and part tough «Dad» ;)

While I hate leaving negative reviews, I think it’s important to provide real feedback.
For someone who knows what they want to do and needs help structuring a job search, I think Marty would be useful – if rather pricey.
However, that was not what I was looking for, as I communicated to Marty prior to meeting with him. I was looking for help with an industry change, and determining how best to find what I am looking for in a very different kind of company. Marty effectively ignored this request, and pushed what I felt was a one size fits all approach. And it clearly didn’t fit me.
Second, I struggle as a woman with being assertive without being perceived as bitchy, and Marty effectively gave me the advise to just «out-​nice» everyone, because this was effective for his wife, who is a school principal. While I am glad his wife is successful, I hardly think this is solid advise for women in every profession and situation. (Don’t be too assertive! Don’t risk being called bitchy! Just win them all over with kindness!)
What Marty offers surely works for some people. He seems like a very sharp, affable guy, with a strong broad awareness of the landscape of business and employment in the bay area. Just be aware that what you are buying is his approach, and you may not be successful if what you want isn’t part of his routine.
Marty says he ha a 97% satisfaction rate. I do not doubt that many customers, for whom his approach works – are satisfied. If he was really that confident is his success, he might not charge quite so much for the first session!

Marty is an incredible resource and has provided me with a clear path to pursue my career goals. I feel fortunate to have had the opportunity to work with him and as a result my life has dramatically changed both personally and professionally. He has earned my highest recommendation!

Marty assisted me with my job search, and provided me with great guidance and tools/​suggestions that helped me immensely. Marty is both professional and personable, and often was able to help me see things more clearly, or at least look at them with a different/​fresh perspective. I would not hesitate to send any member of my family or friends to Marty!

In a two month period I met with Marty 4 times. From the beginning of the process to the end Marty had me dig deep inside myself, experiences, and career goals He offers a wealth of knowledge and insight.
Marty always made himself available via email if needed between sessions. He is truly committed to your successful outcome from day one.
As a result, I am currently working in my degree field once again. I am also using everything that we discussed to move forward with my career/​life in a proactive manner.
Does Marty asked you tough questions?
Yes.
Does Marty make you really look within yourself?
Yes.
Does Marty offer a unique approach?
Yes.
Will Marty help you?
If your willing to work hard and be open to what is discovered, yes.
Marty was exactly what I needed and I would recommend him to others.

Marty is the best, most ethical, and most generous coach I know – and I know quite a few.
In the past, he has supported me in going for my dream career. Because he knew that I didn’t have much money at the time, and he believed that he didn’t need an entire session to address my career challenge, he helped me through a series of emails we exchanged — for free!
Sixteen months later, I’m now successful in my new career, guiding people with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/​CFS) and Fibromyalgia toward optimum health and happiness.
And again, Marty came to my rescue when I needed him: One of my current clients is working in a toxic career, which I advised her to leave to avoid jeopardizing her health. My client knows that her current career is toxic, but was freaked out about leaving it, because she saw no alternative for herself.
I wasn’t able to help her with this aspect of her situation but, knowing about Marty’s unparalleled expertise, I hoped Marty could, and so I sent my client his way. She reported back to me after their first session that Marty was «AMAZING» and that for the first time in a long time she felt optimistic about her future.
In addition to having helped me and my clients, Marty has also helped my wife. Yesterday, I got an email from her with this subject line: «Fwd: Check out what i got in my email… from someone you know :)»
My wife, who works at one of the world’s leading biotech companies, had just received an email from her company’s career center that featured a quick career tip from Marty. Very much Marty’s style, the career tip was about finding the position in the company that best suits her career, family, and life goals, instead of just trying to move up the career ladder. A message my wife very much appreciated to hear at this point in her career.
Aside from having heard Marty’s career and life advice from me at every possible occasion, she now also heard it through her company – and she liked it.
It fills me with me with great joy to know that Marty is working hard to bring his useful and life-​changing career and life advice to as many people as possible. It has transformed the lives of everyone around me and I believe that if you’re committed enough to put it into action, it might do the same for you, too.

FIRST AND FOREMOST:
I have a job — a really good one. It’s interesting, challenging, prestigious and well-​paid. I’ve been promoted. I use my professional skills every day. I like and respect my boss.
THAT SAID:
Marty is partially, if not largely responsible for me getting – and remaining – there.
WE WORKED MY WAY THROUGH GETTING A JOB:
After the local job market crashed in 2001, I just got spanked. Jobs were scarce, projects were few and far between, and the ones that did arise paid a fraction. I decided to work full time. So in ’06 I started sessions with Marty.
AND WITHIN A YEAR, I GOT A JOB:
With a very large, important, well-​known technology firm.
BUT IT WASN’T THAT EASY:
The place is tough and I wanted to succeed, so Marty continued to support me. We focused on managing upward, on dealing with difficult colleagues and challenging situations, on prioritizing and project management.
AND I GOT PROMOTED:
Marty helped me with that. First positioning myself, asking the right questions, knowing when to be assertive or receptive, negotiating. I’ve been in that job about four months and just last night – as I started whining about how hard it is – he gave me a big helping of perspective.
THIS MAKES IT LOOK EASIER THAN IT WAS:
And it wasn’t. The process I just described was really, really hard at times. It was personal and sometimes painful. I had to re-​evaluate myself, break bad habits and build new ones. Confront demons.
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT MARTY:
– The guy didn’t attend charm school. He’s blunt and unblinking. He can use very salty language. He is not politically correct. He tells you what he thinks and what years of experience and countless clients have taught him. If you don’t want to confront cold, hard truths, if you’re not willing to grow, if you’re going to get insulted or offended don’t waste your time or money.
– He cares very much. Behind the harshness and candor is a huge heart. He wants you to succeed and pours himself into it
– He’s your biggest fan and harshest critic
– He’s hilariously funny
SO:
If you want to succeed in whatever it is you do, I believe Marty can help.
BUT:
If you’re not serious, if you’re looking for hugs and affirmations, if you want an easy fix or someone to do the work for you … don’t bother.
LAST NIGHT:
We were talking about the tension between success on the job and personal satisfaction. «Be an artist on your own time,» he said. «Iconoclasts can’t pay their bills.»

I first heard about Marty Nemko while listening to his radio show. I thought he was insightful and real, and when I had a career challenge, I gave him a call.
Marty gave me guidance that has significantly improved my career and personal life. He helped me develop concrete steps to modify my personal behavior, which has made me both more effective and easier to get along with.
His advice is specific, constructive and at times challenging. He helped me see some of my own flaws, while at the same time presenting ideas to address them.
I recommend Marty without reservation. His website is a valuable resource, as is his blog, and I encourage you to check them out as well.

I found my recent coaching session with Marty quite useful. I am a mid-​career professional exploring a career change. Also, having been out of the job search market for a long time (first at one company for a long time and then working on a start-​up), I thought I needed some expert advice about how to get started in today’s market.
One concern I had going in was that I would get a lot of highly standardized advice, but this fear was quickly allayed. Marty had clearly reviewed my list of expectations for the session and offered suggestions that directly addressed my specific needs. I also like the fact that Marty asked a lot of questions that helped him — and me — better understand what I was trying to achieve.
I came away with three or four ideas that I expect to greatly improve my career transition.
Marty has a very unique way of ending his sessions — or at least the one I attended. I thought it was great technique, but I won’t spoil the surprise by writing it up on Unilocal

I had read some of Marty’s blogs and connected to his stories regarding procrastination, in an effort to try to understand why I procrastinate deadlines so much to the point that it causes major stress in my life and brings down the quality of my work and breaks interpersonal relationships as a result of poor time management. Then started a relationship with a pretty girl… Now and again, I would remember back to one of Marty’s blog posts saying how «like attracts like», «procrastinators are losers», etc. The procrastination issues that I did not fix on my own caused me to find a relationship with loser. Eventual turmoil ensued in the relationship, and we went our separate ways. I was getting very depressed and then made a choice to build myself into a better man after this break up and to take care of #1 (me)… First I got a hair transplant with an excellent surgeon (even tho Marty’s blog shows he went another way in that regard)… Then I called up Marty for an appointment. We connected, he easily detected my depressive state from the phone call. At the end of the call said it will be «up hill» from here because he can see that I AM MOTIVATED to get better.
Formula: YOU NEED TO BE MOTIVATED + MARTY NEMKO = REACH GOALS…
We set up an in-​person appointment a couple weeks later. I drove up from OC to Berkeley for a 2 hour meeting… We instantly connected and had a pleasant 2 hour discussion (he had been prepared for me based on the extensive forms I filled out prior to our initial appt).
Eventually, Marty and I worked together to fix these issues in my life,
(1) procrastination
(2) dependence issues
(3) anxiety regarding my current career
dependence issues that could be hampering me in other areas of my life
(4) anxiety regarding wealth generation plans
(5) sex and a plan for moving on from my ex
1 — I don’t procrastinate much anymore. I am very different than when I first contacted Marty
2 — I quit cold turkey based on some very deep insight Marty brought up that hit me to the core.
3 — the career anxiety has flattened somewhat because we realized that the work I do every day at my current job builds my skills for what I want to do next.
4 — during my time consulting with Marty, I bought my first property, which is a multi-​unit property that generates income for me every month as it has tenants. So this builds wealth in 2 ways, the property has already since I bought it early in 2013 and the rent I receive as given me some extra pocket money.
To the person. Who was offended that Marty asked, «would u rather run a tattoo shop or ear hole punching shop» I think u already had decided that you were not going to get value from Marty… I got similarly odd questions but continued to play along until I ended up getting to the point of buying real estate and making extra money off it! My questions (from Marty) started off like: «could u see ur self fixing mortorcycles Or fixing cars if u had to pick 1?». Honestly, neither but since I had to pick, I chose cars because to me they are more comfortable, relaxing and like a second home. Next question: «can you see yourself fixing cars or fixing homes?» well, Marty I never thought about that before… My credit sucks. Whose whome would I fix? Marty says: there are programs out there such as the HUD federal program that gives low interest rates to first time home buyers. It might’ve worth checking out. And since I had the motivation, you bet I went and checked it out… And found something that works well for me. Marty solved my wealth anxiety by asking his «weird questions». This is a method of calibration to quickly determine your preferences, so please do not take offense, he is just trying to be a great counselor and efficient to save you money and to save his time so he can go on and help other motivated individuals who need him.
I had 6 sessions with him. The first was a mandatory 2-​hr. after that I did a 1 hr. then I did several half hour sessions. (keep in mind that my scheduling was directly related to strides I was making and sticking points I had) On our very last session he was generous enough to not charge me because we only talked a few minutes about the fact that I feel I am fine for now and don’t have any concerns and just want to continue using thr tools that he helped me to develop.
I made some great progress on Point 5 and miss Marty I want to update him on my progress! I might drop in for an in-​person consult the next time I am in the Bay Area.

Marty is as good as it gets. I met him at a conference organized for PhDs and postdocs at UC Berkeley looking for jobs outside of academia. A note on that conference, Marty gave the keynote, volunteered to moderate a panel discussion, and sat down and gave free career coachings to I don’t even know how many students for the entire 8 hour day. I tracked down Marty at the end of this day, and listened to him inspire a young PhD to a new career path in about 10 minutes (he’s got an unusual talent for getting to exactly what you want, even if you think you have no clue, and he kept doing this all day long with dozens of students). Even after 8 hours he was still wide-​eyed and having fun coaching students for free. So I asked if he would coach me next.
I’m notoriously indecisive about careers. I’ve switched professions several times and never quite «found my calling» (read: I have career commitment issues maybe). To be honest I wasn’t expecting much. But it took about 4 minutes (including me rambling in the beginning) for Marty to cut through a bunch of my confusion and get right into the middle of my passion. It was a bit eerie and he nailed the big picture.
Okay, so fast forward 2 months. I’m finishing my PhD and starting to pursue this career move generally but haven’t figured out the details or the exact path. I hit a wall and have that «I’m about to not have a job and still don’t know exactly what I’m doing either» panic attack. So I emailed Marty. He agreed to meet with me for free to start because I had just spent basically everything I had on a big training workshop. He’s like that. I don’t want to give the impression that he’s just giving away services for free, but when the need is real he’s like that.
I was reading the reviews below out of curiosity, and I’ll say, yes, he does use the «terrible to orgasm» scale when rating things that may or may not feel like the right career moves. I see how that could feel weird for some people. In the context of a session (for me, at least) it was funny and actually, it was nice because I was stressed about my life choices and the humor kept the coaching fun and not overwhelming.
I disagree strongly with the comment about Marty giving one-​size-​fits-​all advise though. Actually, I’ve seen Marty give several coaching sessions and his style is entirely personalized by default. This is actually his biggest talent. He’s got this uncanny gift to ask you exactly the right question that is specific to your life. He lets you talk for a while, and then asks various types of hypothetical questions about you. For example, «okay, I’ll give you two possible scenarios, tell me which one you love, or both, or neither». It’s like going to the eye doctor and being fitted for lenses (which is clearer, lens 1 or lens 2?) until you get to something that helps you see the best. I don’t know where he gets this stuff from (decades of coaching and experience I guess) but he’s usually dead on and if he’s not, he’ll keep asking until he gets it.
Session 1 we worked for a while and I left in a spin because he challenged a lot of my assumptions and gave me some homework to delve deeper. It wasn’t what I wanted to hear, or a pat on the back. It was hard work and I felt unsettled. I spent a week thinking it over and came back with a more solid plan. Then in session 2 we were able to take that and roll with it. A week ago I was confused about my life and today I’ve got a plan that combines my own desires and talents with his guidance.

Made a Unilocal account to give Marty a review.
I never heard of Marty before but my parents thought it would be a good idea to see him to help me out with my new business venture. They only heard about him from his media adventures and just basically told me, «He’s ‘supposed’ to be really good.» So they had no idea how the experience would be.
I went to see him in person and my overall experience was really positive. We talked about the most effective ways of getting clients, keeping them happy, etc. He suggested many things that I have already done, but tweaked them so they seem more pleasing to the public. He also suggested many things that would be low cost but also could pay off really well.
He’s a nice guy and knows his stuff. He paused a few times to think to make sure he wasn’t forgetting anything so he gave me as much information as possible. He didn’t necessarily know my field well but definitely knew how to apply it since everyone is a person and he knows what people like.
The downside is definitely the price but given that it’s really going to pay off for me it was definitely a small investment and easily justifiable. It was hard for me to know exactly what we were going to talk about but if you have specific questions, topics, that you want to discuss make sure you write them down so you can ask. He was nice enough that if by the end of the day I had another question I could email him free of charge, but that was it. So unless you are surely going to see him again make sure you know what you want to address beforehand.
I saw him in person and I would suggest everyone to do that as well if you like in the Bay Area. Plus his dog is really friendly.

I have to admit that I was hesitant to schedule time with Marty. It was my wife who convinced me to schedule time with him.
From the pre-​meeting questionnaire, to the initial and subsequent meetings, Marty was a wealth of knowledge, extremely creative in his approach, straight-​forward, and very much an out of the box thinker
The bottom line for me was that Marty changed my way of looking at the employment world. From the interview process, to the follow-​up, to the introspection of am i doing that which I’m passionate about, Marty pulls it out of his clients and then helps them reconstruct their approach to securing work. It worked for me, and the guidance and input he shared with me contributed to my securing the best position I’ve had in four years.
Also, Marty recorded our sessions and then forwarded them to me. Listening to those sessions some time after tour meetings was very eye opening.
To me, Marty gets it. And the exercises we went through helped him learn more about me. And they helped me learn more about me… the good and the yet to be improved upon!
I highly recommend that you give Marty a call, especially if you’re at an impasse in your job search or in your career. He’ll use his communication skills, his knowledge, and his creativity to help you rethink your approach. Whether measured in dollars spent, or in job offers, it’s worth it.