CCC Ethical Standards and Professional Conduct 1 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: According to professional coaching ethics, what is the primary obligation a career coach has when a client discloses information during a session?
- Share it with the client's employer if relevant
- Maintain confidentiality unless there is risk of harm (Correct answer)
- Document it in a public progress report
- Report it to the certifying body immediately
Correct answer: Maintain confidentiality unless there is risk of harm
Confidentiality is a cornerstone of coaching ethics; information shared by clients must be protected except in cases involving potential harm.
Question 2: A career coach realizes they have a personal friendship with a potential client's direct supervisor. What is the most ethical course of action?
- Proceed without disclosing the relationship
- Disclose the conflict of interest and let the client decide (Correct answer)
- Ask the supervisor for insider information to help the client
- Refuse all coaching engagements in that industry
Correct answer: Disclose the conflict of interest and let the client decide
Disclosing conflicts of interest and allowing the client to make an informed decision upholds transparency and respects client autonomy.
Question 3: Which behavior best demonstrates professional boundaries in a career coaching relationship?
- Offering clients personal loans to fund job training
- Becoming close personal friends with every client
- Limiting the relationship to the agreed-upon coaching scope (Correct answer)
- Sharing the coach's own career struggles in every session
Correct answer: Limiting the relationship to the agreed-upon coaching scope
Maintaining boundaries within the agreed scope prevents dual relationships and protects both the coach and client.
Question 4: When a career coach lacks expertise in a specific area a client needs, the most ethical response is to:
- Attempt to coach through it without disclosure
- Refer the client to a qualified professional (Correct answer)
- Charge a reduced fee and proceed anyway
- Ask the client to research the topic independently
Correct answer: Refer the client to a qualified professional
Referring clients when outside one's competency protects client welfare and upholds professional integrity.
Question 5: A career coach is asked to provide a written reference endorsing a client's qualifications they have not directly observed. What should the coach do?
- Write the reference based on the client's self-report
- Decline if unable to honestly attest to those qualifications (Correct answer)
- Ask another coach to sign it on their behalf
- Include a disclaimer that the reference is opinion only
Correct answer: Decline if unable to honestly attest to those qualifications
Providing false or unverified endorsements violates honesty standards central to coaching ethics.
Question 6: Under the NCDA Code of Ethics, career coaches are required to obtain informed consent before beginning services. This means the client must understand:
- The coach's personal career history
- The purpose, scope, fees, and limitations of coaching (Correct answer)
- The names of other clients the coach works with
- The coach's vendor and software affiliations
Correct answer: The purpose, scope, fees, and limitations of coaching
Informed consent requires clients to understand key aspects of the coaching arrangement so they can make a voluntary, educated decision.
Question 7: Which of the following situations represents a dual relationship that a career coach should avoid?
- Coaching a client in both resume writing and interview skills
- Coaching a client who is also a close family member (Correct answer)
- Using two different assessment tools in one session
- Discussing both short-term and long-term career goals
Correct answer: Coaching a client who is also a close family member
Dual relationships—where the coach holds another personal role with the client—create bias and boundary confusion that can harm the client.
CCC Ethical Standards and Professional Conduct 1
According to professional coaching ethics, what is the primary obligation a career coach has when a client discloses information during a session?