Sanaz Nabati
Sanaz Nabati is a seasoned Career Counselor, Coach, and Educational Consultant based in Los Angeles, California, with over 18 years of experience in higher education, nonprofit work, and private practice. As the founder of Nabati Career Consulting Services, she is dedicated to empowering individuals to navigate their career journeys through introspective and strategic counseling. Her approach focuses on helping clients clarify their goals by assessing their interests, personality, strengths, and values, while also addressing internal barriers such as imposter syndrome. Through her client-centered philosophy, Nabati has built a reputation for guiding individuals toward meaningful and achievable career paths.
In her role within higher education, Nabati serves as a Career Counselor and Assistant Director at UCLA, where she supports a diverse student population, including international students and students with disabilities. She designs and facilitates workshops, presentations, and career development programs that equip students with practical tools for success, from job search strategies to graduate and professional school preparation. Her expertise spans a wide range of advising areas, including pre-med, law, business, psychology, and PhD programs, where she provides comprehensive guidance on applications, timelines, and personal statement development.
Beyond her institutional work, Nabati is an accomplished workshop facilitator, speaker, and recognized leader in career development. She has been honored as one of the Top Career Coaches in Los Angeles, reflecting her impact and dedication to client success. Her specialties include career exploration, resume and cover letter writing, interview preparation, recruiting consultation, and talent development. Driven by a passion for helping others succeed, Nabati measures her success through the achievements of her clients—whether gaining admission to competitive programs or securing meaningful employment—and continues to inspire individuals to pursue their goals with confidence and clarity.
• California State University, Northridge - MA
• Top 15 Career Coaches in LA in 2026
• Top 20 Career Coaches in LA in 2026
• NACE
• California Career Development Association (CCDA)
What do you attribute your success to?
I attribute my success to just being committed to my clients and following my calling to help them identify their career interests and to pursue their goals. For 19 and a half years at UCLA, I've made it my mission to be the guide I never had. As a first-generation college student, I remember what it felt like to navigate career choices without a roadmap, and that experience sparked my fascination with how people land on their professional paths. Whether I'm facilitating workshops, consulting, or coaching one-on-one, my passion is the same: helping clients clarify and achieve their goals. My proudest accomplishment isn't an award - it's watching a student land a job or get into a dream program after working on a resume or personal statement together. That amazing feeling they achieve when they receive that email is what my reward is. The appreciation of the student and knowing that I made a difference in their life is my drive. It really is. It becomes the energy that fuels me every day.
What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
I would say to be true to yourself and follow your passion. Aspire to get a variety of different experiences so that you can help a variety of people, instead of pigeonholing yourself into one thing. The industry kind of makes you pigeonhole yourself - for example, by making you a STEM career counselor or a non-STEM career counselor. But over the years, I've swum myself out of it because originally, when I was hired, we were generalists. I got trained to help master's degree students, and I could even help people get into PhD programs. Then they made us undergrad and grad different teams, but originally I was trained to do all of it, and I'm doing all of it. I'm not bored doing all of this - it's like a challenge. Some places want to target you towards a specific population so that you could be focused on that population. I'm not saying there's anything wrong with that, it's just it limits you in being able to provide a variety of services. So I would advise newcomers to this profession to continue to be curious and continue to learn and gain different skills and knowledge so that they could help a variety of populations. Otherwise, it pigeonholes them.
Locations
Nabati Career Consulting Services
18221 Domino Street, Tarzana, CA 91335