Interview coaching can benefit graduates trying to find their first internship or job, through to the 50-year-old who has not been interviewed for 25 years!
Where does interview coaching start?
Interview coaching can start where the coachee wants it to. It could be with the CV, or telephone interview, or building the confidence of the coachee or getting them ready for an assessment centre using a case study – whatever is necessary for the coachee.
Your CV
Remember the CV is your sales document to get you an interview, not to get you the job per se. So the CV really needs to look good, be no longer than 2 pages and succinctly give a good overview of who you are and if possible make you look better than other prospects for the applicable role. Basic spelling errors are a big No No! The CV should also be tailored to the job you are aiming for.
Confidence boost
I recently coached a graduate who was severely nervous about an interview and assessment so we started with building confidence by using NLP (Read Jackie Arnold’s book “Get that Job with NLP” for more information on Neuro Linguistic Programming) and anchoring. On the day of the interview the prospective coachee’s Mum fedback that the graduate was really calm and relaxed so I knew he was half way there. He obtained his internship.
Dummy Interview
The next stage of interview coaching is to see where the coachee is up to. The ideal way of doing this is a dummy interview. As preparation for this, I look at the website of the company they are applying to, look at the job description of the role, and then compare the CV with the role. I have conducted hundreds of interviews in the past so I have a very good idea of what to ask. We then proceed with an interview of about 30 minutes, unbundling what the interviewee could have done better.
Ideally we will leave it a week for the coachee to consider all of the different aspects and then run the dummy interview again. In some ways it is like an exam; preparing for what questions are going to come up and the answers being fluid when they are presented. It is OK to have to stop and think in detail for one or two questions but not for the whole interview!
The interview might be with 2 people or even a panel. Interviewees need to be ready for this showing confidence with eye contact and steady, but not over strong, handshakes.
CV/Interview
It is also important that the CV stacks up in the interview. A number of years ago Alan Sugar gave the winning apprentice position to an interviewee who lied on his CV. This was a total disservice to what really happens in employing people.
Every interview is different, which makes preparation even more important. My very personalised approach seems to work very well. I enjoy supporting people get the job they want, particularly graduates who seem to be put through the wringer these days.
Affordable Interview Coaching
I try and make it so everybody can afford interview coaching. If, however, you can’t afford interview coaching and want to take a DIY approach, I recommend 2 books. Jackie Arnold’s, as I have mentioned above, will help you adjust emotionally to the challenge. The other book is “What Color is your parachute 2016” by Richard N Bolles, which includes what job should I be aiming for and how to get there. I recommend these books, whether you are being coached or not.
I can give one off interview coaching or coaching programmes by telephone, Skype or face to face depending where you are situated or what part of the interview process you are in.
If I can be of help, contact me at neil@nvwsolutions.co.ukor look at my website www.nvwsolutions.co.uk
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