The Big Picture…

Preparing yourself for a job interview, means a New Chapter is being about to launch in someone life, and that alone should be exciting!

Approaching any given situation with a humble tone of excitement (as humble as that can be 😛) and whether that means switching roles in your current employment, leaving your current employment for a new one, getting your first job/scholarship ever, you name it!), requires a couple of “textbook” knowledge combined with a good preparation and of course someone’s “best self” for the big day. 

Nowadays, it has become easier to prepare for an interview, as the power of Google (sorry Bing) and mainly social media, has given the chance to interviewers and job-seekers to share their experiences, providing critical information and tips for the Big Day. On the other hand, having so much information spreading out there, and experiences shared which are inevitably subjective, results in confusion, thus, an extra load of stress, which is definitely not essential and destroys all the excitement that this is all about. Do not forget you are pursuing a dream-come-true via your interview!

Regardless, you have two options, (the first combines both): 

A. recruit your personal Interview Coach by My Next Job or

B. do all the preparation by yourself advised by the so-called word of mouth. 

Always keep in mind that, an Interview Coach is a former interviewer, and they can bring quite thorough experience and practices used by the other side, which can be proven beneficial during the interview preparation, but also during the actual live experience! Thus, make sure you digest all information from your personal reading or from your live-session with your coach. 

Benefits hiring your personal Interview Coach…

1. Experienced Coaches…yes, but also your own experts!

The most important advantage you get from your personal Interview Coach, is that is yours! Your Coach works with you for you! Once you decide to proceed with this option, you’ll either choose an Interview Coach or you will be matched with one skilled in your field, from My Next Job team. A Coach with experience in your background, who will have the ability to point out your weaknesses and improvement areas and offer strategies and techniques that you should use to succeed. Apart from that, your Interview Coach will quickly tell you how your performance compares to other Interview candidates and whether they would pass you in your actual interview. Interview Coaching is typically done through phone or video conference. Yes, it is interactive, as the ultimate target is to provide you with a tailor-made preparation.

2. Your Coach has been practicing both sides…

The main reason to trust a Coach’s advice is that, they have been there-done that, and on both sides! Let’s refer to the sides as light and dark, to make this read fun & exciting! The light one shall be yours, the job-seeker and the dark one shall be the interviewer/recruiter. 

Frequently, making it to the dark side requires countless hours spent at the side of light! As a result, the Coach, to make it to the Pantheon of Interview Coaches (gosh tell me that this does not exist!) has been demonstrating its strong skills and convinced Interviewers to get hired several times, as perhaps YOU at the moment! Profoundly, they have proven their worth advising job-seekers thriving on their Big Day or Days (! Yes, lots of repeaters), and given the power to mentor each one as an individual case, thus are trained to be subjective! A friend, can hardly manage that. Note here, to always check on whom you are choosing to be your coach. This is where word of mouth (and online reviews) can be essential 😉.

3. Coaches have built secret agent abilities…

Furthermore, you get an even further tailor-made service of interview tips from your Coach; a former Interviewer, as they have the ability and experience to create your candidate profile within a few minutes of a call or video chat. Again, kindly note here, that the Interviewers are aware of what is practically going on in your head and heart the moment you say out loud a few words at a phone interview, or the moment you enter the room in an in-person interview! We will analyse “Your Body and general use of Language; the Interview” at a follow-up article in our blog within the next months…stay tuned as it seems our body can be more fluent than our tongue!

Your Interview Coach typically uses high-quality cases as a reference while in coaching sessions. Cases similar to yours, and circumstances that you might face during your live interview. This ability to provide you with a close-to-real simulation of your Big Day, is a Big Deal! Undergoing your own research, chances are that you won’t get the highest quality of information. Aka may not be representative of what a real interview is like or may not be challenging enough! Several ifs and maybes that can be eliminated when getting advice from the right people! 

4. Have your Coach at the ready…when you are ready!

Practicing your interview day with a classmate or friend, it can be difficult finding the right place and time for both of you, preventing you from getting enough practice hours. Having your Coach, this will never become an issue, since My Next Job has many different Coaches from around the world, chances are that at least one will be available for any given hour in a day. Understanding everyone’s busy schedules, our team developed all our Interview Coaching strategies in an effort to eliminate the extra stress, offering high-quality services at your convenience.

Now…Let’s Talk Money.

Yes, money can always be an issue/obstacle, do not let this stop you at any stage of your life Chapters. Remember, when there is a will, there is a way!

Interview Coaching usually requires payment beforehand. One mock Interview session, which typically lasts approximately 60 minutes, can cost anywhere between £50 to £300. My Next Job, offer discounts from time to time, especially when purchasing multiple services (I.e., interview preparation, CV creation, Cover letters advice, LinkedIn profile built, etc.) apart from Flash Sales! This might save you anywhere from 10% to 30% per session!

Then, follows your matching with one of our Interview Coaches (kindly advise the Tab “The Team”) – choose the person that fits your criteria. If not available then we are here to appoint a Coach to you, do not worry we are a famous mix-and-match agency (oops, that is a quote for another sorts of agency)! 

The profiling starts! Our experts and yourself, schedule a time slot that works for both and the journey to success begins! Please note that we promote interaction, Interview Coaching is typically done through phone or video conference. Soon in-person…stay tuned!

When you join the call, your Interview Coach will typically start the mock interview right away! Yes, you dive in the 50m pool instantly! After finishing the mock interview, the Coach will provide you with thorough feedback and specific tips on what you could have done better pointing out your strengths and weaknesses. They may suggest strategies or techniques that you should use, based on your personality. We do not wish you to appear as someone else during your interview!

Yes, you will get the feedback in writing as well, too much info gets easily lost when not well-organised! In addition, we can record the session (requires a statement from both sides included with regards to consent; GDPR), which will allow you to hear yourself at any time of your own convenience. Listening to the recording several times and being able to go back and forth helps someone focus on the improvement areas!

I bet that now there come the shortcomings of Interview Coaching…

1. One might say “Interview Coaching is Very Expensive”

Yes, at a price range of £50 to £300 per session, it sounds indeed expensive. For the price of one session, which only lasts approximately 60 minutes, you could purchase every single interview prep book in the market! You could also purchase an interview course instead including content and practice tests.

Especially if you are a beginner, you may find it more convenient and fitted to your criteria and current needs. Money spent on these resources can potentially teach you more than a single coaching session. Therefore, you should only seek our services when you wish to address and focus on the details that only a distinguished expert can provide for you. My Next Job team suggests the below Top 8 interview preparation books for beginners (by the WallStreet Mojo):

1. Cracking the Coding Interview: 150 Programming Interview Questions and Solutions Basic Interviewing Skills ( Get this book )

2. Basic Interviewing Skills ( Get this book )

3. How to Win Friends and Influence People ( Get this book )

4. Success in Interview ( Get this book )

5. The Art of the Interview: The Perfect Answers to Every Interview Question ( Get this book )

6. 60 Seconds and You’re Hired! ( Get this book )

7. Interviewing ( Get this book )

8. Interview Like a Boss ( Get this book )

2. Another might say “There are Ways to Get Free Coaching”

If you attend a top Ph.D. or a Masters or Undergraduate school, there are many ways to get free coaching via your department, and also by reaching out to classmates/mentors that previously worked at top-tier consulting firms. Most of the time, they will be more than happy to help give you a mock interview. Most Ph.D. and members of Academic staff in general, are offering services as such and some of them organise Seminars focusing on the process of an interview providing general tips and life experiences. Members of Academic Staff may also offer mock interview sessions with students that for example have successfully secured a consulting job offer the previous year.

If you are a working professional, get leverage from your network! Use LinkedIn to find connections that previously or currently work at a consulting firm. If no one in your network is in consulting, you can find school alumni that work in consulting and cold email them! That peculiarly seems to work at times! If you are willing to put in the work, there are many ways to get case coaching for free 😊.

3. Another other might say “The Quality of Coaching Varies Significantly”

If you are going to hire an Interview Coach, it is important to find or choose the right one. While many Interview Coaches are great to work with, there are also many that aren’t. Some of them sign up to do coaching because they see it as an easy way to make money. Because of this, they are not very invested in your development and success! Aka, they do not take it personally. As mentioned above, if possible, make sure to read all the reviews of the Interview Coach, and perhaps their CV and accomplishments, before purchasing any coaching sessions.

4. Another other of another might say “Conflicting Advice from Different Coaches”

Some Interview Candidates may work with multiple Interview Coaches. Yes, that happens as well! While it is helpful to get perspectives and insights from different people, sometimes coaches will offer conflicting advice or feedback. The “Too much info” as mentioned above, may actually hurt your interview performance.

To sum up… 

• Yes, expensive, but Interview Coaching services offer high quality feedback that can significantly improve your interview performance in general (for all interviews to come!). 
• No, you do not absolutely need to hire an Interview Expert to receive a job offer, but if so, you are essentially purchasing convenience and learning efficiency. Remember, “textbook” tips and knowledge can be found even at Google (once again, I am so sorry Bing) or advised by a friend. Doing one mock interview with an interview expert may give you more helpful feedback and suggestions than doing ten mocks with a friend. Again, time is money 😉. 
• Remember hiring your personal Interview Coach, could save you time, thus money! Being aware of the financial difficulties that every one might experience, especially us Millennials and Generation Z (expecting an Apocalypse any time soon 😛). 
• SOS, make sure that you find the right one!
• Keep your eyes and ears open, which in the modern world we are living at means, follow our Social Media platforms and get the most out of it 😊.