When you are preparing for a job interview, the process can be painstakingly arduous. If it’s done properly, it should be thorough and unfortunately there really isn’t a way you can effectively practice by yourself – feedback and guidance from someone who knows what to do is very important. This is why hiring an interview skills coach has become such a highly specialized area over the past few years. When you’re on the job hunt, it can be your secret weapon!

I’ve been doing interview skills coaching for many years now for people from every conceivable industry – finance – engineering – sales – operations – admin – high tech – governmental – education and so on because I really enjoy what I do. I love helping people prepare for interviews and seeing them succeed. When people are ignored and left to chance in a job interview, it makes me sad because with just a few tweaks, it can all be fixed. In this article I am going to describe ten areas where you simply can’t go it alone when preparing for a job interview:

The Hand Shake: This is the first chance you get to make that first impression. It kinda starts the ball rolling in the whole interview process. You must have feedback on the quality of your handshake.

Wrong Wardrobe: This speaks louder than words. If you do not look like the level of the position you’re interviewing for, well, you probably won’t get the job. Getting feedback on how you’re dressed is a big factor. I’m not talking Armani suits or Gucci handbags here but you need to understand that dressing too casually or too formally can be detrimental.

Vocal Tone and Loud or Soft Talker: Is your voice to soft – too squeaky – too constricted – too high? This is where we can instantly provide feedback to help you adjust your voice to a pleasing and confident sound.

Strong Accent: Do you have an accent – whether regional or international – that might harm your ability to be fully understood? We can help tweak that during our interview skills coaching so it doesn’t get in the way.

Pronouncing Words: If you mispronounce words – or use wrong words – this counts against you in a job interview. We listen closely for these mistakes and help you correct them on the spot.

The Fast or Slow Talker: There are a lot of variables here when it comes to speaking too fast or too slow and they depend on where you grew up, your personality, and/or profession. This can be a deal-killer if you are mismatched with an interviewer or the job you are seeking. Our interview skills coaching include drills and exercises in modulation the speed in which you talk so you come across as confident and in control of the interview.

The Slumper: If you slump, you’re done. You are seen as low energy or having little respect if you sit back too comfortably. Slumping constricts your airways, negatively affects your vocal tone, volume and overall body energy and it harms your professional image. We can assist you with this very critical non-verbal communication skill.

Fidgety Hands: Do you know where to place your hands in an interview or do you tend to fidget? Do your hand movements sync up with what you’re saying? If not, any of these will mark you as nervous or lacking confidence. We will provide continual feedback and coaching on how to place and move your hands where they come across as natural and confident.

Weird Expressions: What is your face transmitting as you speak and listen? We “hold you up to a mirror,” so to speak by providing important details that your facial expressions are telling the interviewer.

Crazy Eye Contact: Great eye contact is probably one of the most important and yet most elusive aspects of giving a good interview. It really is an art almost that most do not possess. We will help you learn when to look at them directly, when to look away, and where to look.

Hopefully this helps to clarify the importance of preparing well for some aspects of an interview on your own. There are critical points that you cannot leave to chance by preparing alone. These ten interview skills are essential and this is where coaching is indispensable.

For adjusting these variables, you need specific coaching feedback so that you come across in the most professional way possible during an interview. Don’t take chances on these interview factors when all it takes is a little practice with a coach. Contact us today to get started.

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