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Graduate Interview Coaching

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What does graduate interview coaching involve?

Why do graduates benefit from interview coaching?
  1. As the assessment process for students and graduates is so competitive today it is essential that students receive some interview coaching to maximise every interview opportunity they have. Being rejected at many interview lowers confidence and causes interview anxiety.
  2. Often there is only a short window of opportunity to apply to leading internship and graduate schemes such as the Civil Service Fast Stream or legal Training Contracts so graduates need to be fully prepared in advance of the deadlines.
  3. As well as being very competitive the application process is very long and includes a series of online tests, video interview and an assessment day. If the applicant gets rejected they may need to wait for another year before they can reapply or look elsewhere for an internship or job. Ideally, a student should aim to get through to at least 3 assessment days to maximise their chances of success.
  4. Interviews are no longer just competency based but include competency and strength based questions. Many organisations such as Magic Circle law firms put a greater emphasis on strength based questions so knowing how to handle both types of questions is important.
Recent review

I am emailing you to let you know that I have received a job offer from Arup for the Graduate City Economics position! I am so happy that things have worked out so well – I can’t believe it! Thank you so much for all your help!! I honestly don’t think I could’ve done it without you. This job means so much to me as it was my first choice since the beginning and, in fact, the more I got to know the company and learnt about the role, the more I liked it.

Read hundreds of reviews added by clients.

Graduate & student interview coaching

Interview coaching works and at Interview Skills Clinic. We see great results with leading organisations such as KPMG, Deloitte, CapGemini, Earnst & Young, John Lewis, Goldman Sachs, Atkins to name but a few.

One to one coaching is tailored to each client; the role you applying for, the organisation and application stage.  It often involves two stages:

  • Interview Preparation Coaching. A student would not expect to get a high mark in their university essay or assignment without understanding how they are being marked but most students attend interviews without understanding what organisations are looking for. Preparation coaching is tailored specifically to the internship, placement or graduate role students are applying for. Learn to prepare for competency interviews and strength based interviews.
  • Mock Interview Coaching. Most students practise for an interview by looking for typical questions and writing out their answers. This is the wrong approach and at best results in a wooden response and at worst leads to brain freeze. Students and graduates need to learn how to adapt their answers to a variety of different questions aloud, project confidence and good communication skills.
Interview coaching is tailored to the application stage

Interview coaching is tailored to each stage of the application process:

  • CV and application
  • Video interviews are increasingly being used at the first interview stage rather than telephone interviews. It is a particularly challenging interview as the interviewee needs to answer text or video recorded questions. Many applicants get rejected at this early stage.
    Read this article to prepare for some typical video interview questions.
  • Telephone interviews
  • One-to-one assessment day interviews, competency interviews and strength interviews
  • Assessment day presentations
Interviews for first year & second year students

It’s the early bird that catches the worm! Ideally first year students need to spend time securing a place on an Easter Week or Spring Week Internship. This is a ‘stepping-stone’ to getting a summer internship. A summer internship is very important as many organisations such as Goldman Sachs offer a proportion of their interns a permanent job at the end of the internship. A lucky student might start their third year at University knowing that they have a job when they finish! Either way an internship or placement is going to give a student excellent experience which will help them prepare for competency and strength interviews in their final year.

Where is coaching available?

Coaching is available Monday – Saturday in:

You can decide whether you want face-to-face coaching, available in London or Bournemouth or Skype coaching.

Coaching fees

A one to one coaching course can be designed for you or you can choose coaching in 1 hour sessions as your application progresses.  Click here for details on coaching fees. A discount is available for students.

Free consultation

The best approach is to schedule a free consultation so that we can discuss your objectives. Click the Free Consultation button below or click Contact.

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Daniel on January 02, 2019 at 12:10 pm

I arranged an appointment with Elizabeth after a string of not-quite-successful interviews in the highly competitive university sector. The session was really helpful and gave me fresh perspective, improving my confidence and strategy. Based on Elizabeth's advice, I began approaching my interview prep differently and, following some practice and hard work based on what I learnt, have now managed to secure a job that I'm extremely pleased with. I'd recommend Elizabeth for anyone experiencing a similar situation.

Heather on December 28, 2018 at 10:14 am

Before my coaching sessions with Elizabeth, I had written off the civil service as a potential employer, despite having a background in policy development, as my applications failed to get me an interview on every single occasion. Elizabeth firstly supported me to write competency examples in a clearer and more succinct way through a Skype session and regular e-mail follow up. Once I had mastered this, I got through the sift on the next attempt. We then moved forward with 2 interview coaching sessions to help build my confidence in presenting my examples and tailoring them to different questions. I did well enough in the interview to be placed on the reserve list. I really enjoyed working with Elizabeth and would highly recommend her to others in a similar situation. I will continue to apply for civil service and public sector roles in the New Year with renewed confidence and enthusiasm.

Chris on December 16, 2018 at 22:08 pm

In just one session with Elizabeth, I was able to see immediate results. She brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise that I believe was crucial in helping to develop key messages and responses during interviews that are delivered with both honesty and impact. I fully recommend Elizabeth for anyone seeking such skills.

Nathalie on December 09, 2018 at 08:54 am

When the opportunity of a career move came along I had been working for the same company for many years so had next to no experience of current interview techniques. Elizabeth was very patient, she helped me understand the interview process and offered me great insights into what the interviewer would be looking for, in both strengths and competency based questions. In our first Skype session she helped me articulate my answers and understand how to best prepare for the interview. During our second Skype session a few days before my interview she offered me very constructive feedback on how I could improve even further and really helped me approach the interview with confidence. Thanks to Elizabeth’s invaluable expertise and knowledge I was called back for a second interview and was offered the role! I really cannot thank Elizabeth enough for all her help and I highly recommend her coaching to anyone who needs support with interview techniques.

Mark on December 06, 2018 at 20:25 pm

Before I had a session with Elizabeth, I was unsure as to how I should approach a forthcoming assessment centre for a place on the graduate scheme of a Big Four accounting firm. I had a tendency to lose track of what I wanted to say, and I wasn't sure which experiences best demonstrated the key values of the firm. However, with her insightful suggestions and deep understanding of both 1-on-1 interview and group exercise techniques, I felt assured and confident in my approach to preparation. As a result of her coaching, I had a clear strategy going into the AC, and was offered a position on my first attempt. I would wholeheartedly recommend Elizabeth to anyone seeking to hone their interview technique, build real confidence and bring out their full potential in the interview process.

Millie on November 27, 2018 at 13:12 pm

Matthew was very useful in helping me prepare for a children's therapist job. After a few failed interviews, due to a lack of confidence and limited experience of interviewing, Matthew helped me build a structure around how I answer questions and also build self confidence about the experience I had and ability to talk about it. I felt much more capable to answer questions in my interview the following week and managed to land the job!

Emily on November 18, 2018 at 12:01 pm

I highly recommend Matthew's interview skills coaching. Matthew was brilliant, I was able to really refine my responses for the Civil Service Faststream interview and build confidence. I was much better prepared for the day and I wouldn't have passed without his help!

Sam on November 13, 2018 at 16:42 pm

I would highly recommend investing in Elizabeth's services if you are applying in a competitive application process such as the civil service. Having had one previous interview which I did not pass, I decided that it would be a worthy investment to better understand a competency based interview. Following an interview coaching session, on the next interview I managed to make improvements, enough to get me on to a reserve list at least. In time with the help of Elizabeth I managed to get on to a few more reserve lists until finally passing an interview with an offer. Her guidance is extremely helpful especially if you are coming from outside the civil service as she is able to provide direction and clarity on where to focus. This was important to me in order to remain positive and persistent in the applications. Thanks Elizabeth for your help!

Gill on November 09, 2018 at 14:34 pm

Elizabeth’s insightful questioning and industry awareness has ensured my success in securing two positions that were important to me. Elizabeth’s ability to clearly decipher what organisations are looking for from the job description/ specification is helpful and the coaching/ questioning style used is thorough yet supportive. For me this approach works in building confidence and clarity and was a significant factor in my success.. Thank you Elizabeth.

Jackie on October 27, 2018 at 21:12 pm

I highly recommend Elizabeth's interview skills coaching and I plan to use her again in the future. Elizabeth was pleasant and generous with her practical advice and feedback throughout my 90 minute skype coaching session. I decided to make the investment after failing numerous Civil Service Grade 7 interviews. Elizabeth understood and shared what the interviewers are looking for at that level. Thanks to Elizabeth's coaching, I passed my interview and landed a G7 job within 2 months.