Testimonials for Interview Coaching

"Bill is very natural and genuine. Not only does he have extensive knowledge and experience in the field of interview coaching, but he cares about each of his clients. He gave me 110% of his time and focus during our sessions and he always followed up with me after sessions about things we had talked about or with questions I had. He was excited about my success as much as I was so it was more than just a basic preparation for an interview -- this was a goal that we worked together to achieve.

Bill is great with constructive critiquing. He was great at boosting my confidence and pointing out areas I could improve in without making me self-conscious. Just like any coach gets their athletes prepared and excited for a game, Bill got me excited for my interview which I think improved my performance overall. He also made himself available for my needs and prepared a plan for me so I had plenty of good practice.

Bill taught me how to adjust my answers and body language based on visual cues from my interviewer. This was helpful to remind me not to fidget, stay relaxed, and sum up my answers. I also learned how to pace myself and deliver complete, yet not too long, answers.

The books and handouts that Bill gave me were extremely helpful. They were relevant to what I was working on and helped me to prepare for future sessions with Bill as well as prepare for my interview on my own time."
Ellen Scott
Saratoga, CA

"I just wanted to express my heartfelt appreciation to you for the work you did with me in preparing for my medical school interviews. Your advice was right on target and proved invaluable as I went through the various interviews. One of the most useful aspects of our coaching sessions was how you helped me identify how my particular non-traditional background could be used to craft a unique story applicable to medicine.

I am happy to share that I received four acceptances out of four medical school interviews! I have decided to attend Touro University in Vallejo, California.

Our coaching sessions were essential to my success during these interviews, so I will definitely look you up again when it is time to apply for residency.

Thank you again for your great work with me Bill. I'll keep in touch!"
Elaine Lee
Aptos, CA

"Bill Cole has not only helped me, but also has supported family members and friends for mental game coaching over the years. He has been an invaluable resource for the mind in academic, personal, and professional settings. The results speak for themselves: test scores have risen to ultimately obtain scholarship funding, interview skills have progressed for new opportunities, and aspirational jobs have been secured by loved ones.

I first approached Bill several years ago in response to my struggles on the GMAT assessment for entry into business school to study an MBA. Together we reviewed the diagnosis of my issues to jointly identify the core problems and develop associated solutions. Bill took the time to actively listen, carefully understand, and provide tailored feedback based on the breadth and depth of his extensive experience across domains as varied as sports, sales, interviews, public speaking, and test-taking. As a matter of fact, he has written the books and authored the assignments used during and between meetings to teach and reinforce lessons. I appreciated that he was genuinely invested in my success and easily adapted to diverse needs.

Bill taught me the test-taking strategies and tactics to remain calm, centered, concentrated, and resilient in high-pressure situations to perform to the best of my abilities on the exam. We covered breathing techniques for stress management and energy control with visualization exercises and routines to build the necessary confidence for consistency in my performance. His advice was practical and actionable, such as the need to expose myself to the same tensions in practice tests in order to reproduce the conditions of the actual exam. Eventually I learned how to regulate negative self-talk and overcome perfectionism for more effective execution.

Following our sessions, I managed to significantly increase my GMAT score by +80 points from a 61st to an 83rd percentile! The improved marks would allow me to turn around previous application rejections, and eventually secure scholarship funding for an MBA at the University of Oxford.

More recently, we have worked on interview preparation and delivery through storytelling, self-awareness, and frequently asked questions. I’m now able to better articulate my narrative and value proposition in consulting engagements and employer conversations. Altogether the coaching and training have positively spilled over into other areas of life, from team management to presentations and interpersonal relations. I’m grateful for Bill Cole’s services and would recommend them to anyone encountering mindset challenges in the pursuit of their ambitions "
Matthew Morgan, MBA
Management Consultant
USA

"I am in disbelief by how well my dental school interview went today. For both interviews I used the closing method you taught me and their jaws literally dropped. In fact, in my student interview the interviewer said 'I don't see any reason why they shouldn't accept you!' For the faculty interview, we bonded on soccer and it turned out when he asked my favorite team that we had the same one, an obscure German league team that only diehard fans would know in America. The atmosphere became very relaxed after that and much of what we talked about was European League Soccer and past World Cups, and a very personal life story about how he decided to become a dentist in Lebanon. I don't think the interviews could have gone any better and I owe it all to the preparation with you Bill. Thank you very much!"
Robert Lee
Los Angeles, CA

"Bill is highly skilled in his profession and is very quick and thorough with assessing weaknesses and providing solid solutions. Within only a few sessions, he was able to provide me incredible feedback which ultimately helped me shift my interview strategy and tactics and helped me land a dream role with a very reputable firm. Bill is an essential resource...I highly recommend him for anyone seeking mentorship, interview and career coaching."
Amir Zekrya
Virginia

"Mr. Cole is very knowledgeable in the area of interview coaching for PhD programs in psychology. He knows what he is doing and his plans are so individualized which was my favorite part of working with him. He will also let you lead/pick/choose which aspects of interview coaching you would like to improve and work on with you. He comes prepared for each session and I felt so confident walking out of the session each time. He definitely has a wealth of knowledge in this area and it shows through his coaching sessions and books and publications. Mr. Bill is also very fast at responding to emails, so if you have questions, be prepared to get immediate feedback and work on it. I accepted an offer from the University of Toledo-It was my top choice!!! :)"
Vasavi Ganesan Shanthi

Bill provided interview coaching to me for medical school. Bill is dedicated to his client, and he tailors his services specifically to the needs of the client. He meets you where you are, and accelerates you to your potential. Bill was detailed and thorough in his coaching, and he tackled the places where he knew I would find difficulty and built my confidence. Bill helped me with the wording of my answers, how to highlight my achievements, how to present a closing statement, and he practiced with me to hone my responses to questions. He was very flexible to my needs and provided excellent service. Bill's book, The Interview Success Guide, is a thorough and realistic guide to help you tackle the REAL thing!
Claudia Briones
San Francisco, CA

"In two months, I will be graduating with a mechanical engineering degree while on a full-ride scholarship, so what could an interview coach provide that I don’t already have? It turns out a lot. Bill helped me to see that there is much more to an interview than discussing technical skills. I learned about soft skills and how to showcase them. In my first interview following our session, I built rapport with the director of engineering by identifying scuba diving as a mutual interest. I was asked to do a second interview! Thanks, Bill, for showing me it’s not all about math! Looking forward to our next session."
Ethan
Golden, Colorado

"Bill's coaching for dental school interviews improved my confidence. What built my confidence was practicing the common questions out loud with Bill, realizing my strengths, knowing what to expect, and learning how to make a good opening and closing. The concluding statement he crafted for me was very helpful.

Bill is energetic, fun, experienced, and patient. Bill incorporates humor into his coaching, which enhances learning and makes it a fun experience. He has some great tips. I walked into my interviews less nervous and more confident.

I signed up for his coaching a bit last minute. I would've liked to have had more sessions with Bill. More time to discuss and practice interview rapport, making small talk, and working on the opening/closing."
Anne Chu
Albany, NY

"I would like to thank you for your wonderful training for my interviews at the University of Colorado School of Dental Medicine. I am happy to share my wonderful and very helpful experience of interview training under your talented leadership.

I greatly appreciate your invaluable, beautifully structured help. I gained confidence. My fear of being asked all sorts of difficult questions is gone. That was a great challenge for me to overcome, which I achieved with your generosity of sharing your knowledge with me, and in teaching me how to deal with the interview.

I am so grateful for your clear judgment and helpful advice. I feel better about interviewing, more confident and more organized with my thoughts. Thank you very much!"
Marina Collins
San Francisco, CA

"Bill, thank you for our interview coaching session. The pleasure was all mine. I thank you for everything and I literally can say that I was prepared for all the tricky questions. Having spent an hour with you was great."
Anthony Bernardo
Silicon Valley, CA

"I am very happy to say that I was admitted to the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine after my coaching sessions with Bill.

One of the most important tactics I learned from Bill was about building rapport with the interviewer. In interviews for which I had to act out a situation with an actor, I had a tendency to jump straight into the issue at hand. Bill talked to me about the benefits of easing into a conversation by first asking about someone's day, for instance. Although it was not directly related to the scenario, it allowed me to create a calm atmosphere and consequently have thoughtful conversations.

The second tactic that I learned from Bill and that successfully helped me in the following interviews was having a concluding statement. I learned to dedicate time at the end of my interview to sharing with the interviewers why I wanted to attend the school in discussion. By being specific in my interest and allowing the interviewers to picture me at their school, I was able to successfully convince them that I would be a great addition to their incoming class.

Bill was thoughtful. To elaborate, I would go into his coaching classes and he would ask me what I wanted to accomplish that day. The coaching session was precisely catered towards my needs and Bill was ready for all types of situations. In one particular session, I wanted to work on my Multi Mini Interview (MMI) skills and Bill already had various scenarios printed for us to practice. I was constantly amazed by his expertise in speaking and responding to challenging situations.

Bill was also precise. Whenever I discussed concerns regarding my performance with him, he had specific steps to take to overcome any issues. For example, I didn't know how to answer a frequently asked question during medical school interviews. He then went to the whiteboard and broke down my response into three steps. Having these simple "roadmaps" allowed me to thoroughly understand how to approach the question.

Bill is observant. Even if I didn't bring up certain problems during our sessions, Bill would frequently ask follow-up questions or point out body language items to fix. Overall, his coaching style was effective as he addressed my perceived areas for improvement as well as the ones that he noticed during our sessions. I would highly recommend him for anyone seeking to improve in speaking or interviewing."
M.S.
Santa Clara, CA

"One of the things I found most helpful from Bill was his helping me to identify which work stories I was going to use to answer a range of questions that asked me to describe my successes in behavioral type questions. Bill also helped me develop a strong solid message to say at the very end of the interview instead of asking the usual 'what's the next step' type of questions. He is direct, articulate, and phrases his comments in a way that encourages you to try harder. There is an art to giving feedback without people getting defensive and Bill has this down pat!"
David L. Brownstein
Program Manager
Eldorado County Child Protective Services
Placerville, CA

"Coach Bill has the winning blueprint to help you feel more confident, polished and prepared in any speaking or performing situation. His energetic and witty approach makes learning fun. It's obvious he loves what he does and he's the best at it."
Nancy Pristine, author of the books The Zen Of Tennis and The Victory Dance: Placing Yourself in the Winner's Circle

"Bill, thank you for your excellent writing, coaching and guidance with my speeches and presentations. Your help was invaluable in my political campaign."
Steve Poizner
Candidate for California Assembly District 21

"Bill Cole was helpful from the first minute we started media training coaching. He was insightful, supportive and clearly possessed a level of expertise and understanding that allowed us to be very productive. The net effect was that while on camera, I was rock solid confident that I knew how to come across, due to my training with Bill. I recommend him highly."
Ed Strachar
Author/Speaker
www.geniuszone.com

"Bill Cole is not only an outstanding coach, he will give you the best advice, preparation and coaching you need to be at your best during all your interviews. What impressed me the most in him is that he does exactly what he teaches. He will observe you, and create a rapport with you, remembering everything you told him, and deciphering who you really are to create a plan that best prepares you for your tough interviews, and puts you in the best frame of mind to win the mind game that occurs during an interview. The advice, coaching and recommendations he teaches you are not mere words to him, but values that he follows and lives by. It was a real privilege to be coached by Mr. Cole and I know that you too will be impressed by his rare listening and motivational skills. And by the way, I got a great job after working with him."
Catherine Stevenson

"I took a series of classes on interview coaching with Bill, in preparation for my interview with the FBI, for Special Agent.

Bill was essential in helping me get though my interview. He helped me focus on my preparation, which in turn made me more confident, and this kept my anxiety and stress levels down. Bill was able to help me view the interview as an opportunity to show off my hard work as opposed to a stressful testing event. He was great at teaching me some tools to keep myself calm and relaxed throughout the interview. Bill also had some great insight with my interview stories and experiences that I prepped for the interview. He was able to give me some great tips to make my stories sound great, entertaining and still get my point across.

Bill is helpful, thoughtful, a great resource, great confidence builder and really makes you feel confident and prepared. I am really glad that I used Bill. I know that I was able to really perform with much more confidence and calmness, and that really helped my interview. He will help you with whatever you think you need assistance with."
I. R., FBI employee,
Los Angeles, California

"Thank you so much for your expert help in training me for my interview with the Federal Bureau of Investigation for the position of Special Agent.

Your insights, techniques and special mock interview methods were exactly on target for the actual interview. Almost as if you had read the minds of the FBI interviewers, everything you and I covered in the interview coaching was in the real interview. The world of law enforcement interviewing is far different from the corporate interviewing I have done in the past. The interviews are more structured, faster-paced and more behavioral in nature. With your interview coaching, I felt 100% prepared and confident going into that high-pressure situation. The peak performance techniques you gave me worked wonderfully. I knew how to prepare my mind, body and emotions right before I went into the room and knew how to stayed centered and focused in delivering a relaxed, and in-the-moment performance. I appreciate your specialized insights of how law enforcement interviews work. I never would have known many of the little details and tricks of how to answer their questions. I went in with no fear of what they might ask since we had covered everything possible in our training.

The videotape you used in our sessions was invaluable. I learned that what you don't know about your body language can ruin an interview. Thank you for catching the smaller details of my posture, fidgeting and hand movements. As a result I was much smoother and professional-looking.

I could not have prepared so well for the FBI interview without your expert assistance. Thank you again for all you have done for me and my career."
W. C. Lao
Santa Clara, CA

"Bill Cole was helpful from the first minute we started media training coaching. He was insightful, supportive and clearly possessed a level of expertise and understanding that allowed us to be very productive. The net effect was that while on camera, I was rock solid confident that I knew how to come across, due to my training with Bill. I recommend him highly."
Ed Strachar
Author/Speaker
www.geniuszone.com

"Bill, I wanted to tell you how much you helped me prepare for the series of interviews I recently completed in seeking the position of Superintendent. Your assistance was invaluable in helping me achieve success in this job-seeking campaign.

Our sessions prior to each interview gave me a lot of confidence and helped me prepare in ways I couldn't have by myself. Thanks for coming over to my office that time on such short notice, and on a weekend! That's going the extra mile for your clients. I really appreciate it.

I used many of the things we had talked about. The 'interview mini-speeches' content we crafted and the facial expressions you helped me be aware of, including "smiles" was very, very helpful. Our videotape sessions were eye-opening! You helped me know what to expect once in the interview, and how to turn the stress into peak performance. I felt very calm once I got through the very first question. You are a great coach! So, thanks to you for all of your support and helpful feedback. Once the dust settles, I know I would like to call upon you again--there will be many speaking opportunities and I would like to continue to work on my skills in this area.

I will certainly recommend you to other people who could use your expert coaching. Many thanks again for all your help and your great coaching."
Suzanne Boxer-Gassman, Ed. D.
Superintendent
Los Gatos Union School District

"As a Stanford performance expert and credentialed sports psychologist who worked with top athletes at the Olympic Training Center in Greece, I was looking for the best media coach possible to help me prepare for my international interviews on major TV networks -- BBC, ABC, Fox News, and Associated Press Radio.

Choosing to work with Bill Cole, The Mental Game Coach, is without a doubt, one of the best decisions I've ever made. His brilliant media coaching, including scripting, clever sound bytes, media strategies, and performance methods helped me to feel prepared for anything that might happen during my national TV interviews. The mock interviews we did helped me to think through and craft my material to the reporter's needs. With Bill's expertise, I learned how to play the media game and feel comfortable in high pressure media situations.

As a result of our intensive coaching, the TV interviews went extremely well. I felt relaxed and ready, I was confident with my material and delivery. The reporters loved the sound bytes that we created, and I got national and international exposure that I never thought possible. Bill Cole knows the media well and he is fun and a joy to work with. I always enjoy our sessions. He comes up with some amazingly clever phrases that keep the media coming back again and again.

Bill is an expert at creating and building good relationships with his clients and with the media. While in Greece at the Olympic Games, I was interviewed by the Associated Press Radio. This interview was syndicated and broadcast to over 5,000 stations worldwide. I've done repeat interviews with the BBC-TV and ABC, as well as the New York Times, Time Magazine, and the Los Angeles Times and USA Today.

I highly recommend Bill Cole's media coaching services to anyone who wants more positive exposure to skyrocket their career. If you really want to see IMMEDIATE and SIGNIFICANT results, Bill Cole, the Mental Game Coach is the best resource in the business. His coaching was well worth the investment."
JoAnn Dahlkoetter, Ph.D
Keynote Speaker
Best-selling book author, YOUR PERFORMING EDGE
Winner, San Francisco Marathon
Stanford Performance Expert
www.YourPerformingEdge.com

"Hi Bill, I just wanted to drop you a line to let you know that I really appreciated all the time you spent with me, especially on such a short notice. I thank you for all the coaching you provided. Also, wanted to let you know that it was time well spent. I PASSED THE EXAM : ) Yeah!!! ... I have been notified of the results, and needless to say, I was THRILLED! Thanks again Bill!"
Business Executive
Silicon Valley, California