Ten Critical Aspects Of Interview Preparation You Can't Practice By Yourself

Preparing for an interview can be an arduous, painstaking process. It should be thorough, if done properly. Unfortunately, there are many major areas you cannot practice effectively by yourself. You definitely need some personal feedback and guidance from someone who knows what to do. Interview skills coaching has become a highly specialized area, and it can be your secret weapon when you are in the job hunt.

I have been doing interview skills coaching for many years, for people across every conceivable industry, including high tech, finance, engineering, sales, marketing, operations, administrative, medical legal, governmental, police and education. I really enjoy helping people prepare for interviews and seeing them succeed. It also makes me sad to see many people ignore and leave to chance many critical interview variables that could be easily fixed, if they only had an interview skills coach. This article describes ten areas where you can't go it alone as you prepare to interview.



Interview Skills Coaching Tips

1. Your Hand Shake: You get only one time to make a good first impression. Your handshake starts the ball rolling in that department. You must have feedback about the quality of your handshake.
   
   
2. Your Wardrobe: What your outfit says about you speaks louder than words. Do you look like the level of position for which you are interviewing? Are you dressing too casually or too formally? Your interview skills coach is trained to help you dress appropriately.
   
   
3. Your Vocal Tone And Volume: Is your voice too high? Too squeaky? Too constricted? Too soft? Interview skills coaching will instantly provide quality feedback on this, to help you make adjustments so your voice is pleasing and confident sounding.
   
   
4. Your Accent: Perhaps if you have an accent, whether regional or international, it is harming your ability to be fully understood. Interview skills coaching should be able to help you tweak that so it does not get in the way.
   
   
5. Your Pronunciation: If you mispronounce words (or even use the wrong words) this will count against you. Your interview skills coach listens intently for these mistakes and helps you correct them on the spot.
   
   
6. Your Talking Speed: Depending on where you grew up, or your personality, or your profession, your talking speed could be too fast or too slow for the interview. If you mismatch this with either the interviewer or the job you are seeking, this can be a deal-killer. Your interview skills coaching will include drills and exercises in modulating your talking speed so you come across as confident and in control.
   
   
7. Your Posture: Slump and you're done. Sit back too comfortably and you are seen as low energy or disrespectful. Not only will poor posture harm your professional image, but slumping constricts your airway and therefore negatively affects your vocal volume, tone and overall body energy. Interview skills coaching will assist you with this critical aspect of your non-verbal communication.
   
   
8. Your Hands: Do you tend to fidget, or not know where to place your hands? Do you make hand movements that don't synch up with what you are actually saying? Any of these will mark you as nervous or as lacking confidence in yourself. Your interview skills coach will give you continual feedback and coaching on how to make best use of your hands so you come across as natural and confident.
   
   
9. Your Facial Expressions: You really need to know what your face is transmitting as you speak and as you listen. Interview skills coaching will include "holding up a mirror", so to speak, to give you the important details that your facial expressions tell the interviewer.
   
   
10. Your Eye Contact: Good eye contact is one of the most important and most elusive aspects of giving a good interview. It is almost an art, but it can be learned. Interview skills coaching will help you learn when to look, when to look away, where to look and how to look at the interviewer.

So now you see with the utmost clarity that while you can prepare well for some aspects of an interview by yourself, there are several critical aspects of the interview that you can't leave to chance by preparing alone. For these ten items interview skills coaching is indispensable.

You need specific coaching feedback, and targeted techniques for adjusting these variables so you come across in the strongest way possible in your interviews. You don't want to take chances on interview factors that really can be in your control with some diligent practice. Good luck, and we hope interview skills coaching will help you ace that interview!