Is it really necessary to hire an interview coach? Will an interview coach add value to my recruitment process? These are some of the thoughts going through the minds of most people who are considering getting some support in their search for their dream job. The answer to the first question is absolutely not. It is not necessary to hire an interview coach in order to achieve success at interview. However, when answering the question of whether an interview coach will add value to how you interview, the response is a robust yes. The value that a great interview coach can add is immense and it will dramatically elevate your chances of landing your dream job. Why? The answer is very simple. It is the very same reason that a maternity nurse knows exactly how to get a 3 month old baby to sleep when even an experienced mother might struggle. Their whole career has been dedicated to getting thousands of babies to sleep. A solid Interview Coach should be someone with vast experience either as a Recruitment/HR Director (ideally for at least 5 different businesses) or an Executive Headhunter. Both these individuals have dedicated every week of their professional lives to interview candidates and to continuously receive feedback from stakeholders about why candidates have succeeded or failed at interview. An Interview Coach with the right background has a clear road map to success and a solid vision of internal dynamics within different corporations.
You might be a highly successful leader within your organisation and yet this does not necessarily mean that you will be great at conveying how incredibly valuable you would be to a potential employer. I am talking from experience having coached numerous VPs, CEOs and CFOs who were fantastic leaders with strong achievements, yet benefitted enormously from my guidance navigating unknown waters in different organisations they had not been exposed to. The value that interview coaching adds to individuals who are at an earlier stage of the careers is also immeasurable. A great Interview Coach will identify your strengths and guide you on how to communicate them in the most impactful way at interview. They will also spot your problem or development areas and ensure you avoid the interview pitfalls.
Industry experience is another invaluable asset. If your Interview Coach has extensive experience in a specific industry, they are likely to know the business or businesses that you are interviewing with, their corporate culture, dress code, personality and leadership traits they look for in their prospective employees, as well as internal dynamics which might require a specific communication or leadership skillset in managing stakeholders. This knowledge is without a doubt gold dust for a candidate who, instead of going blind to their interview, goes in knowing exactly what they need to demonstrate and where to focus on. Your Coach might not have worked for that specific business, but they might still be an expert in your industry, which means they will still understand certain common denominators that organisations in that sector are looking for.
Lastly, even for the most seasoned leader, it is often very hard to see ourselves in the same way that others see us. A great Interview Coach will observe your communication style, how you engage and portray yourself, leading you to focus on the elements that make you stand out while elevating your self-awareness and giving you the tools and confidence that you need to fully maximise your chances of landing that dream job.
You can also read this article and more on our Linkedin page (12) Is it Beneficial to Hire an Interview Coach? | LinkedIn
Comments