By Mary O’Brien-Killeen, Career Coach, Sli Nua Careers (Claremorris)

A client came to me recently for interview training as he was now going for a structured formal interview. Throughout his career he had been able to walk into a job through word of mouth and his proven top-class quality of work in the construction industry.

However, he was now faced with going for a role which was a million miles away from what he was used to doing. He was fearful of the upcoming interview and lacked self-confidence at the beginning of our session but, through probing and listening, I was able to get him to open up and start to take credit for all his successes.

At the end of the session I reminded him that talking out loud and getting used to the sound of his voice was of paramount importance in terms of him getting through the interview. Coupled with this I reminded him that “practice gets you one more step closer to your goal”.

This client practised daily either in front of the mirror or with his family members. He stayed in contact with me and we teased out what he wanted to bring to the interview.

The night before the interview we had another discussion and this time, he appeared like a different man speaking to me. He went to his interview well prepared, felt he imparted the information he wanted and within one week he was offered the role.

Mary O’Brien-Killeen is a Career Coach with Sli Nua Careers in Claremorris, Co. Mayo.

Make a booking HERE  for CV Preparation, Application Form writing, Interview Training and Mock Interviews.

More articles from her blog can be accessed HERE