Community is the Heart of the New PARWCC Interview Institute

The new PARWCC Interview Institute is launching at the perfect time. AI-enhanced résumés and AI-generated job applications are flooding hiring systems. Interviews are fast becoming the centerpiece of hiring decisions as the most trusted way for employers to validate and evaluate candidates. Now more than ever,  interviews are the high-stakes conversations that make-or-break careers.

One interview can change everything. I learned this the hard way at age 24, when I completely tanked the biggest opportunity of my life. I walked into the interview unprepared, armed with nothing but the bad advice to “just be yourself”.  And I walked out humiliated. No job. No second chance. Just the gut punch of blowing it.

Two years later, I got another shot at a dream job. This time, I buried myself in preparation. I went to the library (this was a pre-Google era) and filled my spiral notebook with notes. I asked everyone I knew for advice. I went all in. I crafted my success stories and practiced out loud until they felt authentic and natural. Nothing scripted. Nothing memorized. I researched the company inside and out. By the time I was done, I knew more about that company than most of the people who worked there.  When I finally walked into that interview, I was ready. And I got the job.

That interview changed everything for me. It launched my career in a new direction, opened doors I never imagined, and even led me to meeting my husband, John. This is why I know how powerful one interview can be, and why I am so honored to step into the role of Director of the new PARWCC Interview Institute.

The  PARWCC Interview Institute gives coaches something we’ve never had before: a network hub for education, mentorship, and best practices. Instead of working in isolation, interview coaches will finally have a professional community to learn from, share with, and grow alongside.

We’ve reimagined the Certified Interview Coach (CIC) program as an immersive, live online class to give coaches hands-on experience with the techniques that prepare clients to interview with confidence, credibility, and clarity. The new CIC program combines evidence-based interview strategies with proven instructional techniques. Coaches will learn how to teach clients lasting communication skills, without scripts or canned answers.

The  Interview Institute will host Master Series events that deep-dive into specialized interview-related topics such as salary negotiation, building executive presence, and AI-assessed video interviews.  Semiannual Interview Insider panels will bring hiring managers, recruiters, and decision-makers into the conversation so coaches can hear firsthand what interviewers are really looking for. And the Institute’s monthly Interview Insights meetings will give interview coaches an opportunity to share strategies, workshop tough client cases, and mentor – or be mentored by – others in the field.

Community is the heart of the PARWCC Interview Institute. It’s a professional network where interview educators continually sharpen their skills, expand their expertise, build their professional reputation and elevate the entire profession.

I still remember what it felt like to bomb that first interview. And I will never forget what it felt like to win the second one. I don’t want to see talented professionals walk into interviews unprepared and walk out defeated. I want them to walk in ready and walk out with doors opening in every direction. Interview skills – and coaches  who teach them – can catapult careers and  transform lives. 

Join us for the upcoming PARWCC Interview Institute Master Series: Preparing Clients for AI-Assessed Interviews on October 7 and 14. Learn everything coaches need to know about one of the fastest-growing and most intimidating hiring trends and leave with strategies you can put to work immediately.