CIC

In January, twenty-five coaches logged into my first live Certified Interview Coach (CIC LIVE) cohort with a real mix of backgrounds. Some had been coaching interview skills for years without a formal method behind it. Others were brand new to the specialty, including a retiring librarian ready to start a second career and a community […]

One of the biggest interview mistakes I see senior-level candidates make is preparing stories that prove they can execute rather than stories that prove they can lead. The traditional STAR narrative framework  – and the many STAR-adjacent variants so many of us coaches use – lead to success stories with an intentionally narrow scope.  It’s […]

On June 22, 2026, a federal judge ruled that the hiring platform Workday must continue  facing discrimination claims that its AI-powered HR software unlawfully rejected job applicants. That means tens of thousands of job seekers who were rejected by companies using Workday’s tools may try to join the case. It also means that other states […]

David thought he was doing everything right in preparing for job interviews. He had carefully crafted his “Tell Me About Yourself” answer to align with the leadership roles he was targeting. He had practiced countless CAR stories to demonstrate the value he would bring. He had even planned where to inject humor to build rapport. […]

I wince any time I see an online career services influencer declare definitively that their way to frame an interview answer is THE way. Our clients are not homogeneous, their target industries are all different, and everyone has a unique voice and learning style. Our job is to match our clients with the right tool.  […]

“It wasn’t a good fit.” It’s one of the most common phrases in hiring, and one of the least defined. We use it to explain decisions that feel intuitive but are rarely articulated. Candidates hear it after rejection, hiring teams use it to justify a choice, and coaches are expected to prepare clients for it. […]

As interview coaches, we spend weeks arming our clients to win the room. But the moment the “Congratulations” email hits their inbox, the conversation shifts to money. And suddenly, everyone starts to shrink. That’s why I’m bringing in Keri-Lynne Shaw for our next Interview Institute Master Series this month. Keri-Lynne spent 20 years in executive HR roles. […]

It wasn’t so long ago that women were expected to list their weight on their resume and navigate intrusive interview questions like “Are you planning to get pregnant?” Not so long before that, women weren’t even allowed in the room. Today, the barriers are less visible, but they show up clearly in how women are […]

As coaches, we spend most of our days in one-on-one sessions. We hear a tip from a recruiter here. Read a valuable study there. But the work itself? It’s siloed. I’ve long craved a dedicated, trusted space to stop being an isolated practitioner and start operating as part of an elite interview intelligence collective. So tough […]

As interview coaches, we spend a lot of time telling our clients that networking is the secret weapon of the job search. It’s how they get their foot in the door, understand the shifting reality of their industry, and align themselves with what decision-makers are truly looking for.   I’m here to tell you: we […]

We toss around the word confidence a lot in interview coaching. For many clients, it becomes just another performance goal. The pressure to “perform confidence” can be a huge mental health stressor.  Clients often think confidence means feeling calm, so they may focus on “relaxing”, trying to suppress or transform the physical manifestations of anxiety.  […]

When I first earned my PARWCC interview coaching certification in 2019, it was called the Certified Employment Interview Professional.  It was a classic self-study program: a 122-page online manual and an inspiring one-hour session with Program Director Jay Block before a written exam. It was insightful, practical, and gave me tools I still use today. […]