Fabiula Rifiski on October 16, 2024 at 09:16 am
Elizabeth is truly amazing. She has not only helped me stand tall but also completely transformed how I approach interviews and view my skill set. As an interview coach, she goes beyond the basics of preparing for a role. She helps you tailor your skills to fit the specific roles you’re applying for, but more importantly, she opens your eyes to what you’re truly capable of. Sometimes we underestimate our natural abilities because they come easily to us, but Elizabeth shows you how to express these in a way that highlights their full value. She helps you see beyond tasks and focus on the big picture - especially on soft skills, which are crucial in today’s job market. When I first worked with Elizabeth, I received offers from three major companies immediately after our sessions, and I was able to choose the role that was the perfect fit for me. When I later went through a career change, she helped me again, and I successfully landed the job I was aiming for. I highly recommend Elizabeth. Her insights and guidance are invaluable!
Emily Stroud on September 24, 2024 at 11:06 am
Coaching with Claire Hodgson was the best decision I made to kick start my career. Warm and approachable and also punchy, she challenged me to improve much more than I believed I was capable of, and then built up my confidence to perform optimally at interview. I know I would not have got my dream job in the Civil Service without her help. She’s a great coach, so do not waste another second thinking about hiring her. Do it. If you want the job, she is the key to get you through the door.
Jon on September 04, 2024 at 11:40 am
I highly recommend Elizabeth and the interview skills clinic. Elizabeth helped me prepare for an interview for a Civil Service Grade 6 role and the three sessions gave me the confidence and skills needed to get the job. As someone who has struggled with interviews in the past I now have the skills to confidently tackle senior Civil Service interviews for the years to come. Elizabeth has a complete understanding the civil service behaviours and interview format so it felt like getting insider knowledge which proved to be essential. Thanks again to Elizabeth and the team.
Ivana on March 25, 2024 at 08:43 am
Elizabeth is an outstanding interview coach whom I highly recommend. Her sessions helped me overcome insecurities as a non-native speaker working in higher education, boosting my confidence and highlighting my skills and abilities. Elizabeth’s calm and kind attitude helped me to stay grounded, but also guided me back to my strengths when I felt lost during the interview, ultimately leading to the attainment of my dream job. I am immensely grateful for her support and look forward to future collaborations.
Sonal on February 22, 2024 at 13:04 pm
Elizabeth is a very supportive coach. I was applying for a Business Analyst role and within an hour of a second interview I was called back by the company to let me know that they really liked me and offered me the job. I thought I knew how to use the STAR approach before but Elizabeth has a unique interpretation of it and I was complimented on my response. What really helped me was the way she broke the STAR up for me in a way which was relevant to the role and sector I was going for. My interview felt much more like a conversation. I learnt a lot and feel so much more confident in interviews
Aashna on February 20, 2024 at 12:50 pm
After five years abroad,I decided to re enter the London job market. Having used Elizabeth's services before, I did not hesitate to contact her again. With her guidance and support I was successful in getting offers from multiple companies. Elizabeth is sincere and cares about her clients and their job satisfaction beyond the remit of her role as an interview coach, her many years of experience give her a discerning eye and she can predict in a very short space of time what her clients need and how to get them from A to B. I would recommend her wholeheartedly. She also goes out of her way to make time for her clients and is very punctual and organised.
Alexia on February 11, 2024 at 16:38 pm
Interview coaching with Matt was exactly what I needed. My skills were rusty and I'd lost confidence. I really liked Matt's direct but supportive approach. I was out of my comfort zone during the sessions (which was good!) but through practice my confidence grew and learning took place. I now have an excellent structure to work with for future interviews. I'm very grateful for Matt's help. Thank you.
Kris on January 30, 2024 at 12:43 pm
I was feeling insecure in my communication skills when I met with Elizabeth for a mock interview. Her knowledge paired with her straightforward approach meant that in one hour we had covered a number of actionable insights that instantly boosted my confidence. I walked into the interview with a clear plan (and renewed belief in my competence) and dare I say I even enjoyed it! Thank you for doing what you do!
Yasmin on January 21, 2024 at 22:50 pm
Matthew has been incredibly supportive and helpful throughout my application process (on multiple occasions. With his support, I was able to land my first civil service role. He put a lot of effort and enthusiasm into every session. His techniques were incredibly helpful and I have learnt skills that I will continue to use throughout my career. Couldn’t recommend more.
Develyn on January 17, 2024 at 14:00 pm
Elizabeth is a fabulous coach. Following her coaching, I had two coaching sessions I got a senior programme manager role in the Civil Service, it was a very complex role. I offered the job and I was told my interview was excellent!! Elizabeth gave me such detailed and insghtful feedabck I was able to reshape all my Behaviour answers and went into the interview feeling much more confident. Thank you Elizabeth
Elizabeth coached me for two sessions to prepare for a Civil Service interview at short notice. Her help was invaluable in structuring my answers and in how best to prepare. I would have been completely in the dark otherwise.
Thank you again!
All the best,
Ciara
Hi Ciara, thank you. You had a great result particularly for an external candidate. You had excellent skills and experience and just needed a little help to learn how to adapt to civil service interview, and to be the strongest candidate. I am sure we’ll see each other again as your career progresses. Enjoy the role.
Incredibly helpful! I managed to get a job offer a week after seeing Elizabeth thanks to her tips on confidence and competency questions. Would highly recocommend to any recent graduates looking for their first job.
Hi Rosie, I was so excited for you when you got the offer. Previously, you just weren’t promoting your skills or strengths for the role and a result getting stuck in an unpaid role when you deserved so much more. You are now joining a great organisation in a super role and your career can start. I am certain you’ll do fantastically well.
I had three sessions with Elizabeth, and noticed a dramatic improvement in my confidence at interviews. Her style is incredibly supportive and she’s able to flex her approach to each person’s individual needs. Elizabeth provided valuable feedback to help improve my performance, and she also recognises that a big part of interviewing is about having the right mindset – her moral support between sessions was greatly appreciated. I had a final coaching session before an intense final stage interview, and Elizabeth did a great job of preparing me for a different pace and style of questioning than I’d encountered before. I’m amazed what a difference the coaching made in such a short space of time and would recommend her services without hesitation.
Hi Amy, it was a tough interview process but you made it, well done. I know how hard you practised and you deserve the success. You’ve certainly got a challenging role ahead which will be great for your career development.
After a number of unsuccessful final interviews I decided to invest in a session with Elizabeth. She quickly got to the core of what I was doing wrong and gave me useful practical guidance on the things I needed to change to improve and present myself and my skills in the best possible light. Three weeks later I had another interview and the next day was offered a permanent position as a Senior Research Manager in a large consulting firm. Thanks Elizabeth!
Hi Joe, It was frustrating when you knew that you had the skills and experience to do the jobs so couldn’t understand why you weren’t being successful. I am sure that using the questions to demonstrate your skills rather the answering the question rigidly made a difference and letting your personality show through. Thanks for trusting my advice and I am glad the investment paid off. I hope to see you in a couple of years.
I took some time considering whether to set up a session and am really glad I decided to go ahead. Elizabeth was incredibly helpful in getting me to focus on what I really wanted to get across at an interview and how to deliver my answers, as well as giving useful pointers on how to present myself. I was offered the next job I applied for!
Hi Faye, I am so pleased that the investment in coaching paid off. It is a difficult decision particularly as I often recommend at least two coaching sessions. Yet, you succeeded with just the one! Well done. Enjoy the new role.
I dont know how to thank Elizabeth enough. She was able to break down the competencies in a way that made it easy for me to understand how I should prepare and how I should talk about my examples. We also met a week later for a mock interview and her feedback was invaluable.
I went back home that day and listened to the recording as many times as I needed to. I hadn’t been successful in interviews for a couple of years and this was my first competency based interview I had to prepare for a senior starting position in the CS.I’m really happy to have found Elizabeth as investing in seeing her twice was the best decision and it got me the job I so much wanted. I was even told I gave the best answers by far across all competencies. Thank you so much Elizabeth, I will see you again in a couple of years when I will be looking for a promotion. Amanda
I wanted to let you know that a few weeks ago I was offered a job following my interview (back in October!). I am starting there at the beginning of July and am a Policy Lead. It is a key area of government reform! Very exciting! Your role in my appointment was literally pivotal as you completely broke my interview technique down and built it back up again in a really supportive, clear and kind way. Your deep knowledge and input was key to how I performed at interview and is definitely why I was successful. I wanted to let you know how fantastic you are and to thank you once again. Hopefully I will be contacting you for future progression!
This is fantastic news! They really did take their time to come back to you but it was worth the wait. I hope you have a celebration planned this weekend because I know how much work and emotional energy it takes to apply for these positions.
Hi Amanda, you had the experience,did all the hard work to prepare for this interview and deserve the success you got. I hope that it’s given you a confidence boost and you believe in yourself more! Absolutely, I would love to work together again on your next promotion.
I had two coaching sessions with Elizabeth. I was at first a bit anxious about whether it would be useful to my role in the public sector but Elizabeth was more than able to coach me on how to apply my knowledge, skills and experience to a more strategic role and I was successful in my my next application and interview. She helped me to improve my interview skills and to identify my skills and strengths and to express them in a way that met the needs of the interview. I would fully recommend her.
Hi Claire, I was so pleased for you. Like many Managers you work strategically every day but getting that across in an interview is always more challenging. Once we worked together on this, you started to recognise your own value and were able to communicate this more confidently. It didn’t surprise me at all that you got offered the role! You deserved it. Thanks for your review.
I had not had an interview in over 16 years, let alone a competency interview. Elizabeth went through my competencies in detail and made suggestions on both the strengths and weaknesses and suggested improvements. I only had time for one Skype session with Elizabeth. Her suggestions were so good that when it came to the interview I scored 6’s and 7’s and got the job.
I would recommend to anyone thinking of applying for a Civil Service interview to consult Elizabeth. The insight she provides undoubtably makes your application and performance at interview stand out from the crowd. Also, make use of the audio recording of the Skype consultation and make notes.
Preparation of this sort gives you confidence and makes you shine at interview and leads to success.
I cannot recommend Elizabeth enough.
Hi Steve, It was understandably a bit daunting having an interview after 16 years but you absolutely ‘nailed it’. 6’s and 7’s are fantastic scores to get in the Civil Service. What it tells you is that you could be looking for promotion again in the not to distant future. It’s a thought to leave you with as I know how much you wanted this particular role. Enjoy the challenge and thanks for taking the time to add a review.
I found Elizabeth’s coaching and advice to be above excellent. Well worth the spend! From my first session with her I could tell she knew what she was talking about. Her experience was very obvious and telling. What impressed me most was her all round approach to tackling interviews. From advice on body language and posture to answering competency based questions in a ‘story telling’ format using the STARR method. For me her patience, calm and collected approach as well as her flexibility and professionalism really stood out, allowing me to mirror her style. I can’t be appreciative and thankful enough for the time she took to coach me into my new role as Business Systems Analyst, a step up from my previous role as a Systems & MI Analyst. I would very happily recommend her to anyone seeking support in landing their next role. Thank You, Thank You, Thank You!!! 🙂
Hi Shaun, it was great to get your phone call after receiving the job offer and hear you excitement! I don’t normally recommend a mock interview coaching session just hours before the interview but it worked fantastically for you. Well done. Hopefully, we can work together in a few years times when you’re going for you next promotion. Thanks for your review.