Select Page
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
Thomas on January 13, 2024 at 13:13 pm
Elizabeth's coaching made a huge difference. I was struggling with getting a permanent role at the University despite knowing I had all the experience I needed. The interview was challenging with lots of situational questionsand I didn't know where I was going wrong. Elizabeth was able to demonstrate how to rephase my answers in a way which the Interviewers wanted. We had two coaching sessions and her advice was invaluable, the interview went exceptionally well and I got the job. Thank you so much for your time and support.
Maria on December 09, 2023 at 18:05 pm
I had never done a UK Civil Service interview, and had never worked with a coach before - and I needed urgent help to prepare for an application. I found Mathew Eastlake during an online search and I had no idea what to expect. 4 sessions later I can honestly say it was probably the best investment of my life. Not only did Matt help me ace the interview and secure the role, but during our sessions I also learned so much more about my strengths and weaknesses. In just 4 sessions I learned how to focus my answers and present myself in the best possible way. I could not have gotten the role without Matt - that is the truth. If you need help preparing for an interview you have reached the best possible team to work with. Don't hesitate. THANK YOU !!!!
I had a couple of sessions to improve my interview skills with Elizabeth and these were enough for me to secure a highly competitive spot in specialty training. I would highly recommend her help if someone is looking to improve their interview skills.
Many thanks Murad for the review. I was glad to be able to help build your confidence for the interview, they are difficult interviews but you clearly impressed them. Enjoy the role. All the best Elizabeth
I really enjoyed and benefited from my coaching sessions with Interview Skills Clinic.
Hi Rupi, it was a pleasure to work together. Thanks for taking the time to have the Zoom call with me to discuss your interview. It makes our job as coaches worthwhile when we can quickly change the way a client approaches a senior interview and get the success they want first time. You needed to trust yourself to answer the questions directly using your excellent skills and experience and move away from over prepared answers. Enjoy the new challenge. All the best Elizabeth
Cannot recommend highly enough! I had the benefit of two sessions with Matt Eastlake before a Civil Service interview and got the job. Thank you!!
Thanks Tristan, I am extremely pleased that you secured the role, it seems like the perfect fit and I am certain the team will value your input. I enjoyed working with you to hone your examples and delivery style. All the very best, Matt
I would highly recommend Interview Skills Clinic. I had three days to work on my interview skills for promotion. At such short notice, I was match with Matt. From my one session with Matt, I was equipped with the essential tools to work on my examples and hone in on the information required at a higher level. The end result was that I was successful at the interview! Thank you.
Many thanks Khalida, It is never too late to prepare for an interview, often they come along at short notice and this is when focus and energy kicks in. You listened carefully and invested time to prepare and practice, I am very pleased for you given it’s a great role which you will enjoy. Please keep in touch, Matt
I have no compunction in recommending this organisation to anyone who is trying to get a role with the Civil Service. The recruitment process for the CS is notoriously tricky and unless you already have inside experience, it can be really hard to present yourself in the best light. I did 3 sessions with Matt who helped me understand what the interviewers were looking for and what I needed to include in my examples. I didn’t get my next interview, or the one after that, but having focused really hard on implementing the learning, I have now got a role that I’m really happy with. It is also just good basic training for any competency based interview. It would be great for students in policy programmes to get this type of training as part of their course to complement their technical knowledge.
Thank you Ruth, as you point out, there is a specific format to CS applications and interviews – all for good reason, and by investing time in crafting relevant and recent examples followed by practice it is very possible to secure the best role. I very much enjoyed working with you and by maintaining a positive approach and investing the necessary time you have secured a great role – one which I know you are well suited to and where you will enjoy no little success. Keep in touch, Matt
I was on the lookout for a new job and after a number of interviews where I felt I could do better I signed up for 2 coaching sessions with Matt. Pretty much from the outset we identified areas where I could project myself more effectively. I took our discussion on board and began to practice on my delivery. A short while later I have secured a new role which is at least 3 levels above where I was originally pitching myself at which without Matt’s help would’ve taken a good few years to reach. I wholeheartedly recommend Matt’s coaching to anyone looking to sharpen their interview technique, it could just be the best investment you have made.
Thank you for your kind words Jeff. Your specialist work area I found fascinating and I very much enjoyed working with you to hone your interview technique whilst also building powerful examples from your work history. I am very pleased that you will shortly embark on a new and more challenging role and wish you every success. Matt
I had recently left teaching and was deciding to apply for civil service roles. Prior to contacting interview skills clinic, I had 3 unsuccessful interviews with the civil service, scoring mainly 2s and 3s on my competencies. I had another upcoming interview and decided to contact interview skills clinic as I wanted to know how I could improve in interviews. After emailing the job spec over and having an initial chat, I worked with Chista. Chista talked me through the job role, what they are expecting at that level and then did a mock interview with me and gave me areas to improve on over the weekend. We then had another interview and Chista said she could see the difference between my two sessions. She was brilliant to work with and really got me to think about my answers and emphasise what it is I was doing and not to presume the interviewers had any background or context.
As a result of Chista’s hard work, I secured a role within the civil service, which I probably wouldn’t have done had I kept using my same, short examples.
Thank you Chista for your hard work. I would recommend interview skills clinic for anyone in a similar position!
Thank you for such a kind review Steve, and it was a pleasure to work with you. You have loads of great skills and experience, and you did brilliantly to secure a role in such a topical and interesting field – I’m sure that you’ll enjoy the challenges that it will bring. I wish you all the best in your new role and very much hope that our paths will cross again in the near future.
Having good work examples to base civil service behaviours on is only half the battle. Knowing how to frame, structure and phrase them is the other half. This is where Matthew helped a great deal. He listened to my examples and helped to improve their narrative, making each behaviour a story with its own challenges, actions and outcomes. I was successful in my interviews, having previously been unsuccessful, which perhaps says it all.
Thank you also to Chista for kindly stepping in at such short notice to provide a mock interview.
Many thanks to you both!
Many thanks for taking the time to write a review, Tom, and both Matt and I were delighted to hear of your success. It was great working with you, and we hope that all goes well with the new role – please do keep in touch.
I cannot recommend this highly enough! Christa, my tutor, was very constructive but also approachable and friendly. Most of the questions in my actual interview were ones that we had practiced so I went in with a lot of confidence. And the same techniques learned I can use in the future too. Thank you so much!
Hi Dan – I was so pleased to hear of your success, well done! It was clear that you had all the right experience for the role, and your determination to work for the non-profit sector for the benefit of others is truly admirable. I wish you every success in your new role – you certainly deserve it!
Not all hero’s wear capes! Matt was a huge reason I had two very successful and enjoyable interviews for roles within the CS. That was all down to the prep I did with Matt. Matt helped me gain confidence in my interview examples and really brought them alive. He helped me understand what the CS roles were looking for and how to speak to them using the CS framework and behaviours. Matt is very experienced, confident and really relaxed, so it feels easy and comfortable to work with him. Especially when preparing for something so personal. I would absolutely recommend Matt and The Interview Skills clinic. I am very grateful to have found them and had the opportunity to work with Matt. Thank you Matt. A real hero!
Many thanks Emma for your kind words. It was an absolute pleasure to work with you and I am not at all surprised that you were offered both roles. It’s great to have options and I wish you every success in whichever role you ultimately take. I believe you have an interesting and exciting career ahead and please stay in touch.