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!
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.
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.
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.
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
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.
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.
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!
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.
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
While googling I came across interview skills about 4 weeks ago. I was searching for Oxford law interview preparation for my son. Mathew contacted me in no time and started preparing him. He has now been offered university place at Oxford law school.
Mathew has prepared my son brilliantly in few days. His professionalism and knowledge is second to none. I recommend Mathew highly to any one looking for interview preparation, no doubt I will use his services in the future. Thank you so much Mathew for helping my son dream come true.
Thank you Abeba, I am so pleased that your son was offered a place, he was a great student to work with – focused, attentive and interested. He learned quickly from my coaching and understood what was going to be required to succeed at this very important interview. Oxford has exacting requirements and seeks out the very best students who will embrace and grow from the experience. I am certain he will do well and I hope he keeps in touch.
I came across Interview Skills Clinic a few years ago while searching for a career coach and contacting them was the best decision I ever made. I realised I needed help with my CV and improving my interview skills.
I’ve had my CV and LinkedIn profiles reviewed on two occasions by them. Firstly, by Elizabeth Conley whose excellent interview coaching helped me land a great role with a leading registered provider. A few years later, I was headhunted by a recruiter for an asset management firm and again approached ISC for a review of my CV and interview coaching. Jane Gill was my interview coach this time and her amazing guidance also meant I secured the role.Both times, Elizabeth and Jane showed me how to best reflect my skills in my CV to the roles I was applying for and make my achievements stand out. Prior to my first session with them it was well over 8 years since I applied for a new position and my CV and interview skills had gone ‘stale’. They gave me that alternative perspective which I needed to show in my CV how my skills would be relevant to the role I was applying for. I credit them both with helping me to improve my interview skills to secure my new roles both times and greatly improved my confidence. I highly recommend them to anyone seeking their next career move.
Many thanks for taking the time to write a review. Both Jane and myself were delighted to work with you and so pleased to hear of your success. It is difficult in the current climate to invest in yourself and your career so I am so pleased you say the success you wanted. Keep the video recordings and you can look back at them when you are applying for the roles in the future. For now, enjoy the new challenge.
Matthew was brilliant. I was in an unusual situation. Having had a long and successful career in senior management and running my own business, I am now looking for a career shift and am interested in opportunities within the Civil Service. But applying and preparing for an interview has changed significantly since I last had to apply for a job and why I reached out to the Interview Skills Clinic and put in touch with Matt. Soon after the beginning of our first session, I felt more confident and comfortable with my forthcoming interview. Matt quickly improved the structure of my application and helped me add vital components the Civil Sevice expected and looked for during the interview process. As well as sending me a recording of each session, Matt went the extra mile, sending me pointers, valuable reminders and other helpful information. To summarize in a few words, Matt was friendly, professional, impressive, incredibly helpful, put me at ease and helped me prepare for my first interview in twenty-five years.
David, it was a pleasure to work with you and I am delighted that you have been offered the role. Moving into a second career and after a number of years without having to attend an interview, can be disorienting. our focus and investment in time paid off. I am sure this is just the start, they will significantly benefit from your skills and experience. Please keep in touch. Matt
I first contacted Interview Skills Clinic over a year ago after a disastrous interview and started working with Matthew Eastlake. It was the best decision I have made in my career and well worth it as it landed me a promotion. I had no idea how to prepare for competency-based interviews, and Matthew was able to coach me to develop my answers. The delivery of the answers was also key to my success at interview and Matthew showed immeasurable patience in transforming me from a nervous wreck to a competent and confident candidate. A side benefit was the sessions made me become more reflective about my work practice and I started to really enjoy my work more as I studied the competencies with Matthew and how they related to my job role. Having achieved my promotion, I had the opportunity of applying for my ideal job. The day after the interview I received a phone call from the employer to say I was the top candidate! I am indebted to Interview Skills Clinic fand Matthew for ensuring that I achieved my dream job!
Thank you Fiona, I am so pleased that you have been extremely successful in your quest for a new role. I enjoyed working with you and believed following our very first session you had what it takes to focus, dedicate time to prepare and practice for the interview. As you rightly point out, Civil Service Success Profiles are much more than simply guidelines to help candidates prepare applications and interview answers. When taken into the workplace and applied properly they form the basis upon which people should carry out their work. Having embraced this fact, I am sure that you will be successful in your new role by continuing to relate what you are doing and the challenges you will undoubtedly face to our sessions and the Success Profiles. This will enable you to approach your work with confidence, underpinned by sound logic and clear methodology.
Having had no prior interview experience, I was extremely nervous at the prospect of facing one. I found Interview Skills Clinic online and booking a consultation was honestly one of the best decisions I’ve ever made! I am so thankful for the 3 sessions I had with Chista and for her continuous support and guidance throughout. She helped me feel at ease during each session which had been tailored to the specific role I’d applied for – We practiced a variety of questions designed to assess the core competencies, many of which came up in my actual interview! Her extensive knowledge and expertise meant she was able to give really great feedback and advice which proved invaluable. She also highlighted which key points to include in my answers, allowing me to further refine and improve them which greatly boosted my confidence. I also found it extremely helpful to be able to go back and rewatch the session in its entirety to review what I’d learnt. I had my very first interview last week for my dream job and I’m pleased to say I got offered the position, which I think is testament to the effectiveness of the sessions. I’m so pleased I found Interview Skills Clinic and I cannot recommend Chista highly enough to anyone wanting to improve their interview technique. Overall fantastic experience.
Thank you George, it was a pleasure to work together and I am delighted you got the jpb you wanted. Good luck with your career. Chista Kermani
Georgina was absolutely fantastic. I did two sessions with her and they made a huge difference to my interview technique and overall confidence going into the real thing. I ended up getting through the interview that we prepared for, and I couldn’t be more grateful. Can’t recommend enough!
Thanks for your review, I’m delighted that you were successful in the interview – you had some great examples and just needed a little help with structure. I really enjoyed working with you and wish you well in the role.
I recently made a career transition from the finance sector into the International Trade and Development sector. Early this year, I was selected for an interview and came to Interview Skills Clininc where Georgina Kvassay helped me prepare adequately for the interview. I found Georgina’s way of working to be very inclusive and very focussed on the client needs and objectives. I left the coaching sessions empowered and confident as we worked together to better articulate the strenghts and areas of development ahead of thei interview. She’s also been a great supporter throughout the hiring process. End of story…I did not get an offer for the role I applied for but leveraged Georgina’s training, tips as well as our past conversation for the subsequent interviews I am glad to see that paying off as our coaching sessions played a key role in me securing a long-term internship with one of the United Nations agencies just a few months after my transition. I highly recommend Interview Skills Clinic and Georgina. Thanks Georgina!
Hi Anna-Noemie, making a sidewards career move is always challenging as you have you have to focus on your transferable skills against other candidates who have direct experience. Well done for not giving up at the first interview. Playing back the video recordings and practising makes a huge differnce. An internship with the United Nations will be a very valuable experience for your long career. Thanks for taking the time to write a review.
Interview Skills Clinic and their team are a fabulous resource. I worked with Matt, and he really helped me to navigate through the civil service interview process and I was successful in gaining the position I applied for. Matt – I cannot thank you enough for helping me, not only through the interview process, but by giving me a huge boost in confidence.
Many congratulations Jennifer. I am very pleased that the panel was able to see the skills, knowledge and experience you would bring to the role. Building confidence takes time, developing knowledge not only about the Success Profiles and interview process but also thinking on a broader level as to what these mean in practice is essential in bringing meaning to each answer and how each is communicated. Once this is understood it is possible to understand the context surrounding your answers and why and how they are relevant to the role. Thinking about the wide range of possible questions helps to understand how to adapt answers to specific questions. I enjoyed working with you and wish you every success.
I worked with Chista several times as I went through the process of applying for solicitor training contracts. Chista’s coaching has been invaluable and was absolutely key to helping me secure a Training Contract at a well-regarded City law firm. Chista’s background as a qualified solicitor means that she fully understands the industry and the training contract application process. This meant that Chista was able to help me to understand how I could stand out in a crowded marketplace. Chista’s sessions were highly tailored to my needs and helped to develop both my interview skills and confidence. The sessions enabled me to feel much more prepared and confident when attending the interviews. I would highly recommend Chista to anyone going through the training contract application process. Thank you for all your help!
Thank you for your kind feedback Caitlin, and I have thoroughly enjoyed working with you to get the role that you really wanted and deserved. You have incredible passion and dedication for the law, so it was easy to help you make this stand out, and I’ve enjoyed celebrating your training contract successes with you! I’m delighted that you’ve chosen a law firm that suits you so well; they are very lucky to have you, and I know that your career will continue to flourish after you complete your training contract. I wish you every happiness for the future, and please do keep in touch. Chista Kermani
Chista was really great. I had two sessions with her and both sessions were really what I needed to take my Interview Skills to the required level to get the job. Contacting Interview skills clinic was one of the best decisions I made this year and without having the sessions with Chista I would not have known where I was going wrong in my previous interviews that were unsuccessful. Also all the advice and tips that Chista gave me during the two sessions were extremely useful and helped me massively during the interview. Not only that but I feel that Chista is absolutely wonderful to work with she put me at ease and she was very supportive and encouraging throughout. Thank you so much !!!!
What a lovely review, thank you Hanna! It was a pleasure to work with you, and I’m so pleased that you were successful in your application and are now embarking on a career in the Civil Service. You had all the right skills and experience for the role, you just needed help getting it out at the interview, and you clearly shone! All the very best with your new role, and I hope that our paths will cross again when you’re ready to take the next step. Chista Kermani