How I coach
Every client and every role is different, but there is a clear structure to how I work. The detail varies. The rigour does not.
Whether we are preparing an application, strengthening a CV or getting ready for interview, the aim is the same: to help you identify your strongest evidence, communicate it at the right level and present your experience with clarity and credibility.
My role is not to write applications for you or give you interview scripts. It is to challenge your thinking, test the strength of your evidence and help you communicate your experience more effectively.
As a general guide, most clients require around three hours for a Personal Statement, two hours for CV coaching and two hours for interview coaching. The exact amount of support depends on the role, the recruitment process and your starting point.
Application coaching – personal statement
A strong Personal Statement is not simply a record of everything you have done.
It is a selective, evidence-based argument showing why your experience matches the requirements of the role.
Most Personal Statements require around three hours of coaching and review, although this varies depending on the length, complexity and quality of the starting draft.
1. Understanding the brief
I review the job specification and identify what the assessors are really looking for.
I then suggest an overall structure for the statement and where your strongest evidence is likely to sit.
This is where we decide what needs the greatest emphasis, which examples are likely to carry the most weight, what level of leadership or complexity needs to be demonstrated and how best to use the available word count.
2. First draft
You write the first draft using the agreed structure.
The voice must remain yours. I do not write Personal Statements for clients.
3. Detailed review
I review your draft and make tracked recommendations.
This may involve strengthening the evidence, making your personal contribution clearer, bringing out greater judgement or leadership, tightening the structure and ensuring that the statement is genuinely answering the criteria rather than simply describing your experience.
4. Discussion
We meet on Zoom to work through the feedback.
This is an important part of the process because the objective is not simply to edit the document. I want you to understand why particular evidence is stronger, where the level needs to change and how the assessors are likely to read what you have written.
5. Final refinement
You revise the statement and send it back to me.
I complete a final review and provide further feedback by email.
The process is iterative. My role is to challenge, refine and strengthen your work so that the final application represents your experience at its best while still sounding like you.
Application coaching – CV
A strong CV is selective and forward-looking. It should position you for the role you want next, rather than simply document everything you have done previously.
Most clients require around two hours of CV coaching and review, although this varies depending on the length of the CV, the seniority of the role and how much restructuring is needed.
1. Detailed review
I review your existing CV against the type of role you are targeting and track recommended changes.
I am looking at whether the CV makes your level, scope, impact and value sufficiently clear and whether the strongest evidence is being given enough prominence.
This may mean strengthening achievements, bringing out leadership or responsibility, reducing descriptive content, changing the structure or removing material that no longer helps position you for the role you want.
2. Discussion
We meet on Zoom to work through the recommendations.
We consider how you should position yourself, what should be given greater emphasis, what can be shortened or removed and whether the CV is pitched at the right level.
3. Revision
You revise the CV so that the language remains natural and fully yours.
4. Final review
I complete a final review, usually by email, and make any final recommendations.
The aim is not to produce a generic polished CV. It is to create a CV that positions you convincingly for the type and level of role you are targeting.
Interview coaching
Interview coaching with me is not about learning scripted answers. It is about understanding how you currently come across at interview, identifying what is already working well and being very clear about what would make you stronger.
Most clients require around two hours of interview coaching, usually across two sessions, sometimes more depending on the seniority of the role.
The first session
The first session is designed to establish where you are now.
We work through realistic interview questions and I adapt the session as we go, depending on what I hear. I am looking at the strength of your examples, the way you position yourself within them, the level at which you are communicating and how clearly you are demonstrating your value. For some clients, the main issue is the examples themselves. They may need stronger evidence, greater complexity or clearer outcomes. For others, the evidence is good but they are not positioning themselves strongly enough within the example. They may be underplaying their leadership, judgement or personal contribution. Sometimes the issue is communication: answers may be too detailed, too cautious, too formal or simply not landing clearly enough. By the end of the first session, you should have a very clear understanding of what you are already doing well and what you need to work on next.
I then review the recording and provide detailed written feedback so that you can continue developing your answers before we meet again.
The second session
The second session builds on that feedback. It is often run as a mock interview, but the purpose is not simply to repeat prepared answers. I want you to practise adapting your evidence to different questions, responding naturally to follow-up probes and communicating with greater confidence and flexibility. Again, I adapt the session depending on what you need. We may spend more time on particular examples, leadership positioning, concise communication, difficult follow-up questions or areas where you still need to build confidence.
The aim is that you leave able to respond more naturally under pressure, rather than relying on a fixed answer that only works if the panel asks exactly the question you were expecting.
Preparation and follow-up
Before the coaching starts, we use the initial consultation to discuss the role, the interview process and where you feel you may need support. I review the job description and the material you send me, then provide preparation tailored to the role before the first coaching session.
After each session, you receive detailed written feedback and a recording so that you can continue working between sessions.
The overall aim is not to make you sound rehearsed. It is to help you understand your own strengths, communicate them more convincingly and perform with greater confidence and flexibility at interview.
A note on tailoring
There is no fixed formula. The structure above gives the work rigour and direction, but the content always adapts to the role, the level and your particular strengths and development areas. Some clients need help choosing stronger evidence. Others need to communicate at a more senior level, improve structure, become more concise or build confidence under pressure.
If you are unsure which type of coaching would be most useful, we can discuss this in your initial consultation.
Book free consultation
If you would like to explore working together, the first step is to book a free consultation to discuss coaching option. .
I work with people preparing for competitive applications and interviews, as well as those who feel they are not getting the results their experience should be producing. Please complete the consultation form outlining your situation, the type of role you are targeting and your likely timescale. I will review the information personally before we speak so that we can use the consultation to decide what support would be most useful.
Although every client and role is different, there is a clear structure to how I work. The detail varies. The rigour does not. Whether we’re preparing for interview, refining a personal statement, or strengthening a CV, the process is focused, structured and designed to help you present your experience with clarity and credibility.