Expert interview preparation gave me the confidence to land a job again.

I have been working for 5 years as a contractor for a leading global tech company. Then in September 2024, I was told that most of the contractors were being let go effective immediately and I was on the list. My big job in tech disappeared overnight. It seemed that everywhere I looked I was reading posts about people in the same situation as me. Lots of now unemployed tech employees are all looking for jobs. I did what everyone else was doing and started applying for multiple jobs – scrolling endless job websites late at night and firing off CVs.

The CVs started turning into interviews but I couldn’t land a job offer. I hadn’t done an interview in years – all my previous jobs were got through contacts. This time was different and I was struggling. I thought this would be easier. I’ve got great experience – why couldn’t I get that across in the interview? Sitting in my kitchen preparing for another interview I got an email to say that the interview I had done two days before that was yet another NO. What was I doing wrong?

I had done my research, reviewed the job description and rehearsed my answers. I even used ChatGPT to help make sense of some of my experience and to help provide answers to some of the typical questions but it obviously wasn’t working. A friend of mine had used an interview coach before and I remember at the time thinking – “why would you need a coach to tell you what to say at an interview? All you have to do is tell them about your work experience” Clearly not the case but it took me 4 interview rejections and a huge knock to my confidence to figure that out.

I needed to practice my answers with someone who really understood what the interviewer was looking for and could tell me where I was going wrong.

I booked an interview preparation session with Hilt and have to admit I was more nervous starting this session than I was for the real interviews. Within 5 minutes I was kicking myself that I hadn’t done this before now. Siobhan listened to my answers and gave me the interviewer’s opinion on each answer. She made me see how my super-polished answers were missing the mark and not giving the interviewer the evidence they needed that I could do the job. I also found out that though the AI-generated ones read like great answers, they didn’t land well with the interviewer. When they started to ask some probing questions my answer started to look a bit shaky.

During the session, I was able to answer questions just like I would in a real interview but what was most valuable was the immediate feedback. Siobhan didn’t just let me know what I could improve; she helped me understand why it was important. Whether it was adjusting my body language, tweaking the way I framed my responses, or refining my storytelling, the insights were incredibly valuable. She didn’t tell me what to say — they helped me learn how to say it with impact.

By the end of the session, I felt more confident and prepared. I learned to relax. Be myself and focus on selling my story.

If you’re serious about acing your next interview, I highly recommend getting in touch with Hilt and investing in Interview Preparation. Having someone guide you through the process, offering tailored advice, and pushing you to improve made all the difference for me. It gave me the edge I needed and I landed the very next job I went for. Book your interview preparation session now.

Image Credit: Photo by Freepik