Practise a job interview before changing jobs: finding the right coach

Plan a mock interview, choose a coach and protect your personal information while seeking useful feedback.

Choose the situations to practise

One applicant may struggle to explain earlier projects clearly; another may find follow-up questions difficult; a third may need to discuss skills in a foreign language. Before looking for a coach, identify two or three situations to rehearse. A session is not a promise of employment: the purpose is to practise answers, evaluate their delivery and get feedback. Mention your target profession because technical, administrative and creative interviews call for different examples.

Describe exactly what you need

State the target role without revealing confidential information about the employer, along with the interview language, whether the session should be online or in person and its approximate length. Say if you want questions about a portfolio, to improve your self-introduction or to face unexpected follow-up questions in a mock interview. Do not send identity documents, private messages or restricted files from a previous employer. A CV with contact details removed is often sufficient for the first exchange.

Assess the coach's method

Ask how feedback will be provided: written notes afterwards, discussion of particular wording or a repeated practice round. A competent coach should explain how answers are evaluated instead of supplying one universal script to memorise. Claims such as 'I will get you hired after one lesson' do not establish competence. Someone unfamiliar with your professional sector might help with your communication, but must not pretend to be qualified to assess specialist questions in that field.

An illustrative mock interview

Imagine a candidate preparing for a project coordinator role. She asks her coach to focus on missed deadlines and managing conflicts. During the practice interview, it becomes clear that her answers are too long and fail to show what her actions achieved. Together they shorten two examples, separating the circumstances, her own decisions and the outcome. They then complete another round of questions without reading prepared lines.

Agree on a useful outcome

The practical result should be a list of specific improvements and a plan for further independent practice. Recording your own performance can help if everyone involved consents. A coach's judgment is subjective and cannot predict an employer's decision; an actual interview may take a different direction. Agree whether any recording may be kept and when it must be deleted. Adapt examples to each vacancy rather than memorising answers that do not match your experience.

Contact people directly through Match2Go

If this support would help, describe the task precisely, add an appropriate photograph if useful and give your neighbourhood or say that remote sessions are possible. Match2Go is a geosocial service where people can find one another and discuss arrangements directly. It grows through personal recommendations without paid advertising. You can tell friends and colleagues about the approach if it proves useful. Neither a suitable coach nor a reply in any particular city is guaranteed.

Prepared with AI assistance; independent human editorial review has not been confirmed.