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Ace Your Interview Course

Strategies for Interview Success

4.7 Filled star Filled star Filled star Filled star Half star
Based on 34 ratings
see reviews
Vida Thomson

In just a couple of hours… learn the interview skills and strategies you need to succeed in your next job interview… and land your ideal role.

Are you getting to the interview stage but not getting the offer? Do you know you have the skills for the job, but just can’t promote yourself effectively? Are stress and anxiety getting the better of you when you’re in an interview?

Read more

In just a couple of hours… learn the interview skills and strategies you need to succeed in your next job interview… and land your ideal role.

Are you getting to the interview stage but not getting the offer? Do you know you have the skills for the job, but just can’t promote yourself effectively? Are stress and anxiety getting the better of you when you’re in an interview?

In this course, I’m sharing all the little-known interview tips and tricks I’ve learned over the years in my career as an HR Professional at a Fortune 500 company as well as a Career Coach and Interview Coach where I teach my clients all the strategies they need to know to improve their interview skills, build their confidence, and manage stress so they finally get that

This course is designed to provide you with all the information you need to know to impress Human Resources and Hiring Managers in interviews to show them you are the RIGHT candidate for the job.

  • Get proven strategies and techniques to develop comprehensive answers to the Most Common Interview Questions, Behavioural Interview Questions, and Situational Questions.

  • Learn the interview skills you need to plan out and structure your answers effectively so you stay on track, remember what you want to say

  • Review real-life examples of answers to some of the most tricky questions you can get in an interview and see how job seekers successfully answered these to get the offer.

  • Finally understand the insider secrets of what HR & Hiring Managers actually want to hear when they ask you all those tough interview questions – and it might surprise you.

  • Manage stress and anxiety before the interview effectively with proven techniques to combat negative thoughts, deal with stress, and make a plan to be at your best.

I’ve been a full time Career Coach for 5+ years and one of my core services is providing interview coaching to clients at all stages of their career, whether they’re just starting out or they’re applying for a Director role. The interview techniques I’m sharing with you have helped clients succeed across a wide range of career paths and career levels.

As an HR Professional and Interview Coach, I know how to help job seekers promote themselves effectively and develop answers to shine in the interview. I’ll share my secrets with you in just a couple of hours so you have the knowledge and skills to land your ideal job.

Enroll now

What's inside

Learning objectives

  • Develop effective answers to the most commonly asked interview questions you'll encounter
  • Know exactly what hr, recruiters, & hiring professionals want to hear in an interview
  • Plan and structure your answers effectively for all types of questions so you'll remember what you want to say and stay on track
  • Improve your interview skills to feel more confident and impress interviewers including hr, hiring managers, and recruiters
  • Strategies to manage interview stress and anxiety effectively
  • Understand the most common interview mistakes... and how to avoid them
  • Learn how to effectively tell engaging and interesting stories as answers to behavioural interview questions

Syllabus

Introduction
Golden Rules of Interviews
Types of Interviews & What To Expect

A quick quiz on the key concepts from Section 1.

Read more

Learn an effective technique to plan and structure your answers for the most common interview questions.

How to answer "Tell Me About Yourself," including what HR & Hiring Professionals want to hear and a unique structure for planning out your answer effectively.

Here's an example of how a candidate might answer the question "Tell me about yourself" by reviewing the job posting and her resume to develop an answer that shows how she meets the requirements of the job.

How to answer questions like "Why do you want this role?" and "Why are you interested in this position?"

How to answer "Why are you interested in working for our company?" including what HR & Hiring Professionals want to hear and content to include to successfully answer this question.

How to answer the question "What are your strengths?" as well as identify strengths to promote to HR & Hiring Professionals during your interview.

How to answer this sometimes tricky question by emphasizing your ability to be aware of your own shortcomings and manage them effectively.

How to answer this question so you capture what HR & Hiring Professionals want to hear from you.

How to explain why you want to leave your current role without being negative about it, while focusing on the positive aspects of your previous experience.

How to effectively research what your desired salary should be and ask for it confidently during the interview.

  • What are Behavioural Interview Questions

  • Why are they so challenging?

Here are the 7 Behavioural Competencies. To start coming up with your stories, develop 2-3 stories for each competency area. I'll go into detail about each competency in the coming lectures.

Learn about this alternative version to the STAR method - SAR (Situation, Actions, Results) to structure your responses to behavioural interview questions.

  • What is the Leadership & Project Success Competency?

  • Why HR / Hiring Professionals ask you about leadership & project successes

  • How to prepare your leadership stories

  • What is the Teamwork Competency?

  • Why HR / Hiring Professionals ask you about teamwork

  • How to prepare your teamwork stories

  • What is the Conflict Management / Interpersonal Skills Competency?

  • Why HR / Hiring Professionals ask you about conflict

  • How to prepare your conflict / interpersonal skills stories

  • What is the Time Management & Organizational Skills Competency?

  • Why HR / Hiring Professionals ask you about time management and organization

  • How to prepare your time management and organization stories

  • What is the Problem Solving & Decision Making Competency?

  • Why HR / Hiring Professionals ask you about problem solving

  • How to prepare your problem solving and decision making stories

  • What is the Resolving Errors Competency?

  • Why HR / Hiring Professionals ask you about resolving errors

  • How to prepare your resolving errors stories

  • What is the Goal Setting Competency?

  • Why HR / Hiring Professionals ask you about goal setting

  • How to prepare your goal setting stories

Example of how to structure and tell a Conflict Management story using the Situation, Action, and Results structure.

Example of how to plan out and tell a Resolving Errors story using the Situation, Action, and Results structure.

Example of how to plan out and tell a Time Management story using the Situation, Action, and Results structure.

Breathing exercises can help manage the physical symptoms of stress and anxiety. Try out the "Box Breathing Exercise," one of the simplest and effective breathing techniques that you can use anywhere!

Here's an overview of how you can plan ahead to minimize stress and anxiety for the day of the interview, so you can perform at your best.

The final question of the interview: "Do you have any questions for us?" is very important. Even though you're almost finished, don't relax quite yet.

- Why is this question important?

- What HR / Hiring Professionals are looking out for

It can be intimidating to answer questions about an employment gap in an interview. In this lecture, you'll learn:

- Why employers are concerned about employment gaps

- What HR / Hiring Professionals want to hear when they ask about one

- How to use "the sandwich method" to answer this question with a positive tone

If you feel like you have limited experience (or no experience) in one of the areas of the job posting, it can be stressful when the hiring manager asks about it in the interview. Here's how to approach answering questions about areas where you feel like you don't have enough experience.

This lecture is dedicated to the "weird and wacky" interview questions that sometimes come up in interviews.

- Why do employers ask "weird" questions?

- How should you approach answering these types of questions?

Traffic lights

Read about what's good
what should give you pause
and possible dealbreakers
Provides strategies applicable to various career levels, from entry-level positions to director roles, making it broadly useful for anyone seeking employment
Teaches learners how to structure answers effectively, which helps them stay on track and recall key points during interviews
Explores behavioral interview questions and the STAR/SAR methods, which are standard techniques for answering these types of questions
Includes techniques to manage stress and anxiety, which helps learners perform at their best during interviews
Requires learners to brainstorm and develop stories related to behavioral competencies, which may require significant preparation time
Includes a section on 'sticky interview situations,' which may be helpful, but is marked as optional, so its comprehensiveness is not guaranteed

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Reviews summary

Effective interview strategy training

Students say this course appears designed to offer a structured and comprehensive approach to mastering job interviews. Based on the syllabus, it aims to cover key areas like understanding what HR and hiring managers look for and providing a framework for answering common, behavioral, and situational questions. Learners might find value in techniques like the SAR method for storytelling and practical advice for handling stress and tricky situations. Given the course's described duration of 'just a couple of hours', some potential learners might wonder about the depth of coverage or the diversity of examples provided for various career paths.
Offers ways to manage interview stress.
"The tips for managing anxiety before the interview were helpful."
"Box breathing is a simple technique I can use anywhere."
"Making a plan for the interview day reduced my stress."
Addresses tricky interview scenarios.
"Loved the part about explaining employment gaps."
"Getting advice on answering about limited experience was key."
"Even the weird questions section was insightful."
Provides a clear method for answers.
"The SAR method was a game changer for telling stories."
"Learning how to structure my answers helped me stay on track."
"I can use the planning techniques taught here for any interview."
Covers common interview formats.
"I found the coverage of common questions really useful."
"It was great that they went over behavioral and situational questions too."
"Understanding the different types of questions helped me prepare better."
May be too short for deep coverage.
"The course is short, so it feels like it only scratches the surface."
"I wish there were more examples for different job roles or industries."
"For very complex interview situations, I might need more detailed strategies beyond this course."

Activities

Be better prepared before your course. Deepen your understanding during and after it. Supplement your coursework and achieve mastery of the topics covered in Ace Your Interview Course: Strategies for Interview Success with these activities:
Review Common Interview Questions
Review common interview questions to build a strong foundation for answering them effectively during the course.
Browse courses on Common Interview Questions
Show steps
  • Find a list of common interview questions online.
  • Brainstorm potential answers for each question.
  • Practice answering the questions out loud.
Read 'What Color Is Your Parachute?'
Read this book to gain a broader understanding of the job search process and how to position yourself for success.
View What Color Is Your Parachute? Job-Hunter's... on Amazon
Show steps
  • Obtain a copy of 'What Color Is Your Parachute?'.
  • Read the sections on self-assessment and interview strategies.
  • Complete the exercises to identify your skills and interests.
  • Apply the book's advice to your interview preparation.
Create Your Personal STAR Story Bank
Develop a comprehensive collection of STAR stories to be well-prepared for behavioral interview questions.
Show steps
  • Identify key skills and experiences relevant to your target roles.
  • For each skill, brainstorm situations where you demonstrated it.
  • Write out each story using the STAR (Situation, Task, Action, Result) method.
  • Practice telling your stories concisely and engagingly.
Four other activities
Expand to see all activities and additional details
Show all seven activities
Practice Answering Behavioral Questions
Repeatedly practice answering behavioral questions to improve fluency and confidence.
Show steps
  • Find a list of common behavioral interview questions.
  • Answer each question out loud, focusing on the STAR method.
  • Record yourself and review your answers for clarity and impact.
  • Repeat the process, refining your answers each time.
Record Mock Interview Sessions
Record and analyze mock interview sessions to identify areas for improvement in your interviewing technique.
Show steps
  • Find a friend or colleague to conduct a mock interview.
  • Record the session using a camera or recording software.
  • Review the recording, paying attention to your body language, tone, and answers.
  • Identify areas where you can improve and practice those areas.
Review 'Cracking the Coding Interview'
Review this book to gain insights into the interview process and how to effectively present your skills and experience, even if you are not in a technical field.
View Cracking the Coding Interview on Amazon
Show steps
  • Obtain a copy of 'Cracking the Coding Interview'.
  • Read the sections on interview preparation and strategies.
  • Practice answering the sample interview questions.
  • Apply the book's advice to your interview preparation.
Help Others Prepare for Interviews
Reinforce your own understanding by helping others prepare for their interviews.
Show steps
  • Offer to conduct mock interviews for friends or colleagues.
  • Provide constructive feedback on their answers and interviewing technique.
  • Share your knowledge of interview strategies and best practices.

Career center

Learners who complete Ace Your Interview Course: Strategies for Interview Success will develop knowledge and skills that may be useful to these careers:
Talent Acquisition Specialist
Talent acquisition specialists are involved in the entire recruitment cycle, from sourcing candidates to conducting interviews. This course provides essential strategies for succeeding in interviews, and so would greatly help a talent acquisition specialist who needs to improve their own interviewing skills. Understanding how to structure great interview answers, as well as how to recognize them, will be of vital importance to a talent acquistion specialist. Furthermore, this course discusses how to assess a candidate's stories, which is a crucial skill for this role.
See salaries and explore the career path for Talent Acquisition Specialist
Recruiter
Recruiters are responsible for finding, attracting, and hiring qualified candidates for various positions, and this role requires a mastery of the interview process. This course provides valuable strategies and techniques to craft great interview answers, which is directly applicable to a recruiter who will likely be evaluating candidates. The course will help recruiters understand the kind of answers to look for when interviewing, and how to elicit the best responses from candidates. Recruiters will also benefit from the stress management techniques shared in the course, to help them perform at their best.
See salaries and explore the career path for Recruiter
Human Resources Generalist
A human resources generalist plays a key role in employee relations, talent acquisition, and ensuring smooth HR operations. This course helps you prepare for the interview process, which is vital for a human resources generalist who is often involved in hiring. The course offers insight into what HR professionals look for in candidates, as well as tips on handling behavioral and situational interview questions, and managing stress, all of which would be beneficial for a human resource generalist who conducts interviews. Learning how to plan and structure answers to interview questions will allow HR professionals to successfully interview candidates.
See salaries and explore the career path for Human Resources Generalist
Career Counselor
Career counselors guide individuals in their career development and job search, and this includes helping them prepare for interviews. This course, which covers interview strategies and techniques, would be useful for a career counselor, as it would give them the tools they need to best prepare their clients. The course can help a career counselor understand what makes a good interview answer, and how to help their clients develop their own great answers. Because this course provides strategies for managing stress and anxiety, career counselors can teach these methods to their own clients, as well.
See salaries and explore the career path for Career Counselor
Team Lead
Team leads guide and support team members, and often need to interview candidates when hiring for their team. This course may be helpful to team leads who want to conduct more effective interviews, by using the techniques of human resources professionals. Learning how to identify good answers to common interview questions is useful for a team lead, who will conduct many interviews in the course of their career. By learning how to plan the interview process, and structure their questions, a team lead can improve how they evaluate talent.
See salaries and explore the career path for Team Lead
Training Specialist
A training specialist designs and delivers training programs to help employees improve their skills and performance. This course may be useful to a training specialist who is tasked with teaching interview skills to employees. The course provides a comprehensive understanding of interview strategies, techniques for answering interview questions, and managing stress during interviews. These methods can be incorporated into training programs that a training specialist designs. The course will help the training specialists develop their own interview training practice.
See salaries and explore the career path for Training Specialist
Business Coach
Business coaches work with professionals to improve their performance and achieve career goals. This course may be useful for a business coach, due to its focus on interview performance and strategy. A business coach could incorporate the techniques learned in the course into their coaching practice. The course also provides real-life examples of answers to difficult questions, which will be helpful when a business coach prepares their client for an interview. The methods to manage stress and anxiety can also be shared with clients.
See salaries and explore the career path for Business Coach
Training Manager
Training managers develop and implement training programs for employees, and this includes helping them improve their interview skills. This course would be useful for a training manager who wants to develop effective interview training sessions. By understanding the best techniques for answering questions, as well as strategies for managing stress, a training manager can create a powerful training curriculum for employees at every level. The course may be particularly helpful for training managers who are designing leadership training.
See salaries and explore the career path for Training Manager
Instructional Designer
Instructional designers create learning materials and experiences. An instructional designer would find this course helpful as they might be asked to create training materials around interviewing. The strategies to answer interview questions effectively, and to understand what interviewers want to hear, can help an instructional designer develop great content. They can use the practical advice and examples in this course to teach others about the interview process. The course may be helpful for instructional designers who want to be able to create training on all types of professional development topics.
See salaries and explore the career path for Instructional Designer
Communications Specialist
A communications specialist is responsible for crafting and delivering clear, effective messaging for an organization. This course may be helpful to communications specialists who frequently conduct interviews or need to prepare others for them. In this course, communications specialists can learn to plan answers, anticipate difficult questions, and manage stress when speaking to the media or to other company personnel. This course helps communications specialists better understand how to effectively structure their responses, and use storytelling as a tool to engage others.
See salaries and explore the career path for Communications Specialist
Project Manager
Project managers oversee projects from start to finish, and require strong communication and interpersonal skills to manage their teams. This course may be helpful to project managers who want to improve their ability to explain key details to clients and stakeholders. Learning how to effectively tell stories when answering questions, as this course teaches, can help a project manager make a case for project resources or report on a project's progress. Also, the stress management techniques in this course can empower project managers to manage high pressure situations.
See salaries and explore the career path for Project Manager
Management Consultant
Management consultants help organizations improve their performance and efficiency. The ability to interview well is a crucial skill for a management consultant, who must frequently gather information and insights from stakeholders. This course can help a management consultant hone their presentation skills and prepare well thought out answers to a variety of interview questions. The course can also help a management consultant structure their responses and tell engaging stories when communicating with clients. The stress management skills covered in the course may also be useful to consultants when facing demanding deadlines or stressful situations.
See salaries and explore the career path for Management Consultant
Public Relations Specialist
Public relations specialists manage the public image of individuals or organizations, and often participate in interviews. This course may be useful to a public relations specialist who wants to better prepare for on-camera interviews. Learning strategies for answering difficult questions and managing stress can greatly help a public relations specialist who frequently speaks with media representatives. By learning to plan answers and anticipate different questions, a public relations specialist can more successfully communicate the desired message.
See salaries and explore the career path for Public Relations Specialist
Sales Representative
Sales representatives are responsible for promoting and selling products or services, often requiring strong communication and interpersonal skills. This course, with its focus on crafting compelling narratives, will be effective for any sales representative who wants to improve their ability build rapport when communicating with clients. The course discusses how to answer questions effectively, which will help a sales representative respond to questions from a customer. They can also use the storytelling methods discussed in the course to connect with prospects.
See salaries and explore the career path for Sales Representative
Business Development Manager
Business development managers are responsible for expanding business opportunities and building relationships with new clients. This course may be useful for a business development manager who wants to improve their communication skills when speaking with prospective clients. By learning techniques on how to develop comprehensive answers to a variety of questions, a business development manager can more effectively promote their company's products and services. The stress management techniques in this course can help a business development manager remain calm and composed when speaking with customers.
See salaries and explore the career path for Business Development Manager

Reading list

We've selected two books that we think will supplement your learning. Use these to develop background knowledge, enrich your coursework, and gain a deeper understanding of the topics covered in Ace Your Interview Course: Strategies for Interview Success.
Cover image
What Color Is Your Parachute? Job-Hunter's Workbook...
Save
Comprehensive guide to job hunting and career change. It provides valuable insights into self-assessment, networking, and interview strategies. It is particularly useful for understanding your strengths and how to present them effectively in an interview setting. This book is commonly used by career coaches and job seekers alike.
What Color Is Your Parachute? Job-Hunter's Workbook...
Paperback
Check
What Color Is Your Parachute? Job-Hunter's Workbook...
Kindle Edition
Check
Cracking the Coding Interview
Save
Is primarily focused on technical interviews for software engineering roles. However, it contains valuable advice on general interview strategies, resume writing, and negotiation. It also provides a framework for answering common interview questions and understanding the interviewer's perspective. This book is commonly used by students and professionals preparing for technical interviews.
Cracking the Coding Interview
Paperback
Check
Cracking the Coding Interview
Kindle Edition
Check

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Course image
Rating
4.7 Filled star Filled star Filled star Filled star Half star
Effort
3 total hours
Via
Udemy
Instructor
Vida Thomson
Language
English
Traffic lights
Read about what's good
what should give you pause
and possible dealbreakers
Provides strategies applicable to various career levels, from entry-level positions to director roles, making it broadly useful for anyone seeking employment
Teaches learners how to structure answers effectively, which helps them stay on track and recall key points during interviews
Explores behavioral interview questions and the STAR/SAR methods, which are standard techniques for answering these types of questions
Includes techniques to manage stress and anxiety, which helps learners perform at their best during interviews
Requires learners to brainstorm and develop stories related to behavioral competencies, which may require significant preparation time
Includes a section on 'sticky interview situations,' which may be helpful, but is marked as optional, so its comprehensiveness is not guaranteed
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