Interview Confidence Coaching

STOP! This is not for you if:

You already know all there is to know about interview strategies and ways to answer interview questions effectively
You are full of confidence in interviews and you find selling yourself easy
You think that going over lots of interview questions again and again alone is the best way to prepare for interviews
You never waffle in interviews and you know exactly how long to speak for to keep the panel interested, informed and entertained.

What if you felt prepared and assured that you knew what the panel were really looking for?

Hi, I’m Orla

I want you to know that see your fear. I know what it’s like to feel like you fall apart when it comes to talking about yourself. I know that you find it hard to say positive things like how effective you are as a teacher.

I’ve been there too.

If you’ve spent hours researching interview answers, but still not knowing if they’re the right kind of things you should be saying – well I’m here for you too. That’s what I do best.

My 1-1 interview confidence coaching is perfect for you if:

You’re a newly qualified teacher with little to no experience right now and your college has given you no direction about this crucial step in your career.
Or, you’re an experienced teacher and it’s been years since you did an interview and you’re terrified at the thoughts.
You’re excited to secure your own job, get your own class and use your ideas but getting a job seems like a massive hurdle to overcome first.
You don’t know what’s different about you than any other candidate out there.
You tell yourself thing like ‘I’m just an NQT – others applying for this job will have more to offer” or “I’m going for this leadership role but the competition is steep – perhaps there may be even excellent applicants from outside the school interested in this role”.
You’ve always gotten interviews based on your job application but you never seem to actually secure the role and you’re wondering what you need to do better.
Your interview nerves make you waffle and you never know when to stop or you’re afraid that you’re saying too little.
You’re moving up the career ladder and applying for AP1&2 position, deputy principalship or principal positions.
You think that job hunting is very difficult, the whole system seems rigged against you. The whole thing is starting to make you wonder… are you cut out for this?

Learn more about Interview Coaching

Client Experience

Thank you so much for everything Orla. I’m so happy I found your services. Orla gave me great confidence exercises and helped me to see the positives in every experience. The video interviews and phone interviews have been extremely helpful. Orla gave me great feedback that has been extremely helpful. Orla has been so professional and yet so friendly. I feel more confident and more prepared approaching my interviews thanks to you.

- Anonymous

Imagine if….

You knew that when attended an interview you had actually rehearsed for it properly, got feedback on your answers and knew what you were saying was what they were actually looking for.
You could pinpoint exactly what had let you down in interviews in the past and that you now had a new strategy increasing your chances of success.
You knew that you were not alone, that underneath the smart interview suits – that most people actually feel nervous and stressed – it’s just that some teachers have better strategies for success – like you do now!
You knew even as an NQT you have a wealth of knowledge and experience that you can use as evidence for your interview answers and can articulate them beautifully now.
You were relaxed and calmer in interviews.
You finally felt confident to sell yourself effectively.

Interview Confidence Coaching is my unique way of blending coaching with my passion for helping teachers secure great jobs.

Over the course of the last four years, I’ve worked with 100s of teachers and School Leaders wanting to move to the next stage of their career. The one thing I’m noticing about each person is that they don’t give themselves the credit that they deserve. Instead of saying – I made a real difference there, they say “It was just a part of the job”.

In my interview confidence sessions, I help teachers to reflect on and ‘own their achievements’ so that they can develop confidence from the inside, out. In interviews, if you’re not convincing and if you don’t believe in yourself – then you may fail over and over to achieve your goal. Remember that effective communication includes words, body language and tone of voice.

Sessions also include a range of tools to help teachers create their own interview strategy using tools, stories and positive self-talk in advance of their interview so that they are preparing mentally in advance of the interview too.

Whether you’re applying for your first job, have your eyes set on a permanent role or you’re interested in stepping up to the management level - Interview Confidence Coaching can help.

I’ve made mistakes when applying for teaching roles and I never knew that there was any other way to practice for interviews other than practice answers for long lists of questions. That was not an effective strategy for me. Now, I want to show you other ways that you can prepare for your interviews.

Interview Confidence Coaching is perfect for anyone lacking in confidence, who wants to learn better ways to overcome their interview nerves and come across more confidently in interviews.

Why I’m confident that I can help you

My background as a Primary School Teacher (Hibernia College Graduate, 2008) close to the beginning of the recession meant that I’ve faced my fair share of summers waiting for a letter or email inviting me to interviews. I waited all summer long and secured my first year in a temporary role just before the school year started miles from my home.

In 2015, I looked for roles outside of education and that’s when I felt the most rejected. I never heard back from job applications. It was disheartening, lonely and frustrating. I had to really up my game in terms of finding out what I was doing wrong so that I got better results. I developed my job-seeking skills and decided to become a life coach.

Now, I know that the results we get correlate with what we think about ourselves. If we think we can’t do it, then we won’t succeed. If we think we are useless at interviews, then we will find them a very difficult process. So, it’s important to change the narrative.

My most successful clients get this. When they work on their mind-set they give themselves credit for what they have achieved so far in life. They change what’s not working for them and they become hopeful and positive about their chance of success. It’s so exciting to see them change from old tired beliefs about themselves and the process of applying for jobs.

Let me help you get excited too.

Interview Confidence Coaching

Teaching Level (1 hour) €279

Leadership Level (90 mins) €379

What People Are Saying about Interview Confidence Coaching

“I feel so much more confident in my interview preparation after working with Orla. I particularly liked the strategies suggested for framing interview answers, as well as the extensive sample questions and the included interview marking criteria. She gave me a great insight into the whole interview process and it also helped me to develop my confidence further - Sandra

“Orla also goes into some really great strategies - strategies that people would not know off the cuff. My session with Orla was very helpful and interesting - Mark

“The best part of the interview sessions with you was the staged approach to answering interview questions - I was better able to answer them by remembering each part of the strategy” - Kerry

Book Now

Frequently Asked Questions

What’s included?

Templates and tips to work on your interview skills and more importantly, your mind-set.
A 1-1 coaching session where I get to know you, find out what you’re really passionate about, teach you interview skills and we practice your interview questions.
A pre-recorded sample interview, where I role-play a short job interview for you to analyse before your interview confidence coaching session with me.
A pre-recorded video to help you prepare in advance of our coaching session together.
Feedback about your body language is saying about your confidence levels and message e.g. tone of voice and non-verbal communication
A recording of our Interview Confidence Coaching Session together.

What if I’m not an NQT?

Over the past three years, I’ve mentored teachers and teachers stepping up the next step on their career ladder – so, rest assured, teachers at all stages of their career will get massive benefit from Interview Confidence Coaching Sessions.

Is it too soon for me to practise my interview skills, I’ve no interviews coming up right now?

Whether you’re qualifying this year, experienced or even, still in teacher training college – practising becoming more confident will be of benefit to you now in all areas of your life.

You’re not a principal, can I trust that you know what you’re at?

You’re right, I’m not. I have been there as a teacher though and I’ve been the person feeling the sense of rejection and fear that you have about attending interviews. I collaborate with a team of principals throughout Ireland who share with me their in-depth experiences of receiving job applications and hosting interviews.

This variety gives me a broad knowledge of the general things they note about successful and unsuccessful interviews and their insights are very beneficial for my 1-1 clients.

Lastly, my approach to interviews is that I focus on your confidence – not just knowing the correct interview answers, but knowing that you feel confident doing so.

Is one session enough?

For some people, yes it will be. It’s possible to make a huge improvement by learning improved interview techniques and building a bank of useful interview stories.

For those who suffer from extreme nerves and have generally low self-confidence in life, they may need 2+ sessions to build their internal self-confidence. It’s best to address self-confidence issues throughout the year – because improving internal self-talk, giving yourself credit and creating reasons to feel proud can take some time.

Coaching can really help with this and you can avail of a series of coaching sessions aimed at increasing your self-confidence in advance of interview season.

Do you coach second-level teachers too?

Yes, I do! Approximately half of my clients are second-level teachers.

What if I’m still not sure it’s right for me?

If you’re still unsure if Interview Confidence Coaching is for you I’m happy to answer your questions at hello@orladempseycoaching.ie

Book a Clarity Call Now