March 14, 2024
Overcome Ageism in Interview

How can you overcome ageism in interviews?

In our youth obsessed culture, what’s the best way to navigate unconscious bias in interviews? Acknowledging its existence is a good starting point. Many of us have internalised the idea that risk, energy and agility are the preserve of the young. Yet when you reflect more deeply, we all know people in their 20s who crave security and routine, preferring Netflix to running marathons. The reality is, there’s as much diversity in the over 40s as there is in the under 40s.
March 14, 2024
tips to stand out at executive interviews

Interviewing for Executives – 5 tips to ensure you stand out

The interview process is a highly competitive one and like any elite sport the difference between winning and losing is marginal.  With this in mind, it’s useful to look at the characteristics shared by successful candidates.They reposition themselves from job applicant to business partner:When coaching clients, I always encourage them to understand the world from the interviewer’s perspective. I invite them to focus on what they need to be successful in their new role and explore how they can add value to their new employer. This injects pace and passion to the interview......
March 13, 2024
Stand out at Interview

3 ways to stand out in your next executive interview

Throughout my career I’ve worked in partnership with hiring managers to ensure they attract and retain the best talent. In the past five years in executive interviews there’s been an increased emphasis on soft skills, with particular attention being paid to three focus areas. What are those skills? Influencing, learning agility and emotional intelligence.In this article, I’ll explore why these qualities are important and guide you on how to weave them into the interview process.
March 12, 2024
how do you manage conflict

How to answer the interview question – How do you manage conflict?

Most people I coach find this question particularly challenging. They assume that the interviewer is looking for an example of a highly charged situation where there’s a complete breakdown of a relationship. Relax, your examples don’t need to have Hollywood style plots and drama. The key to answering this question well is simply replacing the world conflict with disagreement.  
March 4, 2024
only 4% women CEOs in fortune 500

Only 4% of Fortune 500 CEOs are women. What’s going wrong?

In 1918 Irish women got the right to vote. 1973 heralded the abolition of the marriage bar; 1977 saw the introduction of the Employment Equality Act. Girls now consistently outshine boys across the globe in exam results. Having made so much progress, why are women still underrepresented in political circles and the upper echelons of business?
March 4, 2024
tips for dealing with overqualified issue at interview

5 Tips for dealing with the ‘Overqualified’ issue in interviews

In order to get back into the job market after a career break, many people are applying for roles that don’t require their level of experience and qualifications.  In this situation, how do you avoid running the risk of being overlooked in the recruitment process and rejected on the basis of being overqualified?  The following 5 tips should help:
March 4, 2024
Tips for Competency Interviews

What do employers look for in competency interviews?

Competency questions are still hugely popular and form part of most interviews. Whilst recent research has questioned their value in predicting success in fast moving environments (Harvard Business Review Feb 10th 2016), you’d be well advised to anticipate competency questions and have examples to hand.Here’s a few things to consider in the lead up to your interview: Be strategic with your examples:Review the last 5 years in your job, identify your biggest wins and build your examples around them. Choose examples that most closely align with your target role. For promotion interviews, try to choose examples where you’ve already “acted up” in your role – eg where you’ve deputised for your manager or taken a lead role in a project.