SES Structured Interview Preparation and Mock Interview
Recommended for candidates seeking Senior Executive Service (SES) and other leadership positions.
Three ways we coach the federal interview
Every federal interview is a scored test, but not every candidate needs the same preparation. Start with the one that matches your situation.
Interviewing at the GS level?
Interview Quick Prep, $595: two 45-minute sessions of fast, focused practice for a federal interview already on the calendar.
Learn moreInterviewing for the SES?
You are in the right place. SES Structured Interview Preparation, $780: two 75-minute sessions with an executive coach and a recorded mock interview.
Preparing SES candidates for an agency?
The SES structured interview workshop trains executive candidates in a group setting, on site or virtual.
Learn moreWhat the $780 covers
The package
One flat fee, everything included. Your coach is an expert federal interview trainer who prepares specifically for your position before the first session.
- Instructor prep time: resume, ECQ, and technical-qualification review.
- Two private 75-minute coaching sessions, by phone or video.
- Sample questions built for your target position.
- A recorded mock interview, with the audio file yours to keep.
- Feedback and a self-review method you can reuse for every panel.
SES Structured Interview Preparation and Mock Interview
Exploring a leadership candidate’s recent past behavior is a proven technique for predicting future job performance. The agency’s questions might be open-ended. At the job selection level, candidate responses are systematically scored to identify the most highly qualified candidates. Once selected for an SES role, those not previously certified must undergo the new, ECQ-based interview process, carried out by OPM’s Qualifications Review Board (QRB). Candidates’ answers must then address the specific competencies defined within each applicable ECQ.*
How the sessions run
Two 75-minute sessions, by phone or video
Please allow at least one week to schedule this service.
Important timing for this preparation
*IMPORTANT: We usually need at least one week to schedule this service. Yet OPM may provide just a few days’ notice of your QRB interview. Do not wait. As soon as you are selected, please reach out to us. Before your package is sent to OPM by the hiring agency, you need to make sure your resume is in the format OPM prescribes (see Appendix 2 of OPM’s new Guide to SES Qualifications) and that its content has what it takes to assure the QRB of your viability as an SES candidate. Indeed, once the administrator forwards the resume to panel members, they review it “for initial evidence of ECQ competencies (to validate in the interview).” (SES Guide, p.9.)
Performance-Based Interviews Take Practice
In either case, preparing for a performance-based, structured interview requires practice: choosing and telling the right stories. At the agency level, these responses should reveal both technical expertise and leadership. The candidate should assume every open ended question calls for an answer that explores their past accomplishments at a leadership level, relating these experiences with confidence. Then, before a QRB panel, interviewees must follow the process prescribed in OPM’s new Guide to SES Qualifications (2025).
Session Two: Preparation will give you insight and self-assurance
This service includes two sessions of 75 minutes each. Preparation time is also included for the instructor to review your resume, and any relevant ECQ and/or MTQ materials. The first session will be spent on the phone or in a video chat, discussing the performative aspects of the interview, the types of questions you may expect, and identifying the accomplishments you will want to relate in response. Your consultant will then prepare sample questions relevant to the position and conduct a mock structured interview. This second session will also include feedback and tips on how to improve your performance as an interviewee.
Audio review
Analyze your recording with your coach to sharpen delivery, then follow appropriate post-interview etiquette.
Specific Activities and Goals
- Understand the interview structure and the scoring process, which evaluates behavioral benchmarks.
- Map one or two accomplishments to each ECQ (and/or MTQ) and its respective competencies, as defined by OPM, to create a response that matches the structured interview format.
- Use a proven method for developing a narrative response to the interview questions.
- Create a framework for responding, most importantly, to the performance based standard question, “Provide an example of how you have used your expertise to…?”
- Learn the best ways of answering other types of questions, such as “Tell us about yourself and what makes you a good applicant for this position?” and “How would you handle the following scenario…?”
- Practice your responses in a mock MS Teams interview, which you should record for later review, answering questions we have tailored expressly for you.
- Use insights gained during the critique, provided during session 2, to improve your eventual interview performance.
Success story
I just wanted to share my good news with you! I was notified this week that I got the SES job that I applied for. I have your assistance to thank for my big turnaround from my first SES interview to the next. The feedback from the selecting official was I improved my performance 200%!
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Senior SES Trainers are expert in training executives for the SES Application and QRB Interview Process.
Government Leadership Training: Consultation and writing services help you get to the QRB Interview. Our certified SES writers teach ECQ writing and the structured interview inside federal agencies, in half-day, full-day, and multi-day hands-on classes.