Interview Preparation
Congratulations! You made it to the interview! Federal interviews are scored, so preparation and practice can make a huge difference. Work with a Certified Federal Career Coach® to practice and boost your confidence.
Behavior-Based Interview coaching
Interview Quick Prep is coaching for the Behavior-Based Interview, the format federal panels use at the GS levels. Start with the option that matches your situation.
Interviewing at the GS level?
You are in the right place. Interview Quick Prep, $595: two 45-minute sessions of fast, focused practice for a federal interview already on the calendar.
Preparing for the SES Structured Interview?
That is a different service: SES Structured Interview Preparation, $780, with an executive coach. The $595 Interview Quick Prep is for non-SES interviews.
Learn more 03Behavior-Based Interview Workshops
We bring the behavior-based interview workshop to your agency, so your staff can coach the interview format federal panels use at every level.
Learn moreWhat the $595 covers
The package
One flat fee, both sessions. Your coach is a Certified Federal Career Coach matched to your target job and your interview date.
- Two private 45-minute coaching sessions, by phone or virtual meeting.
- Practice built for the structured, performance-based interview.
- Coaching on your interview stories in the CCAR format: Context, Challenge, Action, Results.
- Feedback that tells you how your answers will be scored.
Why it works
With the performance-based interview, the interviewer defines the skills the job needs and structures the questions to draw out behavioral examples of your past performance. Because separate KSA narratives are gone from USAJOBS, the interview carries more weight than ever. Preparing means choosing and practicing the right stories before you are in the room.
Write your interview accomplishment stories with the RP Accomplishment Builder
Resume Place invented a wonderful accomplishment writing tool: the RP Accomplishment Builder. Write your interview accomplishments with this easy tool. No password, no account. It is free.
Open the RP Accomplishment Builder and draft your stories before your first coaching session.
Interview storytelling is best with the CCAR method
Interview stories are built on the CCAR model, the same structure the interviewer scores against. Your coach works every story into this shape.
Context
Name the setting: the agency, the team, and the environment you worked within.
Challenge
Describe the specific problem or goal in front of you.
Action
The specific actions you took to address the challenge, in active voice.
Results
Specific, measurable results the interviewer can score.
How the sessions run
Two 45-minute sessions, by phone or virtual meeting
Tell us about your target job and your interview date, and we match you with the right coach.
Write your stories
Write your interview stories with our free CCAR Accomplishment Builder before the first session.
Session one: practice
Practice the structured format with your coach and learn what the questions are really scoring.
Session two: sharpen
Rehearse your answers, tighten your stories, and get the feedback that builds confidence.
Walk in ready
Want to see what a strong interview story looks like first? Read accomplishments written in the CCAR format.
Meet your interview coaches
Our coaches are carefully selected and trained as Certified Federal Resume Writers®, Certified Federal Job Search Trainers®, and Certified Federal Career Coaches®, with the range of professional experience to prepare you for any federal or private industry interview.
Success story
Your interview prep session was awesome and I felt very prepared going into my interview. This was my first promotional interview, and if I had not walked through it with you I would have been in right field. I was provided a final job offer yesterday for the STEM position, and I accepted!
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Be prepared
Practice with an expert coach and walk into your interview ready and confident.