I was coaching a client recently on prepping for an interview. I asked him to practice his personal narrative, to answer the question, “So tell me about yourself and why you’re interested in this position.”
I drifted for a moment as I listened to his answer.
I recently interviewed for an executive coaching gig. And I paused and stumbled over my personal narrative. I even have it written out, a coherent explanation of how a professional coach with an MBA who writes makes sense.
But I hadn’t even thought about it before my interview. I hadn’t practiced or prepared.
I asked my client how he was going to mentally prepare for the interview.
He admitted that he usually crams before an interview.
Damn it! That’s exactly what I did. I crammed right up until the phone rang, reviewing my Evidence-Based Coaching Handbook, looking for particularly smart things to say.
“How are you going to get yourself centered and calm before your interview?” I asked.
“I get centered if I go for a bike ride,” my client said. “Or meditate.”
Me, too. I was too busy cramming to go for a run. And my reward for cramming was being shaky on the phone.
Next time I’ll do as I say.
