Mentoring Case Studies
Interview Practice
Issue: Amanda wanted to practice an interview she was having in a few days time for a more senior evaluation role in a different public sector organization. She was looking be tested on her preparation so far, and for feedback on what she was doing well in terms of interview technique and where she could improve.
Prior to the session: Amanda sent me a copy of the job description and her cover letter. I drew on these, and my extensive experience of interviewing for similar roles in the UK public sector, to develop a set of questions for a 45 minute mock interview.
What we did in the session: I explained that I would stay “in character” for the full 45 minute interview, and asked that Amanda do the same. I asked questions covering: why she wanted the job and why she should be hired; the key technical and “soft” competencies set out in the job description; and the strategic objectives of the organization and how her role could support those. I then provided feedback relating to her overall performance, and answers to specific questions.
Outcome: Amanda felt reassured that she had responded well to a tough grilling, both in terms of content and presentation. She identified several areas where she wanted to make her answers more compelling, and a couple of areas where she needed to do more background reading ahead of the interview. She went into the interview with increased confidence and was successful in securing an offer.
Choosing the right job
Issue: Kat was considering to move from her current role as an economist forecasting the mining sector. She already had an offer to join a regulated energy company, and was close to getting a firm offer from a firm in the real estate sector. She wanted help examining and refining her decision framework, and my advice on which role looked best and on how best to negotiate with her current and potential employers.
What we did in the session: I asked Kat to compare the three roles across several dimensions. She did so in terms of remuneration, commuting, and technical content; I then prompted her to compare them on some other dimensions (such as fit with her values, longer-term career aspirations and lifestyle choices, and what she had learned about the types of work which gave her most satisfaction). I provided advice on how she could respond to the two hiring managers – to push (politely) for better remuneration for the role she had already been offered (while delaying signing the contract) and request an expedited decision from the second role.
Outcome: Kat gained more clarity on her decision-making framework and what further information she wanted to gather. She decided to work systematically through the expanded framework, come to a preliminary decision, then talk that through with me in a follow up session in a weeks time. In the meantime, she followed my advice in how to respond to the two potential employer.
Getting Promoted
Issue: Nick has been at his current level for 5 years and wants to be promoted. This is a significant step up, with lots of internal competition. He tried during the last promotion round, got good feedback, but wasn’t successful.
What we did in the session: Nick took me through the feedback he had received from his previous promotion interview. We discussed how he had tried to address it, and explained the importance of having “a good story to tell” about this at his next interview. I suggested some further steps he could take to demonstrate he had taken the feedback seriously. I then asked Nick to talk me through his promotion “pitch” at a high level, and I gave him some ideas on what he could emphasize more, such as his energetic and innovative approach to use of some cutting edge IT tools in his current role, and his track record in promoting diversity and inclusion in his current role.
Outcome: At the end of the session, Nick had. much clearer idea of the preparation he needed to do ahead of the next promotion round. He committed to working up an action plan for the next 4 months and wanted to test that on me at a follow up session.