The interview coach's role and code
A swimming coach does not swim the race for you. The coach watches you practise, tells you one thing to fix, and cheers when you try again. An interview coach is the same: the other person does the talking, and you help them get better at it.
- Before this course: Senior Interviews: panels, case questions and offers (course 8.2.3). You already prepared for panels, case questions, presentations and offers yourself. This course turns you around: now you help other people prepare.
- Three different roles (general practice):
| Role | Whose side? | What they do |
|---|---|---|
| Interview coach | The candidate's | Helps one person prepare, practise and improve |
| Interviewer or panel member | The employer's | Asks questions and scores answers for a real job |
| Mentor | The person's career | Shares their own experience and advice over time |
- Do not coach a candidate for a job where you also sit on the hiring panel. That mixes two sides.
- A professional reference point: the International Coaching Federation (ICF) groups its coaching core competencies into four domains: Foundation, Co-Creating the Relationship, Communicating Effectively, and Cultivating Learning and Growth.
- The ICF says its Code of Ethics guides the conduct of ICF members and credential holders. Its ethics pages highlight confidentiality (what is shared stays private unless the client agrees), transparency (clear expectations, agreements and scope), a non-judgmental space, and professional integrity.
- ICF credentials (from the ICF's own page; this course is not one of them):
| Credential | Coach-specific education | Coaching experience | Mentor coaching |
|---|---|---|---|
| Associate Certified Coach (ACC) | 60+ hours | 100+ hours | 10 hours |
| Professional Certified Coach (PCC) | 125+ hours | 500+ hours | 10 hours |
| Master Certified Coach (MCC) | 200+ hours (PCC first) | 2,500+ hours | 10 hours |
- Your coaching agreement should say: the goal (which job or interview), how many sessions, what stays confidential, whether you record (only with consent) and what you will not do.
- The honesty rule: never write fake stories, invent experience or teach someone to lie. You help people tell their true stories clearly. Interviewers ask follow-up questions, and invented answers fall apart.
- Write "Before this course: Senior Interviews, course 8.2.3" at the top of a page.
- Write one sentence about your role: "I help [who] prepare for [which interviews] by [how]."
- Draft a one-page coaching agreement with five headings: goal, sessions, confidentiality, recording, limits.
- Under "limits", write what you will not do (for example, write answers for them, give legal advice, coach for a panel you sit on).
- Ask a friend to read the agreement and tell you anything that is unclear.
- Check: a new client could read your page and know what you will and will not do.
Videos by other creators on YouTube, for reference. They are not made by or affiliated with The Future Market.
Read the video script
[Host] "An interview coach is like a swimming coach. You do not swim the race. You help the swimmer."
[Screen: three boxes: coach, interviewer, mentor] "A coach helps the candidate. An interviewer scores for the employer. Do not be both for the same job."
[Text on screen: Confidential, Clear, Non-judgmental, Honest] "Keep what they share private, agree clear terms, do not judge, and stay honest."
[Host] "And never write fake stories. Help people tell their true stories well."
Write your one-page coaching agreement and your one-sentence role. Keep them for the final project.
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For a grown-up: Claude is for adults (18+). Copy this, paste it into Claude, and use the answer to explain the lesson to your child.
I'm learning "Interview Coach: coach others and run mock interviews" on The Future Market. Lesson 1: "The interview coach's role and code". What the lesson teaches: - Before this course: Senior Interviews: panels, case questions and offers (course 8.2.3). You already prepared for panels, case questions, presentations and offers yourself. This course turns you around: now you help other people prepare. - Three different roles (general practice): - Role - Whose side? - What they do - Interview coach - The candidate's - Helps one person prepare, practise and improve - Interviewer or panel member - The employer's - Asks questions and scores answers for a real job - Mentor - The person's career - Shares their own experience and advice over time - Do not coach a candidate for a job where you also sit on the hiring panel. That mixes two sides. The exercise I'm working on: Write your one-page coaching agreement and your one-sentence role. Keep them for the final project. I'm stuck. Please: 1. Explain the main idea in plain, simple words with one everyday example. 2. Walk me through the exercise one small step at a time. Ask me what I've done so far before giving the next step. 3. Don't just give me the final answer. Help me do it myself, and check my work when I share it.
I'm a parent helping my child (about 8 years old) with a lesson called "The interview coach's role and code" from the course "Interview Coach: coach others and run mock interviews". Here's what the lesson says: A swimming coach does not swim the race for you. The coach watches you practise, tells you one thing to fix, and cheers when you try again. An interview coach is the same: the other person does the talking, and you help them get better at it. The activity: Write your one-page coaching agreement and your one-sentence role. Keep them for the final project. Please explain this so an 8-year-old understands: short sentences, a fun everyday example, and no hard words. Then give me 3 simple questions I can ask my child to check they understood, and a way to do the activity together, one tiny step at a time.
Sources
- ICF, Core competencies: coachingfederation.org/credentials-and-standards/core-competencies
- ICF, Coaching ethics: coachingfederation.org/credentialing/coaching-ethics/
- ICF, Credentials overview: coachingfederation.org/credentialing/icf-credentials-overview/
Build a structured mock interview kit
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Run the mock like a trained interviewer
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Score fairly and calibrate with other raters
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Feedback that changes the next answer
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Coaching nerves and language barriers
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Fair and lawful practice for coaches and hiring teams
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Lead a mock-interview clinic and train new coaches
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Final project
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Quiz
What is the main difference between an interview coach and an interviewer?
A coach helps the candidate prepare; an interviewer asks and scores for the employer.
Should a coach write a story the candidate did not live?
No. Help people tell their true stories clearly; never invent experience.
What is a behavioural question?
A question about how the person really acted in a past situation.
What is a situational question?
A realistic job scenario where the person explains what they would do.
Why give each level of the rating scale an example answer?
So raters share one picture of a good answer and score consistently.
What should your interview notes record?
What the person says, as close to their words as possible.
What should you get before recording a mock interview?
Clear consent, plus an agreement on where it is kept and when it is deleted.
What is the halo effect?
Letting a high score on one competency raise the scores on others.
In a panel, when do members agree a consensus score?
After each member has rated on their own first.
What is the order of SBI feedback?
Situation, Behaviour, Impact, then a next step.
How should a coach respond if a client's worry is very strong or lasts a long time?
Encourage them to talk to a doctor or qualified health professional.
How should a job post describe a language requirement?
As a skill level (for example "native-level skills"), not as being a native speaker.
Final exam
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Certificate
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