Speed Mock Interviews 1:1
Intensive mock interview session for individual coaching
🎯 Main Objective
Develop the client’s ability to answer concisely, clearly, and convincingly under time pressure, improving their presence and confidence for real interviews.
Specific Objectives:
- Conciseness: Answer complex questions in a maximum of 2 minutes
- Structure: Apply frameworks like STAR naturally
- Presence: Maintain confident body language under pressure
- Adaptability: Adjust the message based on different interviewer styles
- Self-awareness: Identify personal response patterns
📋 Required Materials
For both coach and client
Categorized by level and type
For tracking patterns
4 interviewer styles
For later review
To structure answers
⏰ Detailed Schedule (60 minutes)
Check-in and Preparation
Review session objectives, client’s emotional state, and set up the space. Explain the dynamics and establish a “practice lab” mindset.
Warm-up: Personal Introduction
Basic question to break the ice and set a baseline. The coach acts as a friendly interviewer.
Round 1: Behavioral Questions
2 STAR questions. The coach switches to an “analytical” style. Detailed feedback on structure and examples.
Break and Strategy Adjustment
Micro-break for the client to process feedback and adjust their approach. The coach prepares the next style.
Round 2: Technical/Specific Questions
2 questions related to specific skills. The coach adopts a “direct executive” style.
Round 3: Challenging Questions
2 tough questions or hypothetical situations. The coach acts as a “skeptic” to create pressure.
Debrief and Action Plan
Reflection on identified patterns, discovered strengths, and a specific improvement plan for upcoming interviews.
🎭 Roles and Responsibilities
👨💼 Coach’s Role
- Interviewer: Adopt different personalities
- Observer: Take notes on non-verbal patterns
- Timekeeper: Enforce strict timing
- Feedback provider: Give specific, actionable insights
- Motivator: Maintain the client’s energy and confidence
🎯 Client’s Role
- Candidate: Answer as in a real interview
- Experimenter: Try different approaches
- Active receiver: Apply feedback immediately
- Self-observer: Notice your own reactions
- Practitioner: Step out of your comfort zone
❓ Question Bank by Round
🔥 Warm-up (Choose 1)
- “Tell me about yourself in 90 seconds”
- “What motivates you to look for new opportunities?”
- “What would you say is your professional superpower?”
- “What do you know about our company and why are you interested?”
⭐ Behavioral STAR (Choose 2)
- “Tell me about a project where you had to lead without formal authority”
- “Describe a situation where you had to handle multiple conflicting priorities”
- “Tell me about a time you received tough feedback and how you handled it”
- “Tell me about a significant mistake you made and what you learned”
- “Describe a situation where you had to influence someone who disagreed with you”
- “Tell me about a time you had to learn something completely new under pressure”
🔧 Technical/Specific (Choose 2)
- “What is your process for [key job skill]?”
- “How do you stay up to date in your field?”
- “Explain [technical concept] as if to someone with no experience”
- “What tools or methodologies do you prefer and why?”
- “Describe the most technically complex project you’ve managed”
- “How would you approach [role-specific problem]?”
🚀 Challenging (Choose 2)
- “What has been your biggest professional failure and what did you do about it?”
- “Why should we hire you instead of 50 other candidates?”
- “How would you handle a situation where you lack the required experience?”
- “If you were CEO for a day, what would you change in this industry?”
- “What would you do if your boss asked you to do something against your values?”
- “Convince me that your target salary is worth paying”
🎭 Interviewer Styles for the Coach
🤝 The Friendly (Warm-up)
Behavior: Smiles, nods, asks follow-up questions
Body language: Relaxed, leaning forward
Goal: Build trust and establish baseline
🔍 The Analytical (Round 1)
Behavior: Takes notes, asks for specifics, interrupts to clarify
Body language: Serious, focused, intense eye contact
Goal: Assess structure and depth of answers
👔 The Direct Executive (Round 2)
Behavior: Gets to the point, cuts off if too long, seeks results
Body language: Impatient, checks the time, quick gestures
Goal: Force concision and results orientation
😐 The Skeptic (Round 3)
Behavior: Questions everything, serious face, challenging questions
Body language: Arms crossed, frown, leans back
Goal: Create pressure and assess stress management
📊 Structured Feedback Framework
🎯 SBI + Impact Model (2 minutes per question)
Use this structure for each feedback:
1. Situation (15 seconds)
“In your answer about the leadership project…”
2. Observed Behavior (30 seconds)
“I noticed you started with detailed context, used specific examples, but lost the STAR structure in the Result part…”
3. Impact (30 seconds)
“This made the answer credible but hard to follow. An interviewer might lose track of the value you delivered…”
4. Specific Suggestion (45 seconds)
“Next time, try starting with the result: ‘I achieved X, and here’s how…’ Then give minimal context and focus on your specific actions.”
✨ Elements to Observe and Comment On
- Structure: Did they follow a clear framework?
- Conciseness: Did they respect time without losing value?
- Specificity: Did they provide concrete examples and metrics?
- Body language: Did they project confidence?
- Connection: Did they maintain eye contact and engagement?
- Adaptation: Did they adapt to the interviewer’s style?
📝 Scripts and Key Phrases for the Coach
🎬 Session Kickoff
“Today we’re going to simulate real interviews with different interviewer types. My job is to put you in challenging situations so you show up better prepared for your real interviews. Ready to step out of your comfort zone?”
⏰ Time Control
“You have a maximum of 2 minutes for this answer. In real interviews, long answers lose the interviewer’s attention. Starting… now!”
🔄 Transition Between Styles
“Now I’m going to change my style. Imagine the next interviewer is [style description]. Notice how your energy and approach can adapt.”
💡 Constructive Feedback
“What worked very well was… What we could adjust for greater impact is… How did you feel during that answer? What did you notice about your own behavior?”
🎯 Session Close
“What are the top 3 insights you’re taking away? What are you going to practice specifically before your next real interview?”
🚨 Important Considerations
⚠️ Managing Pressure
- Calibrate intensity based on the client’s personality
- If they freeze, pause and lower the pressure
- Constantly remind that this is practice, not evaluation
- Celebrate small improvements to maintain confidence
🎯 Maximize Learning
- Record the session if the client is comfortable (audio only)
- Take specific notes on recurring patterns
- Have the client self-evaluate before you give your feedback
- Connect to real situations the client has experienced
- Assign specific “homework” to practice between sessions
✨ Variations by Client
- Nervous client: More time in warm-up, gentler feedback
- Overconfident client: More pressure, more challenging questions
- Junior client: Focus on structure and basic examples
- Senior client: Leadership and strategic vision questions
- Industry switch: Questions on transferability of skills
🎯 Final Debrief Questions
For the client (individual reflection – 2 minutes):
- At what moment did you feel most/least confident and why?
- Which answer felt most natural to you?
- What pattern did you notice in how you respond?
- What was your biggest surprise about your own performance?
For coach-client discussion (6 minutes):
- “What differences did you notice between the interviewer styles?”
- “Which of your answers do you think was most convincing and why?”
- “What specific adjustment will you make for your next real interview?”
- “How will you practice this between now and your next interview?”
- “What questions would you like us to practice in the next session?”
🔗 Connection with CareerRoadmap
💡 Post-Session Integration
Guide the client to connect learnings with their roadmap:
- Update STAR examples with the most effective versions practiced
- Identify skill gaps that surfaced in technical questions
- Refine elevator pitch based on concision feedback
- Document tough questions for additional practice
- Plan next steps for development based on insights
- Schedule follow-up to review progress in real interviews
📋 Homework
- Practice the 3 answers that were hardest (5 min daily)
- Record your elevator pitch and evaluate using session criteria
- Prepare 2 smart questions for interviewers
- Research a target company using insights from the session