Coaching practices for What Not to Say in Job Interviews

Describe almost anything you are working through and IX Coach finds the practices whose real-world fit is closest. For What Not to Say in Job Interviews, these are the strongest matches in the current practice library.

Does this sound like the set of challenges you might be facing?

• I’ve got the conversation booked but I’m staring at a blank page of questions, worried I’ll waste their time asking things I could’ve Googled
• When I talk to people in the field they give me the polished official version, and I walk away no clearer on what the day-to-day actually feels like
• Someone asks "so what are you looking for?" and I ramble out something vague and apologetic
• I want to message someone in a field I’m curious about, but I freeze on what to even say
• The conversation goes great and then it just...

Practices that may help

1. Prepare questions you genuinely don’t know the answer to
   Ask about the unwritten realities of the role — the things no job posting reveals.
   Informational Interviews: Career Research That Builds Your Network
2. Listen for what isn’t in the job description
   Focus on the texture of day-to-day work, not the official narrative.
   Informational Interviews: Career Research That Builds Your Network
3. Practise your story before you need it
   Have a clear, genuine two-minute narrative about who you are and where you’re headed.
   Informational Interviews: Career Research That Builds Your Network
4. Request the conversation the right way
   A short, specific, no-pressure request gets far more responses than a vague networking ask.
   Informational Interviews: Career Research That Builds Your Network
5. Close every informational interview with one forward step
   End by asking: "Is there someone else you think I should talk to?"
   Informational Interviews: Career Research That Builds Your Network
6. Invite input explicitly and specifically
   Ask for candid input on a specific topic — not "any thoughts?" but "where do you see this plan failing?"
   Psychological Safety in Teams
7. Build and work a target list of roles and organisations
   Replace passive job board browsing with active research into specific organisations you want to understand.
   Informational Interviews: Career Research That Builds Your Network
8. Say no by reference to your priorities, not your schedule
   Decline non-essential requests by citing what matters more, not by claiming you lack time.
   Big Rocks First
9. Appear confident even when you don’t feel it
   Maintain eye contact, a level voice, and an upright posture — confidence is performed before it’s felt.
   DEAR MAN: DBT’s Skill for Asking for What You Want Effectively
10. Run an accusation audit before difficult asks
    Name the worst things the other person might think about you or your request — before they do.
    Labeling Emotions in Negotiation, Made Practical

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