Teaching Students to Effectively Talk About Themselves

True Voice helps high school and college students present themselves authentically and compellingly. Whether they are interviewing for college admission, looking to land a coveted internship or job, or they are applying to a graduate program, students need to learn to express themselves in a way that helps people understand who they really are. 

Using skills and tactics developed as a radio and television reporter, as a media trainer for executives at Fortune 500 companies and at non-profit institutions, and as an alumni admissions interviewer who has conducted dozens of interviews with high school seniors, I can help students with both their interview skills and their essay writing. Through storytelling, students will learn to help colleges, potential employers, or graduate programs understand who they are and what they have to offer.

This service is not aimed at helping students who are laser focused on one or two elite institutions. The goal of this coaching is to help students present themselves authentically to help schools make good decisions about them. Hopefully this will result in the best possible match.

At the same time, True Voice can help students prepare and ask good questions during an interview to help them make well-informed decisions about their own futures.

WHAT KIND OF STUDENT CAN BENEFIT FROM COACHING?

Coaching can be an important way to help any student prepare for interviews, whether it's for college, an internship or a job. In an age of social media and digital interaction, many students can use help developing the ability to confidently talk about themselves face to face.

In addition, coaching can help students develop and tell compelling stories for college essays and other written applications. The process of preparing for interviews will also help uncover good angles and approaches for essays.  True Voice can provide guidance and coaching to help students write essays that will stand out and present a student's true self. 

HOW IMPORTANT ARE INTERVIEW SKILLS FOR COLLEGE ADMISSIONS?

The importance of the college interview depends heavily on the college. Many colleges and universities no longer require interviews for admission. Often larger universities won't even offer interviews due to the difficulty of accommodating a large number of applicants and the variable quality of interviews when they have to use alumni volunteers.

That said, there are still many colleges and Universities that either require or highly recommend an interview. For these schools, the interview can at the very least be an opportunity to get the admissions office to pause and perhaps take another look at an application. In some cases the interview is weighed heavily in the admission decision.

If you are curious about whether the schools your child is considering require or recommend interviews here are a couple of links that have some information: (please note the lists presented on these sites are not comprehensive. The safest bet is to contact the schools that your child is considering to find out whether or not they offer interviews.)

While interviews are viewed differently by institution, the college essay is more universally seen as a valuable admissions tool.  True Voice can help students develop compelling angles and ideas for essays and we offer coaching to help students evolve and hone their writing to present a clear vision of who they really are. 

Obviously, there are many factors that go into college admissions and True Voice does not offer college counseling or test preparation training. What we can do is help your child use the interview and essay to his or her advantage, to try to get the admissions office to pause and thoughtfully consider the application. Our goal is to help students use storytelling to let people get to know them and undderstand what drives them. These are skills that will serve them well for college admissions and into the future.

CAN COACHING BE CATERED FOR JOB INTERVIEWS OR GRADUATE PROGRAMS?

Absolutely! We can work with students at any stage to help them prepare for whatever is next. This can include:

• College Admissions - General Interview Prep

• College Admissions - Practice session for a specific interview

• Internship interviews

• Graduate School interviews

• Job interviews

How are the coaching services priced?

We offer package deals based on your needs. This could include:

• Initial consultation 

• Mock interview session

• Coaching and tips based on the mock interview

• Essay coaching including brainstorming topics, developing approaches, and editing drafts until completion

• Second mock interview to practice and hone skills

• Parent session to help parents learn to constructively help students prepare for interviews

• Targeted training sessions for specific upcoming interviews

When you contact True Voice we can discuss the various options and package costs.