You know the drill for job interviews: research, prepare, and be ready for the toughest interview questions.

Some questions inevitably trip candidates up. “What’s your greatest weakness?“ is a famous one. The typical advice you’ll find is to prepare for the interview by practicing your answers, and role-play it with a friend (if you’re really serious).

Preparation is key to landing any job; and role-playing your interview answers is going to do nothing but help you. That’s the truth.

Having said that, I want to suggest that you kick it up a notch: hire a career coach to role play job interview questions with you.

Think of it this way: You will get better at your golf game by going to the driving range or playing a few holes with your buddies–your skills will improve over time with practice and the competition from your friends. But if you were really serious about improving your swing or wanted to get Phil Mickelson good, you’d find a coach.

So how serious are you about your job search?

A coach can help you

* construct answers that sell you as a candidate for the most common interview questions as well as the toughest ones.
* take your personal history into account so that you don’t answer standard interview questions with the same standard answers everyone else gives–you’ll be memorable.
* practice closing the deal (many candidates find this difficult to master–but it’s vital).

Think about hiring a career coach before you go to your next interview. Seriously.

Author's Bio: 

Peggy McKee has over 15 years of experience in sales, sales management, recruiting, and coaching. Her website, Career Confidential => http://www.career-confidential.com is packed with job-landing tips and advice as well as the practical, powerful, innovative tools every job seeker needs to be successful.

Find out more about what she can do for you as your career coach—job-search strategies, social media help, role-playing interview questions, resumes that get the interview, 30/60/90-day plans that get the job, and much more at => http://www.phcconsulting.com/customized-consulting-services.htm.

Learn to be the candidate that everyone wants to hire.