Testimonials

“I approached Cara for some advice on an upcoming interview for a senior leadership role.  Up until then, I had been an interviewer many times in my career and thought I knew all there was to know about interviewing and the formats of responses…  it turns out there was more to learn!

The role I was applying for was a senior leader of leaders role which was a significant change for me, I had previously been a leader of individual team members, but had even been out of this type of role for a few years.

I had prepared my responses to many example questions and Cara put me through my paces on the questions in a mock interview style.  She critiqued my responses in her very unique and kind way, probing to see how these could be developed.  

She quickly identified that although my answers had good information, I needed to remember the level of the role I was interviewing for.   It was therefore important to provide additional detail and focus to the leadership elements of my examples, in order to fully answer the question.

This is what makes Cara exceptional at her job, she takes you through the job description and ensures that your preparations are pitched  correctly for the job you have applied.  This I can tell is the key to interview success, not just remembering and recalling examples. 

I am delighted to say I have achieved the job role that I have been working towards for my entire career.”

— Helen, Belfast

“As a coach, Cara has an uncanny ability to be able to drill down into the job description and extract the relevant detail relating to likely lines of questioning at interview. I engaged Cara to assist me with preparation for recruiting leadership positions. She was able to focus my mind on what mattered and helped me prepare targeted and detailed examples related to my experience. 

I was impressed with Cara’s thoroughness, knowledge and professionalism. She was personable and just seems to “get it”. Going into the interview I was ready, prepared and confident. I have now landed an amazing job as a UK and Ireland Talent Acquisition Manager!

I would have no hesitation with engaging with Cara again in the future and to recommend others to do likewise.” 

— Gary, Belfast

“After 20 years in the same career, I was ready for a complete change of direction, but had no idea how to go about making it happen. Luckily, I met Cara and through our coaching sessions we were able to home in on where my passions lay, what my strengths are, what I truly wanted from my career and the requirements I had for any new role. She was so friendly and encouraging throughout the whole process, yet very professional at the same time. She went out of her way to help me and once I had settled on which career to aim for, she provided guidance and support for enhancing my CV and writing cover letters. I now have a career goal that excites and energises me, with a clear action plan on how to get there. I would recommend Cara’s services to anyone in my situation.”

— Lisa, Dundonald

“I moved from Belfast to London to pursue a career in fashion right before the pandemic hit. Even being accepted for interview became a rare opportunity in a city with plummeting opportunities and stiff competition. After months of unemployment, I was finding it extremely difficult to motivate myself. Every day seemed to start with another rejection email which took its toll on my confidence and self-esteem. After a number of months my energy became completely drained and I felt defeated!

I was referred to Cara to help shift my mindset and approach to interviews. She instantly began rebuilding the confidence that I had lost and prepared me for my next interview. Her professional yet personal approach quickly pin-pointed the areas that I needed to focus on and helped me approach them in a more constructive way.

In order to help me land interviews in the current climate Cara also health-checked my CV and cover letter, sharing templates and explaining the best way for my CV to make an impact.

After attending the interview that Cara helped me prepare for, I was actually delighted to hear that I got rejected because I was over-qualified! I received really excellent feedback from the company and realised I may have been aiming too low to begin with.

I soon realised that from the help of Cara, I had the confidence and skills to start my own business as a freelancer while the pandemic plays out. It was a real confidence boost and I know that if I am to return to full-time employment when the industry begins to open up again I will be much better prepared. I can’t thank her enough.”

— Caroline, London

“Coaching with Cara was fantastic, an investment that really paid off for me. She is extremely knowledgeable about interview processes, is friendly and very helpful. I had two sessions with Cara on preparing for a high-level interview for which I was nervous and confused about. She made me feel at ease and comfortable right from the start.

In advance of our meeting Cara had reviewed the company’s interview processes, analysed the competencies covered and prepared sample questions for me. I was guided through question scenarios and coached as to how to focus and structure my responses. She offered invaluable guidance on how to deliver answers with structure and confidence. I was impressed at how organised the session was and how it catered for the interview so well.

She challenged my perception of an interview and I felt she was very nurturing throughout the process. Cara was extremely encouraging, friendly and always went above and beyond. I felt comfortable during our discussions and went into my interview feeling prepared and confident.

Stellar Impact would be great for anyone no matter how accomplished they may be at interviews, I cannot recommend highly enough!”

— Jeffrey, Belfast 

’’Cara far beyond exceeded my expectations. I was interviewing for jobs as a neurologist and while I have no issues answering factual questions, when it comes to personal questions, I tend to blank out. Cara guided me on how to put my disjointed thoughts and memories into concise descriptive language. Something I had always found difficult. She was very professional, non judgmental and extremely knowledgeable. I felt so comfortable with her.

I was also very impressed with how much work she put into preparing for our coaching session, by the way of learning about Neurology jobs as a whole, in order to make sure our approach is at just the right angle.

I couldn’t recommend Cara enough. I think any person would massively benefit by working with her.”

— Steph, London

“I have been working in Accountancy for 16 years but haven’t had a job interview since university milk round.  To say I was extremely nervous to attend interviews was an understatement.  

I was referred to Cara and I couldn’t believe my luck. From the very first call she was a fantastic mix between professionalism and craic, making me feel right at ease. Cara carried out an initial consultation with me, spoke through interview techniques and then arranged a mock interview. The interview was based fully on the core competencies from the job spec. After each question she gave me critique and made me understand how to develop my responses. I felt really prepared for my interview.

I got on really well in my first interview and was called for a second. I didn’t get the role but was the second choice, so was really pleased.  

I firmly believe I wouldn’t have got as far in the process if I didn’t have Cara’s help. I really can’t thank her enough.”

— Elaine, Belfast