How Public Speaking Coaching Can Help You Nail Your Next Bay Area Job Interview

Something I learned years ago about job-seeking in the San Francisco Bay Area is that we often look at the intense competition for a position as something to be anxious about when it comes time to interview. I totally get it: nailing a job interview can feel like a major test.

But what if I told you that the key to interview success has less to do with whether you are qualified and more to do with how you communicate and connect?

Here’s the thing: if you already landed the interview, they already believe in your qualifications. Sure, there might be some finer points that they’ll want to know more about, but this is exactly where presentation — and not just bullet points on a resume — are going to make all the difference.

How do I know this? I’ve worked with literally hundreds of job seekers to prepare for interviews, and one of the most important take-aways I’ve had is this: developing your public speaking toolkit is an absolute game-changer when it comes to securing your dream role.

Too often, job candidates start the interview process already down a peg because they are imagining a hundred different ways things could go wrong, convinced that they’ll stumble over their words, forget what they were talking about, or fail to impress the hiring manager. If this already sounds too close to home, let me interrupt that negative self-talk straight away: have you thought about all the ways in which the interviewer is actually rooting for you to succeed? 

Consider it for just a moment: the interviewer’s goal is to find the best fit for the role. That means they want you to showcase your skills and expertise. If you put yourself in their shoes, you’ll quickly realize it’s their job to find the right person for the role — like, literally… it’s in their actual job description. This means your success becomes their success. They’re looking for you to shine!

This mindset shift is where public speaking coaching can be incredibly powerful. By learning techniques to reframe how you think about the interview, you have more tools for managing nerves so you can spend more of your incredible brain power engaging your audience and conveying your value with authenticity. I call this the opportunity mindset, and it is the first step to make a lasting impression.

It’s common for jobseekers to invent rules for themselves that actually have nothing to do with a strong interview performance. One of these made-up rules that I’ve seen again and again is the belief that you have to respond immediately to a question once it’s asked. Usually the assumption here is that a quick response communicates confidence and shows that you have all the answers. It’s actually the opposite. People who are unsure of themselves tend to speak a lot without saying much. They cover up nervousness or uncertainty with a lot of talking and not a whole lot of meaning. 

One common way this happens is starting every response with some form of, “That’s a great question” — even worse when the question is boiler plate and completely predictable!

“Tell us about a challenge you’ve faced and how you overcame it.”

“Great question!”

Womp, womp. Notice that it wasn’t even actually a question.

The issue with filler responses are that they run down the clock without moving you toward the goal posts, and far too many interviewees do it. Complimenting the interviewer with empty praise is not an effective strategy. Good hiring managers don’t pass up qualified candidates because the candidate didn’t praise the interview questions enough.

Instead, learn to pause. Give yourself a few seconds to collect your thoughts, and then respond with thoughtful, well-structured answers that demonstrate your expertise and offer specific examples. One non-verbal tool to communicate this is to look up or off to the side as you think through your response. It’s actually quite powerful when done strategically and in the right amount. Compare that to wandering through a response because you are busy trying to think of an answer while talking at the same time. 

Even if you have a lot to say about a topic, try not to over-explain because that too can suggest that you don’t understand the point of the question or that you don’t trust your own answer. Remember, unless they specifically ask for it, your job is not to detail every possible response or scenario. It’s so much more common these days for hiring managers not to know every intricacy of the jobs they are hiring for, so overloading your response with a huge info dump or using a lot of highly specialized jargon can just get in the way of what the interviewer most wants to know. 

Here’s a phrase to keep in your back pocket in case you are not sure how much detail they want or will understand but need to keep things succinct: “I’d be happy to elaborate a bit more on that if you’d like.” And then move on. Trust that they’ll let you know if they need the extra detail.

Here’s the key takeaway: confidence is not about making them like you — it’s about making a clear choice about what you want to say, saying it, and trusting your judgement.

So, how exactly can public speaking coaching help you nail your next Bay Area job interview? Here are a few key areas to focus on:

Mindset Mastery
Coaching can help you reframe your self-talk, challenge limiting beliefs, and cultivate a confident, positive mindset. Remember, you’re not just there to impress the interviewer — you’re also there to assess whether the role and company are a good fit for you. Try to imagine the interview as more of an exchange between two parties that each have something valuable to offer the other.

Authentic Presence
Rather than trying to act like the candidate you think they want to see, public speaking training can help you hone in on your unique strengths and use them to your greatest advantage. Becoming more comfortable being your true self will help generate trust and goes a long way toward making a good impression. This allows your personality and unique strengths to shine through.

Effective Communication
It is a common misconception that public speaking training is all about eye contact, hand gestures, and avoiding filler words. Many of my clients have been surprised to learn that a key part of effective communication is knowing how to connect with someone else — not how many times you say, “Um.” If you know who is interviewing you, look them up on LinkedIn and see where they went to school. If it feels appropriate, you could make some small talk by saying, “I see you went to San Francisco State. How’d you like it?”

Mechanics
Always have questions at the end. I know some interviews can really cover a lot more ground than you originally expect, but you should still avoid using the cop-out, “You’ve actually already answered all my questions.” More people say this than you realize, and even if it’s sincere in your specific case, it rarely if ever comes across that way. The more specific your questions are to the role and the organization the better, but even some boilerplate questions can provide an excellent jumping off point and show that you are serious about the position and about the organization. Some fallback questions that I suggest to my clients are:

• • What’s something you didn’t know before you started (your current position/working at XYZ) that surprised you?
  • What is the difference between a good (insert role) and a great (insert role)?
  • How would you describe the culture (at XYZ/in your department/at your branch office)?

• • Pre-select a good, professional background.
  • Make sure you have good lighting and consider investing in a ring light if you don’t have access to ample indirect, natural light. Direct sunlight is usually too high contrast between light and dark areas. Whatever the source, watch out for bright light that blows out the picture or creates dark shadows. Make sure you test with the actual camera that you will be using and not a substitute camera that may use different settings and equipment.
  • Open the software or program that the virtual interview will be conducted with at least a few hours ahead of time but no more than 24 hours in advance to make sure you have the latest version installed on the day of the interview.
  • Familiarize yourself with how to mute and unmute yourself, where the button that does this is in the interface, and what the icon looks like that indicates whether you are muted or not. Most software uses a microphone icon and puts a red slash through it to indicate when you are muted. If you are having difficulty locating your mute/unmute button while on the call, keep a calm face and type into the call chat, “One moment, please. My computer is having an issue with unmuting my mic.” If you are unsure where the call chat is and how you open it if it is not open by default, be sure to practice this beforehand.
  • Have the link and passcode (if any) you need to join the call opened and ready well in advance. If you were promised a passcode and/or link by email but are unable to locate it after searching through your message history, email inbox, and spam folder (do check all three, thoroughly), let the contact who is coordinating the interview know at least a day or two in advance. When doing this, use neutral, objective, and professional language to express the situation and briefly describe what steps you’ve taken to double check. Avoid language that might imply fault or an accusation, and give everyone involved the benefit of the doubt, including yourself.
  • Whether you are confident in the stability of your internet connection or not, find out what the call-in number is and have it available on a handwritten note or saved in your phone.

Whether you’re interviewing for a role at a local nonprofit in the Financial District or for a tech startup in Silicon Valley, your ability to communicate with confidence and authenticity can be the secret sauce that sets you apart. By embracing your authentic speaking style and leveraging your public speaking toolkit, you can turn the interview process into an opportunity to showcase your unique strengths and ability to connect with others.

The Bay Area is a hub of innovation, and employers here from Oakland to San Jose are hungry for talent who can communicate authentically and organically. With the right public speaking mindset, you’ll be poised to nail your next job interview and take your career to new heights.