Episode 347
How to Communicate Your Value in Job Interviews With Helen von Dadelszen
Episode 347 - Years of experience do not always translate into a convincing interview. I explore how to make your expertise clearer, prepare without sounding scripted, and recognize when interviewer bias is part of the problem.
A professional can spend 25 years becoming good at their work and still struggle to explain that work in a job interview. Asked about a difficult decision, they begin with the organizational history, describe the stakeholders, explain the constraints, and eventually reach the decision itself. By then, the interviewer may have stopped following. The candidate leaves knowing they had more to offer than the conversation revealed.
I see versions of this problem in my coaching practice. Experienced professionals often assume that preparation means finding more examples, anticipating more questions, and making sure nothing important is left out. Yet the difficulty is frequently one of selection: deciding what another person needs to understand, and making that understanding possible within a few minutes. More experience provides more material, but it does not automatically provide a clearer answer.
This was the challenge I wanted to explore with communication and vocal coach Helen von Dadelszen, whose background includes HR and recruitment. Our conversation raised a question that matters to candidates and employers alike: how much of what we call competence in an interview is actually the ability to communicate competence? Improving that ability can help someone progress. Confusing it with the whole of their professional value can lead employers to overlook capable people.
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Timestamps to guide your listening:
- 00:00 Why great professionals struggle to say what they have done
- 01:15 Competence or communication: what recruiters should separate
- 03:49 Habit 1: Putting your whole career into one answer
- 07:47 Habits 2 and 3: A flat tone and a blank face
- 12:26 Neurodivergence and masking: should you tell the panel?
- 15:05 Habit 4: Rushing and mumbling, and the one-line fix
- 18:09 Laid off and doubting yourself: where to start
- 20:33 When interviewer bias is real (and what you control)
- 26:57 What executive presence really is
- 29:16 Habit 5: Trailing off, and the four-step PREP fix
- 33:05 Speaking up in meetings without sounding unsure
- 39:58 The one thing to do before any important conversation
- 42:04 Will AI make you a worse communicator?
Links mentioned in this episode:
- Book a Career Consultation with me to prep for your job interview
- Helen Von Dadelszen’s website
- Helen’s book
- Helen’s LinkedIn profile
- Helen’s YouTube Channel
About the host, Renata Bernarde
Hello, I'm Renata Bernarde, the Host of The Job Hunting Podcast. I'm also an executive coach, job-hunting expert, and career strategist. I teach corporate, non-profit, and public professionals the steps and frameworks to help them find great jobs, change, and advance their careers with confidence and less stress.
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