Welcome to my blog! I am Kerrie Muhammad founder of Command the Interview. I have a passion for preparing our young people to achieve their best. I do this in a tangible way by preparing prospective and recent graduates for the job interview process as they prepare to leave school and get their first position. My objective is to give them the skills to interview with boldness and confidence to win their next role.
As a former prosecutor in the state of New York, I was part of a team that interviewed applicants who were applying for full-time and summer internship positions in the Office of the District Attorney. I saw some applicants do well in these interviews, but I saw other applicants who failed miserably in the interview process, although they were academically prepared to do the work. Digging into this, I saw that while colleges and universities (including law schools) were preparing students to do well in their careers, the interview process – the gateway to a career – was less of a focus. Students received limited, if any, preparation or guidance on how to maneuver through the interview process and how to perform well during interviews.
My experience was honed as an interviewer through working with hundreds of people in my role as a prosecutor – witnesses, victims of crime, and expert witnesses. One of my jobs was to prepare them to testify in front of a defense attorney whose main objective would be to bring doubt to or discredit, anything they said. Being able to provide a clear narrative and communicate with confidence in a high-pressure setting was part of the preparation for anyone in this situation. I developed a deep understanding of what separated strong witnesses from those who were unable to withstand the pressure and scrutiny.
Because of this and my desire to see students realize their employment ambitions, I began to coach prospective graduates informally. I also took on the role of Lead Recruiter for a firm in the financial services industry. Most recently I became a Certified Interview Coach.
I founded Command the Interview to focus on helping young people prepare for and succeed in the interviewing process as the first step in their careers. At Command the Interview, I coach candidates on how to prepare for the interview, present their skills and experience, develop interviewing confidence, and follow up professionally.
In my blog, I will be sharing best practices for the interview process, along with my thoughts and observations, with the objective of helping young people prepare for their next step.
If you know a prospective or recent graduate who needs coaching to handle the interview process and perform well in an interview, I’d love to talk to you. Initial consultations are complementary. Reach out to me at kerrie@commandtheinterview.com.