Mark Efinger, the Founder of the Interview Skill Coaching Academy, began his fascination with the interview process when he was an officer in the US Army and was trained by them how to conduct interviews.  He was then further trained, and conducted many interviews by Pfizer pharmaceuticals, Middlebury College and Phillips Academy in Andover, where he conducted interviews for the Admissions office and taught public speaking and theatre for 20 years.  Mark discovered that in each of these different arenas the structure of interviews was not only similar, but identical. Mark began teaching students in his public speaking classes how to recognize that structure and use it to steer the conversation so that they could include the stories from their lives that best provide the evidence which proves they are a good match for the position. He then developed a series of classes and exercises whereby his students and clients would have a specific approach to each of the 5 structural parts of every interview.  Many of his Andover students later told the College Counseling office that they had interviewed a few colleges over the summer, but after taking Mr. Efinger’s interview training segment they now had a completely different experience.  One student said, “Before, I would come out of the interview with no real idea of how I had done.  I would replay some of the questions, and consider how I might have answered better. But now, I knew exactly how it had gone.  We had determined ahead of time what evidence I wanted to bring into the conversation, and I knew how to do it.  And, I did it.  What a difference!” After the college counselling office heard these reports from students, Mark began to give annual lectures to introduce this structure and interview preparation to the entire junior class at Andover.  When he left Andover, he continued this coaching online, and thus began ISCA.  Over the 25 years of his work in this field, Mark has trained thousands of students for school and college, and graduate interviews, as well as hundreds of people, from 10 to 68 years old, to succeed in job interviews. Many of his clients report that their lives have been dramatically changed by this experience, both because their careers have now soared, but also because this work of discovering one’s own strengths and learning to present them cogently, always has a dramatic confidence building effect. 

 The Future for ISCA is bright- When Mark decided to retire, he struggled to find a knowledgeable and capable trainer to take over the business.  Eventually he was discussing the Academy with a friend of over fifty years, David Waddell.  David had the interpersonal skills Mark was looking for, as well as a deep knowledge of the academic interview process having conducted interviews for both prep schools and colleges/universities. Mark and David spent half a year working on the techniques to coach students and clients to inventory their specific success stories and how to use the structure of interviews to communicate why they are a match for the opportunity. Mark claims, “There is no one I know, and have the confidence in, to take this organization into its next phase.  David has the personality, skill set, and an uncanny ability to connect with people, and help them mine their experiences, and then mentor and coach them to success!” Finally, Mark would like to thank all those who he has worked with in these endeavors.  He has truly enjoyed getting to know all the clients he has trained.  He thanks all who recommended him to others, and particularly the many agencies who recognized how this specific training helped their clients, and thus sent him many more people to train. Finally, Mark is grateful to David for his capable and dynamic continuance of the Academy.