Competent leaders fail job interviews by rambling.
We fix how you interview. Still don't get an offer? Get your money back (conditions below).
- First Session ($1): 45 minutes on Zoom. We fix your first impression to interviewers.
- Then you decide: continue to sessions 2 and 3 for $598, or stop and pay nothing.
- Get a job offer? Your salary negotiation is free.
- No offer? If you do the prep work and 3 hiring-manager interview processes end without an offer within 6 months, I refund everything you paid. Details
Your card holds your spot. Or pay $499 upfront and save $100.
"Working with Dave was one of the best coaching experiences I've ever had."
Aaron DavisWhy do qualified people fail job interviews?
Qualifications don't get you the job.
Especially in leadership, authenticity is everything.
As a director, VP or exec, you have 3 jobs:
- Make good big-picture decisions.
- Convince your peers to trust you.
- Enable your reports to execute the steps.
Technical skills and intelligence are useless if you can't do the last two.
Every leader I've helped had the same problem in interviews.
They felt fake.
They acted fake.
They ranted or rambled.
Rambling
You go into the weeds. No one follows.
Ranting
You argue against invisible people.
Both make you look less competent.
Think back to the last interview you had. Do you remember what you rambled about?
It keeps happening for three reasons:
- You're fighting your nerves.
- Your answers aren't shaped yet.
- There's a question you hope they won't ask.
That last one costs you the most.
Every interviewer is silently asking, "Can I trust you?"
When you're guarded, they can't put their finger on it, but they don't fully trust you.
Your first impression colors everything after it.
Flip your first impression. Watch what happens to the rest of the interview.
“Just a little stumble.”
“Yep. That’s what I thought.”
“Knew it. They’re good.”
“Good answer. Probably not in general.”
Same answers. Different interview.
Psychologists call it confirmation bias. Once they’ve decided who you are, they look for proof.
So session 1 fixes your first impression.
Book session ($1)Fix it in 3 sessions
- Get a professional headline they'll remember you by
- Get your answer to "tell me about yourself" down to a minute
- Bonus 12-page "Reverse Interviewing" eBook (0% fluff)
- Bonus 6-step checklist (includes tips for using AI to prepare)
- Short stories that fit almost any "Tell me about a time when…" question
- Answer in headlines, then pause for their thoughts
- Ask return questions, so you create a genuinely good conversation
- Learn the "Reverse Interviewing" method to impress interviewers without being fake
- Learn how to answer the questions you do NOT want to be asked
- We rehearse them until your energy is natural, not fake or drained
- Don't Calm Down: the counterintuitive and proprietary method for handling nerves, so you don't ramble.
Choose how to start
Three pathways. The $1 start and upfront options come with the No-Offer Refund (see below). All three include negotiation help when you get an offer.
- Includes session 1, plus the eBook and checklist
- At the end, decide if you want the rest
- Continue: $598 for the rest of the program
- Don't continue: keep your new skills and the materials, and pay nothing
- Get an offer? Get Salary Negotiation ($249) for FREE
- Get all 3 sessions, plus the eBook and checklist
- Schedule session 1 now. We schedule the rest manually together
- Includes the No-Offer Refund (see below)
- Get an offer? Salary negotiation is free (normally $249)
- All 3 sessions, plus prep before every interview round
- Email or voice memo me between sessions. I reply within 1 business day
- Negotiation for every offer, through signing
- 8 months, or until you accept an offer
- No offer in 8 months? If you've kept applying, I keep working with you for free
The one thing I ask.
If you start for $1, you agree to show up to session 1 and decide whether to continue at the end of the session.
No "let me think about it." That's the trade for a $1 session. Direct honesty.
Nothing is charged when you book the $1 start. Your card is saved.
If you continue, $599 is charged on the call: $1 for session 1 plus $598 for sessions 2 and 3.
I take 4 first $1 sessions a week.
Miss session 1 without 24 hours' notice and a $49 no-show fee applies.
Premium is for people interviewing now, or within 30 days. It's non-refundable once you book.
1% of your payment helps remove CO₂ from the atmosphere.
If you still don't get an offer, you get your money back.
My philosophy is, you can't control outcomes. Only inputs.
But if you handle the inputs, I'll take the risk.
Negotiation prep is on me
My Salary Negotiation package ($249). A 60-minute session plus a 30-minute follow-up. You get it for FREE.
Tell me about the offer before you reply to it.
You get your money back
I refund everything you paid.
If you complete all 3 sessions and send me your prep for each hiring-manager interview. Details below.
I'm a coach, not a recruiter or an employment agency. I don't contact employers or place candidates, and I can't promise you a job. The No-Offer Refund is a refund of what you paid me if the coaching doesn't lead to an offer.
To qualify for a refund
- Complete all 3 sessions within 30 days of session 1.
- Before each hiring-manager interview, send me your prep in writing: the likely questions, a short answer to each, and your questions for the hiring manager.
- Forward me the email that schedules each hiring-manager interview, like the calendar invite or confirmation.
- Within 48 hours after each interview, send me a quick note on how it went. Written or a voice memo.
- Only interviews where you meet the hiring manager count. Recruiter screens don't count because recruiters may interview you even after they've decided on another candidate.
- A process doesn't count if you withdraw from it, skip or decline a next round, or stop replying to the employer.
- If you go through 3 interview processes within 6 months after session 3 (meaning you've kept up your job search momentum), and you don't get an offer, I refund everything you paid.
A process ends with a rejection, or 30 days with no reply after you've followed up twice. An offer counts even if you turn it down. Full terms: effortwise.com/interview-terms
Is this you?
- You've had interviews in the last 3 months.
- You're getting to later rounds, but no offers.
- Spending $499-$599 on coaching won't put your rent or groceries at risk.
Client testimonials
Clients often leave with a clearer head, stronger direction, and more confidence in their next step.
Tiffany K. from KY
"Working with Dave was one of the best coaching experiences I've ever had."
"Dave is insightful, perceptive and highly engaging. … I came out of our session with great insight and a solid action plan that was tailored to my needs."
"Thanks to his support, I've become more confident in my personal value and brand."
"Working with Dave was one of the best things I did for my career journey. … His approach to workshopping different solutions was super collaborative."
"Working with Dave was phenomenal. He helped me channel my skills, experience, and best judgement into a workable and realistic plan for salary growth."
"Dave provided exceptional service during my negotiation process. He demonstrated a profound understanding of negotiation strategies."
Real clients, in their own words. Results depend on you, the roles and the companies, so yours may differ.
Dave Wolovsky
I'm not calm in high-stakes moments. I'm awkward in them.
But I help people show up to those moments better.
I've failed more job interviews than I can count.
Once, 10 minutes in, they asked what I liked most about the job description. I didn't remember it at all.
Seeing their faces, I thought, "Yeah, I'd be disappointed too if I were you."
- Sometimes I ranted.
- Sometimes I rambled.
- I argued with interviewers.
So I dove deep into understanding people:
- Neuroscience (got a masters in it)
- Positive psychology (a certification)
- Negotiation (books, courses, teaching)
I've coached 100+ people one-on-one since 2018.
Job interviews are where I've worked with the most clients.
Questions people ask before booking
Is this only for directors and execs?
No. It's for anyone getting to final rounds without an offer.
It just matters more the more senior the role, because everyone in the final round is qualified.
What if I get an offer?
Tell me right away.
My Salary Negotiation package is free: a 60-minute session plus a 30-minute follow-up.
Book it before you reply to them.
What happens in the $1 session?
We fix the first impression you make on interviewers, starting with your answer to "tell me about yourself."
You leave with a professional headline they'll remember, and an answer you can say in about a minute.
At the end, you decide whether to continue.
What if I don't continue?
You keep your new answer, the eBook and the checklist.
You owe nothing more, and I won't chase you.
Can I get a refund if I pay upfront?
Only under the No-Offer Refund.
Paying upfront saves you $100. In exchange, there's no decision point after session 1.
Who is premium for?
People who are interviewing now, or will be within 30 days, and want help with every round.
You get the 3 sessions, prep before every interview, and negotiation for every offer. It runs 8 months, or until you accept an offer.
If 8 months pass with no offer and you've applied to at least 4 roles a month, I keep working with you for free.
It's non-refundable once you book.
Is my card charged when I book?
No. Your card is saved when you book.
If you continue after session 1, $599 is charged on the call.
If you don't, you're not charged. The only exception is the $49 no-show fee if you miss session 1 without 24 hours' notice.
Do you help me find or get a job?
No. I'm a coach. I don't contact employers, refer you to roles or place candidates.
I work on how you interview. I can't promise you a job or any particular result.
Can't I just practice with ChatGPT?
You should. It's good for drafting answers.
It can teach you about nerves.
It can't give you reps at being nervous in front of a real person.
What counts for the No-Offer Refund?
Interview processes where you meet the hiring manager, within 6 months of session 3.
You forward me the invite, send me your prep before each one, and a quick note after.
If 3 end without an offer, you get your money back.
Full terms: effortwise.com/interview-terms
Get session 1 for $1.
I take 4 first sessions a week.
Choose how to start