Online ERC interview coaching

Are you invited to an ERC grant interview? We would love to help you prepare for it. Our proven online coaching trajectory is unique in its completeness, but also offers a high degree of flexibility. Thus we guarantee the optimal preparation for each candidate.

Want to know more about our in-person (NWO) interview coaching? Go to this page for more information.

We adjust the content and approach of our coaching to the needs and wishes of the individual candidate. For some the biggest challenge is the structure of the presentation, to others it is overcoming their fear of presenting. During an intake session we discuss the needs of the candidate and translate that into a timeline. Usually the coaching first focusses on the presenation. We discuss strategy and unique selling points, storyline, and slides (we also design slides). Then we shift the focus to delivery. We work on e.g.: stress, body language, interaction, use of voice, pronunciation, and answering questions. We optionally also take part in mock interviews (or analyze recordings of them), or advise on how to organize them. In all these steps we take adaptation to the online format into account.

Timeline

The above depicted ten hours timeline is typical of our support of ERC StG, CoG, and AdG candidates. We start around two months before the interview with the presentation sessions. Ideally the delivery sessions are scheduled around two mock interviews of which the last one takes place in the week before the interview. In order to meet individual needs, we offer a great deal of flexibility. Some candidates are interview-ready in just eight hours of support. With others we work up to twenty hours to help them overcome stage fright.

SyG interview training

For candidates preparing for a ERC AdG interview, we compose a trajectory consisting of individual sessions with the PI (if they are presenting the project), slide design, and group sessions aiming at a synergetic performance. The latter consists of a strategic session (who takes the lead, who answers what, etc.) and group rehearsal in order to train the answering of questions as a synergetic group. Also for these programmes, we search for optimal solutions case-by-case.

Venue: Webex

All our training sessions are organized on Webex, the platform ERC uses for its interviews. This helps candidates to get accustomed to the software.

Track record

Since 2011 we trained more than two hundred candidates who prepared for their interviews at both ERC (e.g. Starting, Consolidator, Advanced, Synergy) and NWO (e.g. Veni, Vidi, Vici, Gravitation, NWO-Large, NWA-ORC). Our success rate is 49 percent for ERC grants and 50 percent for NWO grants. Which is around 10 – 20 percent higher than the overall success rates of the interviews.

Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic we have continued our in-person coaching online and finetuned our methodology to optimally prepare candidates for remote interviews. Our unique approach results in a growing customer base in our home country The Netherlands (in 2023 1 out of 10 Veni laureates and 1 out of 5 ERC StG laureates were coached by us), and in recent years we work for more and more clients from other European countries (e.g. Germany, UK, Portugal, Italy, Slovenia, and Estonia).

Practical

Trainers: Hermen Visser and/or Kick Moors | Maximum number of participants: 1 | Duration: flexible

What our customers say

Hermen and Kick helped me to prepare for my ERC CoG interview. This process completely changed my vision on how to present both my project and myself. In fact, despite the fact that I had read a lot about the interview and I had talked with other scientists that went through this step in their careers, that I have been presenting and lecturing for two decades, their coaching was pivotal as they gave me many important suggestions for the slides and the pitch talk. I felt empowered by their coaching and I highly recommend their training.

Miriam Melis - University of Cagliari

Trainers

Hermen Visser

Hermen Visser (1985) studied Biology at Leiden University. Already during his studies he developed a passion for science communication and took his first steps as a trainer. He taught students in layout skills and the graphic software Adobe Illustrator, InDesign, and Photoshop. Since his graduation in 2011 he works as a freelance science journalist and trainer. He was radio and web editor at the editorial offices of the Dutch broadcasting agencies. VPRO and NTR. Currently he writes as a freelancer for VPRO Gids and Trouw.

Kick Moors

Kick Moors (1954) studied History and worked in a variety of organisations as manager, HR adviser, coach, and trainer. In his work he focusses on supporting researchers in their professional development. Kick is a devoted and experienced trainer and coach. He understands very quickly what are the reasons behind personal obstacles researchers encounter on their career path and how they can deal with them.