Today we’d like to introduce you to Joseph Vijay Chokal Ingam, CFA, MBA.
Joseph, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
Before I started InterviewSOS.com in 2010, I was a business student at UCLA’s Anderson business school. The economy was really bad and I remembered the head of the career services officer saying this was the worst time to graduate from business school in the history of the business school. Most of my MBA classmates ended up moving up to Silicon Valley to get jobs.
The thing is, I got ten job offers including 3 in Los Angeles. That’s when I realized I had a talent that my many of classmates lacked –the ability to market myself effectively in job interviews and on resumes. In partnership with the Parker CMC, UCLA Anderson’s career center, I began coaching my classmates on job interview prep and resume writing. I eventually wrote a book on interview preparation before started my own interview coaching business, InterviewSOS.com.
Over the last seven years of doing this, I’ve earned a reputation as a “miracle worker”, someone who turns people who had trouble with interviews into confident, professional interviewees who make a great impression. The business has expanded into resume writing, admissions consulting, college and graduate school interviews, especially for applicants to medical school, Ivy League colleges, and top business schools. We show our clients how to summarize their academic and professional accomplishments effectively while showing their passion for their work and pride in their accomplishments. It’s our goal to help all of our clients get their dream job or admission to their dream school.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
Poor public transport, traffic, and parking in Los Angeles are a nightmare for our clients. Interview SOS started as a local business in Los Angeles, but then it expanded online to see clients from across the country and around the world. With Skype, FaceTime and Google Chat, more than 50% of our clients are online. Sometimes, even our local clients from Pasadena, Westlake Village, and Long Beach prefer to meet with us online rather than dealing with LA traffic. The difficult transportation system in Los Angeles hurts our clients and other businesses as well. That’s why I suggest fellow Los Angeles entrepreneurs prepare themselves to savvy users of digital communications tools to avoid the natural obstacles that came with being in a city that’s famous for its bad traffic.
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the InterviewSOS.com story. Tell us more about the business.
InterviewSOS.com has the foremost experts in job interview preparation and admissions interview coaching for college and graduate school. We have helped thousands of clients get into competitive jobs in LA and around the world. We have also helped applicants gain admission to some of the America’s top colleges and universities including Harvard, UCLA, USC, Stanford, and Columbia. During the last 7 years, we have earned a reputation as miracle workers who turn nervous and shy people into polished and professional interviewees that make a great impression. We also provide a wide range of career and admission consulting services including resume and cover letter writing for job applicants and personal statement writing, and letter of recommendation consulting for applicants to college and graduate school including medical school and business school. We are very proud of the positive impact we have on our clients and the success we have helped them to achieve.
Has luck played a meaningful role in your life and business?
At InterviewSOS.com, we don’t believe in luck. We believe in PREPARATION.
You do well in a job interview or admissions interview because you PREPARED. You get called in for a job interview because you prepared a great resume, not because of luck. You get into top colleges and graduate schools because you prepared a great application. We want our clients to focus on preparation, not luck. In many ways, that’s the secret to our success and that of our clients.
Pricing:
- Job Interview Preparation (2 Hour Session) $275
- Resume Writing ($275)
- College Admissions Interview Preparation (2 Hour Session) $295
- Graduate School (Medical, MBA, PA School) Interview Prep (2 Hour Session) $295
- Personal Statement for College or Graduate School ($495)
- Career and Admissions Consulting ($95 per hour)
- Letter of Recommendation Consulting ($145)
Contact Info:
- Address: 10866 Wilshire Blvd, Floor 4
Los Angeles, CA 90024 - Website: www.interviewsos.com
- Phone: (310) 309-1998
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/InterviewSOSLLC
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/interview_sos
Getting in touch: VoyageLA is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
