I’ve been conducting interviews for 38 years. I started when I was 15 and I was working at McDonald’s. I lied about my age just to get the job, but that’s another story. As I was saying, I started interviewing people decades ago from a hard plastic booth and I’ve interviewed thousands more from my comfy faux leather office chair.
The point is, I’ve seen every interview mistake in the book, and most of the advice out there is complete BS. So…
If you are looking for a new job because you want to—or because you have to—this post is for you.
If you just graduated from high school or college and are about to hunt for a job, this post is for you.
If you have an interview today, I won’t wish you good luck until you’ve read this post.
The Biggest Lie About Interviewing
Here’s the first thing you need to know: Do NOT try to “control” your interview. If you do that, you’ve already lost.
Every interview coach tells you the opposite: “Ask smart questions! Show them you’re in control! Make it about you!” Wrong. Dead wrong.
The interview has absolutely nothing to do with you. Nothing. It is not about you. It has everything to do with the interviewer and whether you can solve their problem.
Let’s think about it. You interview with 15 different people for 15 different jobs. You are qualified for each position. But you give the exact same answers to questions and you frame the answers about YOU.
Bad strategy. You’re going to get 15 responses that start with, “Thank you very much for taking the time…” instead of “We’re thrilled to tell you…”
Why didn’t all 15 interviewers hire you? Because it’s not about you.
It’s about whether each interviewer perceives you as the solution to their specific problem.
Listen carefully. Understand the problem. Talk about the problem. Ask questions about the problem.
They are not interviewing to hire you. They are hiring a solution to their problem. Got it? Good luck.