Surprising Interviewing Advice

As you might guess recruiters get loads of questions about how to perform well in an interview.?

The best advice I can give anyone for nailing the interview, came from a Jr. Sales guy who was so green he painfully nervous on the phone most of the time.

He had less than a year of experience, still a bundle of raw nerves on the phone, but he was a deal-closing machine.??His company was getting acquired, and the rumor mill said that most of the sales team was going to get let go.?He was having problems getting anyone to interview him with less than a year of experience, and I only took the interview as a favor to a friend, and then I found a rock-star.?

As we discussed his experience he explained. “The only way I can keep from getting too nervous is to pretend I don’t want the sale.?I remove all pressure by making it my goal to be completely detached from the results. Instead, I invest 100% of my focus on the process.”?He completely forgot about himself, and made it his business to really understand the prospects situation, so that he’d be able to give them a genuinely helpful recommendation, and not hyperventilate or toss his cookies.?

He eventually overcame the nerves, but he never stopped being an expert in discovery.?He’s a VP now.?

So, what does this have to do with Interviewing??It’s where I discovered, discovery.?I started teaching candidates that had difficulty interviewing due to nerves this technique.?But what they actually got was so much more than the calming effect.?

This will sound like total common sense the second you hear it, but it’s wildly uncommon in practice.?Most people walk into an interview in “sales-mode” trying to sell the interviewer on the idea that they are the right person for the job.?They’re focused on what to say to be convincing, and frequently fail at gathering the data they need to make an informed career decision.

Most people walk into an interview in 'sales-mode' trying to sell the interviewer on the idea that they are the right person for the job.

I began coaching candidates to behave like the ONLY goal of the interview is DISCOVERY.?Decide to be completely detached from the results.?Gather facts, so you can answer these questions:

? Is this job a step up?

? Will I learn and grow in my career in and through this role?

? Will I find the work engaging and challenging? Or will it quickly become tedious and boring?

? Do I get the sense that my boss will have my back??Or toss me under the bus at the first sign of trouble?

? Or is this just a lateral move dressed up to look new and shiny?

In the long haul, the difference between fast, consistent career growth, and having your career growth path look more like an EEG than a shooting arrow heading toward the sun, is your commitment to gather salient information during the interview process.?

So, if you really want to nail the interview, become an investigative reporter.?Ask, and press for detailed answers when necessary, and get to the information you need to make a good decision.?Is this REALLY an upward career move, our should I pass?

Cheers!