How to answer the dreaded question.

“So, why should we hire you?”

You grimace as your shoulders slump and the wind goes out of your sails.

“Well,” your stomach sinks as you answer. “I have a number of accomplishments I’d like to tell you about, but I want to make the best use of our time together. To help me do that, could you tell me more about the most important priorities of this position?”

The interviewer winces politely as her head bobs up and down. It’s over. The interviewer gets up opens the door and shows you out. “Next.”

Or, you could try The Pub Approach.

It’s called The Pub Approach because you should be able to deliver it in a pub, on a plane or in an interview in ten seconds - and in a conversational tone. 

Let’s say you’re a recently graduated law student interviewing for a position as a junior associate in a corporate law office. Here’s the pub-approach way to answer the dreaded question.

“So, why should we hire you?”

“You know how a good law clerk needs to be adaptable?” you ask in a conversational tone.

“Sure.” The interviewer nods.

“Well, I have initiative and I’m flexible and I can cover a lot of bases, so the lawyers can spend more time concentrating on what they do best.”

Simple and effective. The pub approach works just as well in a pub as on a plane, in a golf cart, in sales or when you’re networking. Just adapt it to your line of work and make sure to exclude all jargon and sales pitches. Use simple, clear language that even a nine year old would understand.

In Convince Them in 90 Seconds or Less you’ll find lots of different ways to use the pub-approach. It has three parts. 1. You know how …? 2. Well I… 3. So they….

My own pub-approach goes like this. Let’s say I’m on a plane and someone asks, “So, what do you do?”

“You know how some people have trouble connecting and communicating?”

“Sure.” The person replies.

“Well I write books and give speeches that make it really simple 

so they can meet more people and find fresh opportunities.”

I’ve just told them what I do, who I do it for, how I do it, what makes my approach different and what the benefits are to the other person.

Try it for yourself. It’s very simple but it takes time. Expect to spend a week finding and finessing it. Practice until it sounds natural and you can say it in your sleep.

But this is just the beginning. 

A well crafted Pub Approach can make the difference between motivation (which is external and temporary) and inspiration (which is internal and unstoppable) because when it brings people, purpose, projects and passion together, fear and doubt go out the window, opportunities and lucky breaks come through the front door and your potential goes through the roof. 

But wait! There’s more. 

An image is worth a thousand words.

I met Mavis in the green room at The Early Show in New York. The show was doing a segment on acing job interviews and had recruited viewers who needed help with this skill.

In the ten months prior to the show, Mavis, an unemployed accounts receivable specialist, had sent out three hundred twenty-nine résumés and gone to seventy-four interviews without landing a single job offer. I spoke to her about the way she presented herself and suggested she think about including a Pub Approach and a Slogan Image to highlight what she had to offer potential employers. 

At the seventy-fifth interview, along with all the skills detailed on her extensive résumé, and her Pub Approach Mavis added, “I’m kind of like a pit bull. I’m watchful and loyal, and protective.” She got the job. Maybe it was just luck, but maybe the offer was made because Mavis lodged an unshakable Slogan Image in the head of the interviewer.

A well crafted Pub Approach and the right Slogan Image are a fast and fantastic way to make yourself inspired and unforgettable.