Stop AGREEING So Much in the Job Interview [Advanced Tip]

Here’s the true story of two candidates up for the same position, similar qualifications, but one did something completely different than the other candidate that got the entire interview loop to pick her.?

This tactic is a bit tricky, but when mastered it will get you the job that you know you’re a perfect match for.

Being too agreeable in the interview can lose you the job?

I was working on filling a marketing role, and we were down to two excellent candidates, we will call them, Dean and Chloe.

Dean was qualified and had a very agreeable nature. All of his responses had an air of:

“Everything about the job sounds good!”

“Yes I am skilled at all of the requirements.”

“No questions or concerns from me!”

This positive nature was good in interviews, and people enjoyed their time with Dean, but no one was a strong “Yes” on hiring him. Every time a new person interviewed him, they had the same kind of feedback:

“He seems good, but I don’t know, I am not sure that I am sold on him.”

Each person walked out of the interview not really knowing Dean.

Then enters Chloe. Every interview she had, she got the highest marks, everyone was so confident that she could do the job.?

And I got curious.

Dean and Chloe were similarly qualified, so what was Chloe doing that Dean wasn’t?

How to make your interviewers confident in you

What I uncovered is: Chloe knew herself.

She could clearly articulate her strengths and weaknesses, she knew the kind of opportunity she wanted, and she was fully prepared to walk away if her skills and interests did not align with the role.?

Here’s how Chloe answered a question about when she knows she’s doing her best work:

“My specialty is automating processes, analytics, and building campaigns. I am not advanced in the search side of things or working internationally but I feel I can learn it. I’m not motivated by communications, and if more than half my day is spent on the phone I’ll burn out.”

She was so clear, and the interviewers did not feel like they had to do any extra digging because she appeared so self aware.

This is an advanced technique that only works if you have clarity around what you want in your next opportunity, what you do not want in your next opportunity, and your strengths, weaknesses and areas for growth.?

You can also use this to your advantage if you’ve studied the role carefully and understand the role requirements. Then you can be confident that the things you’re emphasizing in the interview are the most important aspects, and the things you less prefer are not the top skills for the role.?

You will have to get clear on your career direction, so if you haven’t done that yet follow these 4 steps to find the right career . This video can help you to know yourself and say this firmly when interviewing. The wild thing about this tactic is it makes the company say you are a great fit instead of you convincing them of it!

Be clear about skills, interests, and priorities

Here’s a formula to practice with. Go through the exercise of finishing these sentences before going into your next interviews so that you will be able to articulate your skills and values clearly:

• I’m motivated by ___,?
• I’m strong in _____,?
• I'm in the process of building other skills such as ____,?
• If the majority of the job is in _______? areas then I may not be the person because then it wouldn't be playing to my strengths

Make sure your answers are specific, don’t say “I am motivated by teamwork.” Pick something concrete, like “I am motivated by building out branding facilitations to help companies uncover their identity.”

You may disqualify yourself if you say this??

I’ll warn you now: this tactic can get you rejected.

And the important thing to weigh going into it is if I get rejected for saying something about your values and preferences, is that a good thing?

And if you’re doing this right, your answer will be YES thank goodness they rejected me.?

For example, I’ve gotten rejected for this.?

I was once being evaluated for a role and I said I don’t want a role where over 50% of my day is admin work because I’ll get demotivated.

I specifically said “I need at least half of my time focused on projects and initiatives to stay engaged.”

I made it to the final round with a company, they really liked me, but in the end they realized how paperwork heavy the role would be and felt it wouldn’t match my interests. Which is TRUE. I am glad I didn't move further for that role.

You may disqualify yourself, so be prepared for that, but know you don’t want more offers, you want the best offers.

The places I got offers from when I talked about my strengths and motivations were directly in line with those roles and they felt especially confident that there was a fit.

Again, this is not a good tactic for people who don't know what they want (if you need help knowing what you want, we can help ), but is so powerful and refreshing when you can be ultra clear, and not broad and agreeable about what your role should consist of.?

It’s important to clearly articulate your value. This starts on your resume using the GLORY Formula , and then is solidified in the job interview.?

In summary:

• Get clear on your strengths, preferences, and areas for growth before you step into an interview.?
• Create more interest in the interview by sharing what motivates you, what you’re strong in, what skills you’re building, and your job non-negotiables.
• This is challenging advanced stuff that can easily be done incorrectly. Learn more about my coaching program here to get some support.

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Madeline Mann is an HR & Recruiting leader who has built an audience of over half a million people and is known for her award-winning job search YouTube Channel, Self Made Millennial. Mann’s career coaching programs have led to thousands of success stories, and her work has been featured in Bloomberg, Wall Street Journal, New York Times, and more. Go here to get job search coaching.