Perry Maddox highlights the interview mistake candidates often make and helps them to understand what organisations are really looking for.
It happens all time.
You had the essential skills, even most of the desirable ones. Your application and cover letter popped off the paper, showing why you’re great.
You prepared with a mock interview. You polished your answers. You were ready.
You entered the room with a smile and a presence. You made eye contact. You had strong energy all around.
You aced the interview, answering the questions and explaining why you’re the best. You even sent a thank you email.
You didn’t get the job.
What?
The Interview Mistake that Gets Us.
The whole process of applying for jobs fools us.
We feel under the microscope, because we are. The people on the other side are reading about you, asking you questions, watching your body language, testing and probing you. They’re weighing you up.
As a candidate, you feel the center of much attention in a selection process. It all feels so personal – promoting, writing and talking about yourself. And that’s where it tricks you.
You thought this was about you. That’s the big interview mistake.
It’s easy to think it’s all about you, because the whole selection process feels that way. To get a job, you must show off who you are and why you’re great. They ask countless questions about you. It is difficult to step back and see the big picture.
Remember, the interviewer has a problem.
Or else they wouldn’t be here. Nobody hires for the fun of it. Nobody increases their cost base without reason. They’ve got a need. Somebody’s quit and left a gap behind. They’re growing and need new talent. They’re changing direction or structure and need different skills.
People only hire when they have a problem. They’re probably interviewing 6 or 8 other potential solutions today. See it now? It’s not about you.
It never was.
The Most Powerful Trick to Interviewing.
They’ve got a problem.
Figure out their problem and offer yourself as the solution they need. When you understand their need from the start, before you even apply, your chances of succeeding increase radically.
Find out everything you can about this role. Is this a new role, or are they replacing someone? Are they growing or shrinking? Where are they in their life cycle… starting up, scaling up, consolidating or declining?
Research is mandatory. Dig up their strategy and read their latest news. Check out blogs and socials from their leaders and staff. Build a picture from their last financials.
Now put it together, looking for trends. What kind of language are they using? Are there words and ideas that keep coming up? Which kind of problems and opportunities seem most important to them? What questions are they asking? Can you tell what is keeping that interviewer awake at night? You’re after the essence of where this organisation is and where it’s going.
Why are they hiring for this role?
Once you work it out, tailor your application, your interview and your approach to highlight why you will solve their problem.
The Solution is You.
To get the job, you must differentiate yourself from the rest of the pack.
By the time you are in a late-round interview, you are competing with candidates of equal talent and experience. Interviewers are no longer assessing if you can do the job. They’re now assessing if you’re the best one to do the job.
The best candidates offer themselves as the solution to their problem.
The best candidates offer themselves as the solution to their problem. Click To TweetDon’t get me wrong. Keep selling yourself. Just because it’s not all about you doesn’t mean that you ever stop persuading them why you’re excellent. That’s always the name of the game.
Equally important, never compromise who you are or what you stand for in order to solve their problem. Understand that at times they may not know what they need.
Being the solution never means not being you.
The difference is selling yourself and your passion versus selling yourself and your passion as the best solution for what they need.
To close the deal, show them that you’re not simply the best solution. Show that you’re the only person who can offer that solution through your unique blend of experience, skills and attributes.
It’s way more effective than simply showing that you’re great.
And it’s how you get the job.
32 Comments
This is very great and has come at the time when I needed it. I am currently preparing for an interview and this piece has increased my level of understanding regarding interviews.
Glad to hear it. Best of luck with the interview, and I hope it goes your way. Do let me know if there are other topics like this that would be helpful in landing that job!
Honestly Perry, this piece is super useful to us as many mistake made before are been seen in your write up now. thanks for taking your precious time in putting this great information together.
To be fair, I think we’ve all made the mistake. I know I have! It wasn’t really until I sat on the other side of the interview table that I began to see the pattern. Really glad you found this helpful.
This is very great for me, it came in at a time I needed it most, my current job just ended with my employers Restless Development Sierra Leone as Programme Coordinator Business Brains. After a year not attending an interview, this will definitely serve as a base for my preparation for the next interview.
Thank you Perry and keep sending such a useful write-ups for people like us building our careers.
I’m glad this came at a helpful time! Sorry to hear that your role with Business Brains came to an end, but I’m glad this piece feels helpful as you look toward your next role. Please do let me know if there are other topics that you think would be useful on your career journey.
Thank you Perry for this new and diverse perspective on preparing for an interview. This is very insightful and I look forward to reading many more articles for learning.
Thank you Benedicta, you’ve put a smile on my face. I just want this blog to be useful above all, so glad this one hit the mark. Thanks for sharing and do let me know what other kinds of content might be helpful too!
Insightful! Thank you Perry. This piece a whole seminar for most young people seeking jobs. I look forward to read more on such eye-opening write ups.
Thank you Veronica. I was hoping this would be helpful, as it’s a lesson I learned the hard way. I’ll try to keep them coming, and please do let me know if there are any topics or themes that would be particularly helpful or of interest to you.
Perry, you nailed this. I have been on both sides of the table for many years and there is no question that you have to do your homework and identify what the key issues are and how you are uniquely positioned (experience, education, personality, passion) to solve. If you have been selected to interview it’s because you had all of the requirements on paper – now show me why I want to work with you day in and day out to make the organization stronger and more relevant.
Thank you Sarah, this means a lot coming from a values-rich pro like you! I couldn’t agree on that last line… it was a big lightbulb moment for me as a candidate when I began to realise how the bar was raised at each progressive stage of the selection process culminating in that last interaction – the day in, day out, who’s going to make the organisation better question.
Am glad to be part of this initiative , hoping to learn new ideas
Glad to have you with us. New ideas is definitely the plan here, so thanks for following and joining the discussion!
This is really insightful. Thank you very much for sharing.
Glad to hear it Dennis! I’ll keep this kind of content coming, and do let me know what kind of topics would be helpful.
This is great.!
So much one can learn from this piece.
I will apply these techniques on preceding job interviews.
Thank you Perry!
So happy to hear! Very glad that you found this post helpful, and good luck with those interviews! Thank you for this kind feedback, as it’ll help me to gauge what is most helpful to write about.
Thank you Perry , you are doing such an incredible job to help us get better.
It’s a pleasure, and I’m glad it’s helpful. So happy to share some of these lessons I learned the hard way!
Very interesting writing. Thanks a lot Perry. The interview process is nerve wrecking one, I do appreciate your points about the interview not being about the interviewee but going an extra mile to understand the problem that the interviewers are trying to solve…..good stuff.
These things are never easy on the nerves, so I’m glad this little trick helps! Thanks for sharing too, as it’s great to see a lot of interest in Zambian circles at the moment!
Definitely insightful on the preparation you need to do but I would describe your reframing slightly differently Perry …. I think as a recruiter you’re looking for the right fit or match of a potential employee to the role, to the culture of the organisation to be able to get things done. This requires less ‘selling ‘ your skills and open listening and persuasive influencing … candidates need to explain ‘here’s what I’ve done, here’s how, here’s the impact and here’s how it might match what you’re looking for’. If a recruiter decides you’re not the right candidate it is more about the right match than you being not good enough as a person. That feels right and a healthy way of looking at it to me …. doesn’t do much to allay the disappointment though…..
As ever Penny, you add the brilliant nuance I need. Didn’t realise just how many times I said ‘sell’ in that last section until I read the comments from you and Anna. Whoops, still figuring this out…
Thank you for making explicit what I didn’t here about selling not as the hard sell but more but as that ‘conceptual sell’ that only happens when one listens to understand and works through the logic of persuasive influence as you lay it out.
On that disappointment, I’ve never found the medicine for the sting of a ‘no’ after an interview but remind myself that I’m lucky not to work in a place they didn’t want me… ha ha ha, the games we play.
Great article Perry. It’s what I always advise and coach candidates on before interview; think yourself into the job and address the issues and challenges the organisation might be facing and how your skills, experience and track record translates itself into this scenario. Don’t ‘oversell’ though. You need to provide demonstrable evidence and not just talk theoretically about how you might approach a situation; where have you done something similar before, what did you achieve, what did you learn (perhaps even what went wrong!), then turn that into a solution for them.
Anna this is such a powerful technique! On phone interviews I often draw up a little cheat-sheet matrix with exactly that kind of experience mapping so I can quickly pull my best stories to demonstrate the experience to share that best matches a question. Little harder in person, but that mapping you describe is so important. I often coach our young staff to never (just) answer the question. Answer it, yes, by all means, but never finish without a version of ‘and this is when I’ve done that before’.
Definitely with you on not overselling… didn’t realise how much I’d used ‘sell’ in those final paragraphs until the comments from you and Penny!
Another thought-provoking article, Perry. And great to see all the comments coming in!
This is exactly how I try to get my clients to think about training (or any learning intervention for that matter). What is the problem you’re trying to solve? What kind of learning intervention (or in your article’s conetext, person) would help solve that problem? Otherwise is training for training’s sake or recruitment for recruitment’s sake…
Thanks for such insightful comments Charlotte and for making the time 🙂 In so many ways, I think this is the secret sauce in all that we do. Understand your audience, your teams, your customers, etc… understand their needs. It’s not rocket science, but it can be easy to let slip in the busy day to day. I think too many folks are afraid of the approach because it feels a bit more labour intensive, but the quality that we produce always seems to offset the time investment. Plus we get to learn about others… always a bonus!
Dear Perry, thank you so much for this fruitful writing. I have gained a lot about very hidden interview secret and I will definitely apply them. Asante Sana
You’ve brought a smile to my face. Always glad to help a values-driven leader like you. Glad this interview tip helped!
Precise and to the point. Excellent piece. I am definitely taking this away to my next presentations and my next interview 😉 Great stuff Perry
Very generous words from someone who coincidentally I first met in an interview. Needless to say you got that job, so I’m glad to know this is helpful to pros like you as well!