A Different Perspective on What Interviews Are All About
Can a different perspective lead to a different result, even though we approach an interview with the belief that we have no control over the outcome? Is it even reasonable to assume that we actually might be able to influence the outcome? My answer to these questions is yes. We may have more or less influence, but any influence is better than none, because it increases the probability of achieving the outcome we desire. Let me first try to convince you conceptually that it is doable.
Assume that all other interviewees you are competing against are as equally competent and as nice as you. All will also use the same Priority List provided in chapter twenty-three as a guide for the interview and will be given the same advice on answering the various questions. Now, it follows that all interviewees will respond to the interviewer’s questions in much the same way. So, will your answers differ in any way?
The answer technically would be no, which means that everybody would be ranked somewhat equally. Thus, clearly everybody will be passively awaiting the final ranking by the interviewer. If all interviewees are reasonably equal in all aspects, the conclusion the interviewer draws will probably reflect some trivial, secondary observations, since the interviewer will use some kind of benchmark to lead to a final ranking. Drawing a conclusion may even be a random event (more on this topic below). One thing is certain: You can’t expect a superior ranking if your answers are the same as everybody else’s. But what if you gave answers that the interviewer perceives as different from the responses of other candidates? Would that not differentiate you from the rest? Of course it would! What if your answers were not just different, but also perceived to be “better,” “smarter,” more “mature,” or anything else that would make the differentiation more positive for you? Would that not give you an edge? Of course it would!
So, for me, the real question regarding interviews becomes: Is there a way to give the interviewer different answers from those of your competitors, which will help to differentiate your answers from others in a positive way? The most important part is to think along those lines and challenge your mind to find answers. The whole purpose of this book is to get you to think this way and try to find unique answers. Do you see the nuance? If you think differently and find a different, more impressive way, then you would increase the probability of influencing the outcome.
The second critical observation about the Priority List relates to the highest priority item on the list—subject matter expertise. I don’t agree with it, and I don’t believe it is of a very high priority, if at all. It would be an important priority for the third category of jobs—those that require professionals with extensive expertise and work experience (which as I mentioned I do not address in this section), but not for the first two categories. It is almost of little significance for the first category, students seeking a job upon graduation. It is relevant for the second category, in which jobs seek some decent prior experience, but it is not of the highest importance, as the Priority List suggests. Obviously, some level of proficiency and competency in the subject matter is definitely required, but whether one is extremely proficient and competent, or reasonably so, is not as important. In other words, lack of proficiency and competence would be unacceptable and fatal, but proving greater proficiency and competence would not buy all that much in relative ranking. So, if probed during the interview, it is only to assure that one possesses an “acceptable” level of proficiency and not for the purpose of ranking the relative attractiveness of the different candidates.
This observation about the importance of the subject matter gives rise to an even more important hypothetical question. Assuming that I’m right and subject matter level of competence (but not incompetence) is of minor consequence, how could you succeed in the interview above all others if you misjudge the interviewer’s highest priority?
As long as one believes that demonstrating proficiency and competence in the subject matter is of the utmost importance, then one will tend to shape their answers to show how well they understand the subject matter. However, they might be better served focusing their attention and energy on something else that would be much more important to the interviewer and the relative ranking among the different candidates. Focusing on trying to show the greatest subject matter competence would place one at a disadvantage to somebody who may better address the real and most important concerns the interviewer is after. I have written this book to make sure that everybody else will be at a disadvantage to you, and not the other way around!
Back to the Priority List: To arrive at the right list, one needs to correctly understand how a job offer finally materializes, and just as importantly, why an otherwise very qualified candidate may be rejected. I suggest a different list, which specifies what I believe goes into the final decision either to make an offer or reject an otherwise qualified candidate. The list includes “Assets” vs. “Liabilities” criteria. The Assets are the things one positively must have, without which an offer will not be made. The Liabilities are the things that will eliminate a candidate, regardless of the Assets. Clearly, any item on such a list is a very critical element; any one of them can either make or break you. If you have such a list, then you know that you have indeed found the list of the highest priority, to you, the interviewer, and the opportunity for a job offer.
To get such a list, one should shift the focus from the questions and topics that will be asked and discussed during the interviews to what observations the interviewer might take away from the answers and discussions in any given interview. When I focus on the latter, I come up with a completely different kind of Priority List. It may even be a list whose items at first glance appear different to most experts. However, I am quite certain that it captures exactly the priorities of what they will most likely observe and react to at the end of the day. If you ever want to test whether I’m right, just ask any experienced interviewer the following question: “Would you offer a job to a candidate who didn’t [state each of the items on my list]?” You’ll find out that not very many will likely do so, thus validating the list.
The following is my Priority List of those attributes that will most positively or negatively impact whether or not you get a job offer. In each of the items, I categorize a positive perception by the interviewer as an Asset ( +++ ), and if the interviewer believes you lack that quality, it becomes a Liability ( −−− ). The magnitude of the impact is captured by the relative length of the Asset or Liability.
•The best brainpower: Not just the smartest person from an IQ standpoint, but the kind of brainpower that will be most effective in dealing with the challenges that the job in question represents and will require. ++++++++++++
•A team player: The degree to which the candidate will be a “team player.” ++++−−−−−
•The “fit” with other employees: The degree to which the candidate will be able to integrate with other employees. ++−−−
•Intransigency disposition: The degree to which the candidate will be easy or difficult to manage. +++−−−−−
•Energy level: The degree to which a candidate can, and will, apply themselves to the job. +++−−
•General attitude: Whether the candidate will bring a positive or negative attitude to work every day. +++−−−
•Facility with basic math: The candidate’s level of competence and/or comfort with quantitative skills. [This category doesn’t apply to all situations, but rather to situations where the job requires comfort with manipulations and interpretations of “numbers,” as well as some basic math skills and statistics.] +++−−−−−−−
You can see from this list that judgment on your brainpower is the single most important thing for a job offer to materialize—nothing else comes close. But be aware of the liabilities, because any single one is very likely to mean rejection.