How To Take Control Of The Interview

Successful interviews should feel like conversations. Most applicants take a defensive interview stance and answer questions that the interviewer asks. The stronger candidates go on the offensive, they take ownership of their interview.

Some job seekers might nourish candid illusions, but always remember one thing while being interviewed: nobody cares about you!

As tough as it might sound, all the interviewers care about is what you can do for them. Whatever the form the interview takes, their aim is to find out if your qualities, experiences, motivation and dedication can help to solve their problems. If you cannot convince them of your value, they will not hire you.  If you convince them you can solve their stated problems, you might have a shot. If you convince them you can solve their most important, hidden, underlying problems, you've got the job!

So be prepared. Ask questions, especially questions you already know the answer, based on your research. Here is where the quality of your preparation is crucial. You will want to make some advance guesses to the answer, so that you can next comment “I met similar challenge in a previous project, and by taking this decision and implementing these actions, I solved the issue ”. Do this few times on previously identified points, and you’ve uncovered a company’s top initiatives, problems, and risks.

By doing so, you will come out as the top candidate, because you’ve shown foresight to anticipate the companies issues, and -by the way- you’ve already solved their problems for prior employers.