Employers don’t care about your past; they care about their future. Yet most candidates walk into an interview prepared to recite their career history (read: water under the bridge) as if it were a biopic. They then wait for questions that’ll give them a chance to explain why they’re the right candidate for the job. When those questions aren’t asked, which is very likely, they feel they didn’t adequately convey their suitability for the job.
Waiting and hoping your interviewer recognizes your value isn’t a viable strategy; it’s a gamble with very low odds. Savvy job seekers don’t just answer questions; they manage the interview. They don’t see the interviewer’s inexperience, vagueness, or unpreparedness as obstacles; rather, they see them as opportunities to steer the interview towards their value-add. They also understand that interviews are sales meetings, and it’s their job to convince the employer that hiring them would be a good investment.
Every interaction with an employer, whether through your resume, cover letter, LinkedIn profile, or especially during interviews, is your chance to show that you understand their business and how you can contribute to their profitability.
Based on my experience, the majority of those who conduct hiring interviews do so as an appendage to their core responsibilities. Unless you’re speaking with a full-time recruiter or HR, the person across from you is likely your future boss, who has a mountain of other responsibilities. Inevitably, there’ll be times when your interview will be an interruption to your interviewer’s workday, which, if it’s filled with ‘goings on’, they’ll have their head elsewhere. I’ve conducted many less-than-ideal interviews sandwiched between meetings, ‘putting out fires,’ or while dwelling on pressing matters.
This lack of focus is precisely why your interviewer may not have read your resume, may not remember reading it, and may ask vague, unstructured questions. When an interview starts to feel messy, your initial reaction might be to think, “This isn’t going well!” However, a messy interview is an excellent opportunity to sell yourself. Remember, an interview is a sales meeting.
Don’t wait for perfect questions; instead, subtly guide your interviewer. Tailor your answers to show you’d be a value-add to the employer’s profitability.
- Weak Question: “So… tell me about your experience.”
- Tailored Answer: “I’ve spent fifteen years in operations, but to make this most useful for you, I’ll focus on the parts most relevant to this role—specifically where I’ve led teams through high-pressure execution challenges and reduced overhead by 20%.”
- Why it works: You’re setting the direction. Rather than giving a long, unfocused history of your career, as most candidates do, you’re presenting your skills and experience according to the job’s requirements.
- Weak Question: “Tell me about a challenge you faced.”
- Tailored Answer: “I’ll use an example where a delivery was off-track, and the client was at risk. Since this role requires managing complex vendor relationships, this will show you how I navigate friction points.”
- Why it works: You’ve tailored your answer to their needs. You’re not just telling a story; you’re illustrating your value.
- Weak Question: “What is your greatest strength?”
- Tailored Answer: “My strongest skill is identifying operational bottlenecks before they hit the P&L. For Vandelay Industries, which is scaling quickly, this means I can ensure your growth doesn’t outpace your infrastructure.”
- Why it works: You’ve turned a personality trait into a business asset.
- Weak Question: “Where do you see yourself in five years?”
- Tailored Answer: “In five years, I plan to have mastered this market segment. But more importantly, in the first six months here, I intend to have your new regional office operating at full capacity so that the five-year goals we set are starting to be visibly accomplished.”
- Why it works: You’ve brought a hypothetical future back to you, being a hire that’ll offer an immediate ROI. You’re also telling them you’re focused on their five-year plan, not just yours.
- Weak Question: “Why should we hire you instead of someone else?”
- Tailored Answer: “I’m not here just to do a job. I’m here to take on your challenges. This job appealed to me because of your recent expansion into the Toronto market. I have the specific vendor contacts and local regulatory experience that would enable me to shave three months off your rollout time.”
- Why it works: You’ve moved from “I’m a hard worker,” which every candidate claims to be, to “I am a strategic partner who can provide an advantage.”
Guiding your interviewer, if necessary, isn’t about taking control or appearing boastful. Instead, it’s about helping them easily recognize your value. The more specific and relevant your responses are to the value you delivered to your previous employers, the less effort your interviewer needs to assess your value. The quality of your answers (read: their influence on your interviewer) is measured not by how long you talk, but by how effectively you communicate that you can influence the employer’s profitability.
When your interviewer appears disengaged or seems to be struggling, don’t get frustrated. Instead, do your best to provide answers that’ll help them see you have the skills, experience, and drive to influence profitability.
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