For a long time, the common understanding of a job interview was simple: impress them enough to get a job offer. We were taught to believe that the entire purpose of an interview was to win, to outperform other candidates and secure that coveted job, no matter the cost.
We approached interviews as auditions, with the grand prize being the job offer, a victory over all other applicants. This perception, however, is outdated and fundamentally flawed. Your objective in a job interview should not be solely focused on beating the competition to snatch the job, just as dating isn’t about forcing someone to fall in love with you on the first meeting.
Alt text: Two people in a cafe setting, engaged in a relaxed conversation, symbolizing a job interview as a two-way conversation.
Instead, think of a job interview as an exploratory meeting. It’s a chance to meet people, understand the dynamics, and assess if the opportunity is genuinely a good fit for you. Just like a first date, it could be the start of something amazing, or it could be a memorable story of a mismatch you’ll recount with laughter for years to come.
The same principle applies to job interviews. Receiving a job offer might be fantastic, or it could be a regrettable outcome. It could lead to a fulfilling career, or it could be a path to misery. Your true mission during a job interview is reconnaissance. It’s about gathering information and evaluating the situation.
You need to ask insightful questions and pay close attention to every detail – especially the body language, attitude, and overall energy of the people you meet. Observe if the interviewers interact with each other in a positive way. Are they laughing and engaging? Is there a sense of enjoyment in their workplace? It’s crucial to avoid accepting a job in an environment with negative energy. Trust this advice; personal experience has shown the detrimental effects of ignoring such red flags, even to the point of health consequences.
Alt text: A person looking stressed and unhappy at their office desk, highlighting the negative impact of a bad job environment.
Job dissatisfaction is profoundly damaging. When your professional life is draining your energy and enthusiasm, it casts a shadow over all other aspects of your life. It’s essential to carefully evaluate any potential employer, paying close attention to the company culture and the people, especially your prospective direct supervisor. Your direct supervisor is arguably the most crucial factor in your daily work experience.
In almost every job interview, you’ll encounter standard, uninspired interview questions. You have a choice in how you respond to these. You can provide conventional, eager-to-please answers that categorize you as just another typical applicant, easily lost in the pile of candidates for the hiring manager to sort through later.
Alt text: A hiring manager looking overwhelmed by a large stack of resumes, illustrating the challenge of standing out in a job application process.
If you blend in with everyone else, failing to make a distinct impression, the hiring decision might come down to arbitrary factors. Perhaps they’ll hire the candidate with the most experience, the cheapest option, or someone connected to them personally. The selection process becomes unpredictable and less about your unique value.
Alternatively, you have the power to shift the dynamics of the interview and engage the hiring manager in a more meaningful conversation. You can achieve this by responding to those routine questions in an unexpected, thought-provoking way. By offering non-standard answers, you challenge the interviewer’s preconceived notions and force them to actively engage with you and the conversation.
Some interviewers will appreciate your unconventional approach to these tired, predictable questions. Others might be taken aback, even disapproving, if you deviate from the standard, scripted responses they expect from a typical job seeker. Consider which type of manager you would genuinely prefer to work for.
Alt text: A person confidently answering an interview question, suggesting a non-traditional and engaging approach.
One particularly grating interview question is, “With all the talented candidates, Why Should We Hire You Answer?” This question stems from an outdated, subservient approach to interviewing, forcing candidates to plead and grovel for the position. Why should you be put in that position? The employer isn’t begging you to come work for them.
Why should a job interview be an unbalanced exchange? When you contact a repair service, you don’t interrogate them about their qualifications. You might ask a few pertinent questions, but quickly, the service provider will likely say, “Are you ready to book an appointment or not? I have other customers to assist.” After all, you initiated the contact because you needed their service.
In general business interactions, we treat other professionals with respect, whether they are vendors, clients, or partners. It’s primarily in the employer-employee dynamic where respect is often assumed to flow only one way. We’ve been conditioned to believe that employers are superior to employees and that organizations hold a higher status than individuals. Both these assumptions are false.
Alt text: Two business professionals shaking hands in a bright, modern office, emphasizing respect and equality in professional relationships.
Many of us have grown up with the notion that employers wield significantly more power than employees, and this power imbalance is amplified for job seekers. This is demonstrably untrue, but it’s a convenient myth for insecure managers and recruiters to perpetuate because it keeps job seekers in a vulnerable position.
Hiring capable and intelligent individuals is challenging. Listen to recruiters or HR professionals discuss their recruitment challenges, and you’ll consistently hear this theme. It’s not solely an employer’s market, and believing it is will only make your job search significantly more difficult. Your self-belief is a more critical factor in your job search success than almost anything else.
To reframe the energy and perspective in your interview, consider answering the “With so many talented applicants, why should we hire you answer?” question in this manner:
MANAGER: With so many talented applicants, why should we hire you answer?
YOU: That’s a great question! In fact, you could say this entire interview is about answering that question. You’re in the best position to determine that, of course, because you’ve met, or will meet, the other candidates, which I haven’t. You also understand the company culture and your specific needs far beyond what any job description can convey. Therefore, it would be presumptuous for me to definitively say you should hire me. However, I am confident that if we are meant to work together, that will become evident to both of us. What are your thoughts?
Alt text: A person engaging in a thoughtful conversation during a job interview, highlighting a collaborative and inquisitive approach.
When you adopt this approach, it’s beneficial to conclude your response with a question, as demonstrated in the example above. This opens the door for the interviewer to elaborate on your statement or share their own perspective, turning your answer into a conversation starter rather than a conversation ender.
Your unconventional response to a conventional, often thoughtless question might spark an engaging dialogue with your potential future manager, or it might completely baffle them. You’ll need to try it to find out the reaction. Remember, you are the one who will be working at that desk, interacting with the people you are meeting during the interview process.
Alt text: A person thoughtfully considering their work environment while sitting at a desk, emphasizing the importance of job satisfaction.
It will be you, and no one else, experiencing that job day in and day out. Don’t you want to determine beforehand if it will be an energizing, positive experience or a draining, negative one? It’s both your right and your responsibility to step slightly outside the standard script and the role of a submissive job seeker to assess whether your potential boss is open to a team member who thinks independently.
You’ll quickly discern if your potential manager is rigidly bound by outdated interview scripts or if they are capable of stepping outside the traditional, unequal power dynamic and engaging in a genuine, human conversation with you. You owe it to yourself to discover this!
Alt text: A child playfully pointing at a hot dog, representing a lighthearted and unexpected approach to everyday situations, similar to answering interview questions creatively.
KID, AGED 12: Mom, you forgot the thing on the top of the weenie’s head!
MOM: What thing?
KID: The thing that separates one hot dog from the next one — like a twisty topknot thing.
MOM: Is there a thing on the top of a hot dog? I don’t look at hot dogs that often.
KID: Let’s go get a hot dog now and I’ll show you what the thing at the top looks like.
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Alt text: Promotional graphic for Human Workplace virtual courses, advertising career development and job search skills.
