Page 118 - James Caan - Get the Job you Really Want

The company was going through huge growth at the time,
and Tom would do all the second and final interviews for the
people they were hiring. I watched him run those interviews. It
made me realize that this was not a process, but a skill – an art –
and Tom was a master at it.

I watched how he phrased questions, the tone of his voice,
the actions that he used, his body language. I was in awe of how
somebody had taken the process to such a level of skill. And his

strike rate was phenomenal. Ninety-five per cent of all the candi-
dates Tom interviewed wanted the job – because it’s a two-way
process. The employer should be selling the job opportunity to
you just as much as you will be selling yourself to them.
If somebody mentioned to Tom that someone who worked

at Allied Dunbar had just won a contract with BA, Tom wouldn’t
even hesitate. He was completely fearless, would pick up the
phone straight away, call the guy, pitch the job to him on the

phone, get him in, and then it was like flicking a switch: o≠
he went. He was brilliant. The way he dressed was never too
flamboyant, never too dull, always crisp white shirts. It was
not fashionable, but it was impeccably smart. He would never
drink out of a mug, he would only drink out of a cup and saucer,

because he thought it was more elegant. He was very expressive
with his hands when he spoke. He thought about the angle at
which he positioned himself, and where the candidate sat. Over

time I asked him questions about almost every aspect of the
process. As my desk was behind the candidate they could not see
me, but I had a ringside seat.
When the candidate had left, I would ask, because I am

106 get the job you really want