Page 134 - James Caan - Get the Job you Really Want

The jc twist

Cockiness can be a dangerous ploy. But if, like me, you have a
natural cheek, you can use that – at the right time. In one of
my very first interviews, aged seventeen or so, I was applying

for a job in the accounts department of Grand Metropolitan.
I had made up my mind to show the woman interviewing
me that I could do the job – one I was not qualified for on
paper. In fact I had virtually no relevant experience.
In the middle of the interview she asked me, ‘Are you very

numerate?’
‘Well, reasonably numerate . . .’
She came back with, ‘OK, what’s 13 x 83?’

I did some quick mental maths, and came up with the
correct answer.
She smiled and said, ‘That’s really good.’
So, I said, ‘Can I ask you a question?’
‘Sure.’

‘What’s 19 x 34?’
We both smiled. And she got it wrong!
She asked me if I knew the answer.

I said, ‘I think so’ and calculated it in my head, while she
had to check it on her calculator.
She was still smiling. The rest of the interview was a
breeze, and I got the job.

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