Page 147 - James Caan - Get the Job you Really Want

‘On such and such a website.’
Now I had to explain. I had no choice.
With a question like that, the dynamics of human nature
mean I have to respond. So, I’m now explaining to you. The
balance of power has just shifted away from me, the decision

maker, towards you, the candidate.

Fending off the killer questions

All interviewers believe they have at least one killer question up
their sleeve that will have you babbling like an idiot. Again, these
are very rarely original – but that doesn’t mean the question will

not generate valuable information for the interviewer.
Early on in my career I learned that you should never answer a
di≤cult question directly. Don’t jump straight in with the script

you’ve been rehearsing for days. Wait a moment or two to mull
it over in your head. You will sound more coherent and more
confident and the interviewer will see that you are giving his or
her question the weight it deserves.
The strategies in this chapter will allow you to keep on a level

playing field. Although you are trying to gain the upper hand,
there is no need to arm-wrestle the interviewer to the ground. As
my father taught me from a very early age, the art of success is

making the other person feel as if they have won.
Curve-ball questions can catch you out, of course – you
can prepare for almost every eventuality, but not every single
one. I was appearing on Question Time on BBC 1, alongside a

135 power