Page 148 - James Caan - Get the Job you Really Want

sophisticated, informed panel. One of the audience members
came up with a question that completely threw me. I very rarely
get fazed, but no answer was coming to mind. Usually there is a
mental process in which somehow your brain is able to capture
an answer of some description. But this time, within seconds,

I realized, ‘I don’t know the answer.’ But I knew I had to remain
composed, as the cameras were trained on me.
So, I said, ‘That’s a really good question – but, you know

what? I don’t know the answer,’ and smiled brightly. It got a
laugh, and the programme moved on. After the show one of
the other panel members came up to me and said, ‘By the way,
James, that was brilliant.’ It was all about confidence. Most
people respond to a question they find di≤cult by fumbling

the question, and trying to blu≠ the answer. The problem is,
everyone knows that is what you are doing.
I generally have a couple of standard responses ready for

curve-ball questions. First of all, in a business situation, I would
say, ‘That’s a really good question. Do you mind if I get back
to you on that?’ But it is not the words you use, it is how you
deliver them. I acknowledge it was a good question – and always
smile – because clearly you’ve caught me out. I don’t want you

to feel as though you’ve won, so I say, ‘Great question, can we
pick that one up later?’ Park it and carry on. By saying, ‘Thank
you very much, can we come back to that?’ I have balanced the

position.
My second option with a di≤cult question is to get a glass
of water. I want to buy some time, because there are questions
where it would be inappropriate to say, ‘Could we come back

136 get the job you really want