Page 155 - James Caan - Get the Job you Really Want

It reinforces one of my key beliefs: people generally think the
strength lies in the answer, whereas I want to emphasize that the
skill is in finding the right question.

The jc twist
When somebody is interviewing you for a job, there is a
tendency to assume that just because they are on the other

side of the desk they are an experienced interviewer – this
is not always true. Their lack of experience may mean they
ask a load of questions not related to the job on o≠er. Don’t

let them get away with it, because the interviewer will only
remember that you didn’t talk about the job – even if it’s their
fault you didn’t. Steer the conversation back to the job, ask
them about the key qualities and skills they are looking for,
and then tell them why you have those in abundance.

When I was running a recruitment company, I would often sit in
front of a client who was describing the person he was hoping
to hire. He’d be telling me, ‘This candidate has got to be the best,
a high achiever,’ describing an amazing person – because, of
course, they all do. I’d look at him and say, ‘The problem is, if I put

the right candidate in front of you, you wouldn’t be able to hire
them. How are you going to attract that candidate to want to
work for you? I’m not getting those vibes from you. Now, I do this

for a living. I’m used to dealing with the kind of candidate you’re
describing, and if that candidate is already doing very well, if he’s
already working for one of your competitors, I am going to have
to headhunt him to come and work for you. So why is he going to

143 power