Page 163 - James Caan - Get the Job you Really Want

I said, ‘Normally we go for three interviews.’
‘And typically how many people would you see?’
‘Six to eight.’
‘How many have you seen for this particular position?’
‘Five.’

Then he said, ‘Can I ask one more question?’
‘Sure.’
And this was a brilliant question. ‘Is there anything you have

seen in somebody else that you haven’t seen in me?’
I had to smile, because it left me nowhere to go. Of course,
I had to stop and reflect. Whatever I said was going to give my
position away. I said, ‘Just run that question by me again?’
because I needed some time to think. The truth of the matter

was that I had not seen anything in anybody else. I decided to be
honest and tell him that.
His response was, ‘In that case, is there any reason why

I shouldn’t be invited back for a second interview?’
I had to say, ‘No.’
‘Great,’ he said. ‘Shall I see your P A on the way out and
confirm a time that’s good for you?’
Again, I had to give him the answer he was looking for. ‘Fine.’

He closed me perfectly. And of course, when I was going
through the C Vs, that incident stood out in my mind, above
anything else that had happened in the interviews with the

other candidates.
And he’d got what he wanted: that second interview. More
power to his elbow.

151 power