After 100 Hours Of Job Interviews, I've Noticed One Pattern

Last week, I reviewed two of my clients' interviews.

As part of my Creative Career Level Up programme, my clients record their real interviews and I watch them back, giving feedback on exactly what happened.

At this point, I've watched almost 100 hours of client interviews.

I've watched interviews with Nike, Amazon, Apple, Lego, startups, scale-ups, agencies and global corporations. I've watched interviews for entry-level roles and interviews for senior leadership positions.

And after all those hours, there is one thing I know for certain:

You have way more control over the interview than you think.

The problem: Most people think interviews are about answering questions

I watched two interviews back-to-back last week.

The first client is brilliant. Confident, articulate and highly capable.

But I also know she's only watched around 24% of the interview content inside the programme.

The second client has done the opposite. He's watched everything. He's attended support calls. He's met other members of the community. He's really thrown himself into learning the craft of job hunting.

The difference between the two interviews was night and day.

The first client answered the questions well. But there was no structure.

She rambled. She didn't signpost where she was going. It was difficult to follow her thinking and difficult to understand how she'd add value in the role.

She was answering the questions, but she wasn't selling herself.

Straight afterwards, I watched the second client's interview with a large global financial institution.

He controlled the whole interview.

Why most people don't solve this

Most people assume interviewing is something you're either naturally good at or naturally bad at. It's not. Interviewing is a skill. Just like presenting, networking or public speaking.

The problem is that most candidates spend all their preparation time thinking about what they'll say, rather than thinking about how they'll structure the conversation.

They leave the flow of the interview entirely in the hands of the interviewer.

As a result, they spend the interview reacting instead of leading.

How to take control of the interview

The second client understood something most people don't.

Interviews have a structure.

He answered "Tell me about yourself" in under 60 seconds and then asked the interviewer which part of his career she'd like to focus on next.

Immediately, he learned what she cared about most.

Throughout the interview, he gave structured, concise answers. He built on things the interviewer said and linked her comments back to his own experience.

At the end, he delivered a strong closing pitch, summarised how he could add value and asked thoughtful questions about the challenges she was facing.

Before the interview had even finished, she told him he was progressing to the next round.

None of this happened by accident.

He knew the beats he needed to hit because he'd prepared them in advance. He controlled the interview from beginning to end.

The interviewer probably didn't even realise he was doing it.

And that's exactly how great interviewing works.

The lesson

Confidence can cover up a lot. But structure is what takes an interview from good to exceptional.

My first client is smart, capable and confident. But she was relying on those strengths to carry her through.

My second client had those qualities too. But he also understood the craft of interviewing.

He knew what parts of the interview he could control, and he'd prepared for them before he walked into the room.

That's why he got the result.

Want to improve your interviewing skills?

After watching almost 100 hours of my clients' interviews, I've realised something:

The people who perform best aren't necessarily the most experienced.

They're the people who understand the structure of an interview and know how to control the parts they can control.

That's why I created The Anatomy of an Interview.

It's a free 10-minute video where I break down the patterns I've seen across hundreds of interviews and explain the key moments that appear again and again, regardless of the company, industry or seniority level.

You can watch it here:
https://www.creativecareerlab.com/TheAnatomyOfAnInterview

And if you want to take your interviewing to the next level, that's exactly what we do inside Creative Career Level Up.

I don't just teach interviewing. I support my client from end to end in their job hunt - from working out what they want to do all the way through to securing it.

If you're serious about landing your next role and want expert support along the way, click below to find out whether Creative Career Level Up is the right fit for you.