Still Looking For Work? Here's an Idea: Act Like You Already Have the Job you Want

Next time you're at a job interview for a position you really REALLY want, forget trying to sell yourself as a candidate and imagine you're a consultant and ask thoughtful questions.

At last count, there were just over four million books published on the subject of interviewing for jobs. They tell you how to dress for success, how to sell yourself and how to answer all the tricky questions. Most importantly, they give you the confidence that only comes with having read a book or two.

Here's how it usually goes: On one side of the desk sits you, the candidate, waiting to hear from the interviewer why they should hire you of all people. On the otherwise of the desk sits HR, your potential manager, President or whomever, waiting to make a judgment of you. It's a standoff. There's nothing about this situation that isn't awkward.

Here's an idea: Stop being a candidate and imaging instead that you're a consultant, already being paid a non-refundable $10,000+ consulting fee to attend this meeting.

How does this change things? First, you don't worry about selling yourself. No posing, no posturing, no tap dancing of any kind. You're there to be helpful, to identify the needs of your 'clients.' You simply want to add value, to give them their $10,000+ worth of empathy and understanding. If you deliver, they're likely to come back for more of your time and advice. Second, now you can sit on the same side of the table (metaphorically speaking) and ask the hard questions. Not as skeptic, but as a doctor might do while conducting a thorough exam. You'll want to hear where the organization has been, where it is today and what type of goals it would like to achieve. What's the history of this particular role? How did the leaders come to define it as such? How will they recognize top performance, and by what method will they calibrate results?

Then, listen to how they self-diagnose while you make your own private diagnosis. Consider whether your assessment matches theirs. Never mind whether you're the right person for this role. You can think about that later.

What will stick with them is that you asked the right questions, paid close attention to the answers and really fathomed what their organization is all about. The more you want to be taken as a serious candidate, the more you should forget that you are one.