[0:00]Let me tell you this, as a recruiter, I sat in the middle of hundreds of exact level hires, and I can tell you with total honesty, the difference between a 100k candidate and a 300k candidate was almost never their CV.
[0:13]It wasn't their experience and it certainly wasn't how well they'd rehearsed the perfect answers to common interview questions.
[0:20]It was their status, and in this video, I'm going to reveal something that will either massively annoy you or completely change the way you interview forever.
[0:30]The candidates who land the very highest paid roles don't win by giving better answers. They win by barely answering questions at all, and by the end of this video, you'll know how to walk into interviews, control the conversation, raise your status, and make interviewers feel grateful to have found you.
[0:48]So if the real difference isn't your CV and it isn't your answers, then it has to be something about how you're showing up in the room.
[0:56]So, let me ask you a genuine question. How do you think it looks when you just show up and they ask a question, you answer a question?
[1:04]Then they ask another question and you answer that one too. And then that pretty much continues for the entire interview because that's how 99% of interviews go.
[1:14]Right up until the point where there's about two minutes left and they say, so if you've got any more questions for us before kicking you out and promising you'll hear back from them shortly.
[1:24]Yeah, you know what I'm talking about, and that's often the last you hear from them, right? Well, why do you think that happens?
[1:31]If you act like every other candidate who just sits and answers and sits and answers some more, do you think that raises your status or lowers your status?
[1:41]Okay? So you see where I'm going with this. We're talking about subtle shifts here that can make a massive difference because if you look like everyone else, if you sound like everyone else, and if you play the interviewer the same way as everyone else, you stop being interesting and you become interchangeable.
[1:59]And unfortunately, if you're interchangeable, you're like any other commodity compared on price.
[2:06]So I know what you're thinking, but what else am I supposed to do? And this is the part most people completely miss.
[2:12]The highest paid candidates don't show up to interviews to audition. They show up to consult, and this comes across in how they conduct themselves, their tone of voice, and the specific language they use.
[2:26]Think about this for a second, when you're auditioning, you're trying to impress, when you're trying to be liked, you're trying to say the right thing, but when you consult, you diagnose, you probe, you challenge, you act like someone who's already operating at that level.
[2:39]And here's the real shift, when you speak to top execs, they don't see interviews as a test. They see them as commercial conversations.
[2:47]Effectively, they see them in a let's see if this makes sense for both of us way.
[2:52]So you know when you hear people say interviews are a two-way street, well, normally they just say it, they don't actually embrace it.
[2:58]But the top execs I used to deal with weren't interviewing simply to impress. They were genuinely there to decide if there was a good fit for both of them, too.
[3:07]And that's why the dynamic feels completely different. So let me show you what this actually looks like in a real interview.
[3:15]You probably know the feeling like you're being pushed to sell yourself. So for example, when you're asked anything like, why should we hire you? What makes you any different? Or what sort of impact do you think you'll make?
[3:26]All of these questions put the spotlight on you, and most candidates immediately default to audition mode. They start saying things like, well, I can do this, I'm really strong at that.
[3:36]You won't find many people who have done what I have. Now, on the surface, that sounds reasonable. After all, your job in an interview is to sell yourself, right?
[3:44]Well, yes, that's true, but if everyone is doing the same thing, you all sound the same, and you're simply on a level with everyone else.
[3:53]Now, the highest level candidates don't do that. They use something I call the in-demand frame.
[4:00]And this is designed to do something very specific. It positions you as someone who understands the high level problems the employer is facing and is already a sought after individual in the market.
[4:11]Now, here's what it sounds like. So, in response to any of those spotlight questions, they simply sit very calmly and respond in a curious tone of voice with something like,
[4:20]Most of the organizations I'm speaking with at the moment are dealing with problem X, Y, and Z. Is that something you're experiencing here as well, and what do you think could be causing it?
[4:28]Now, do you see the shift here? If you do this, you're not saying, hey, look at me, look how good I am like a six-year-old showing off in the playground and trying to be popular.
[4:39]You're simply implying that you're in demand, but even more importantly, you subtly take control of the conversation and force them to explain their business to you.
[4:51]And the moment someone starts explaining their problems to you, the roles are reversed. All of a sudden, they're under the spotlight, and guess what happens? They'll talk, and talk, and talk some more until they basically hand you a list of here are all our problems, and here's what we'd like to see to solve them.
[5:04]And now you're not guessing what to say. All you need to do is align those problems and those gaps back to your experience. So you might say something like,
[5:11]That makes sense. When I've been brought in to fix situations like this, I usually focus on X, Y, and Z, which by the way, are literally the exact problems they just told you.
[5:21]So it's virtually impossible to say the wrong thing. Just make sure you paraphrase what they said, rather than repeat it back word for word, but you'll be amazed at how well this works.
[5:32]In fact, as far as I'm concerned, this is the biggest interview hack out there, because psychologically, two things happen.
[5:39]Number one, people trust their own conclusions more than your explanations, and number two, if they did most of the talking and feel like they conducted a great interview, they automatically assume you performed well, too.
[5:51]Yes, I know it's pretty self-centered, but when you understand that this is simply how things work, it makes interviewing way easier.
[5:59]So think of this in levels. Level one, use strategic language to imply you're in demand and quietly raise your status.
[6:07]Level two, stop answering questions and start using calibrated questions to shift the power dynamic, so they feel good about the conversation and therefore good about you.
[6:16]And now level three. Now, this one hardly anyone uses. And honestly, it's borderline unfair.
[6:22]Now, what's funny is I've used this for years. I've always called it the overcorrection method.
[6:28]So what you do is instead of asking a question in a curious tone of voice, you use a statement instead, but not just any statement.
[6:35]Typically, this is going to be a statement that is slightly off the mark, prompting the other person to correct you because, hey, everybody loves to correct you when you're wrong.
[6:43]Now, I was watching an episode of The Diary of a CEO podcast, and they were talking about how the CIA use a technique called elicitation.
[6:51]And when they explained it, I was like, wait, that's literally what I've been teaching people to do in interviews.
[6:57]So this was developed by a guy called John Nolan, and elicitation is basically getting someone to volunteer information without you asking direct questions.
[7:05]And the reason it works is simple. When you ask a direct question, people can feel pressured, but when you make a calm statement, people feel like they're just correcting you or adding context, which means they talk more and you stay in control.
[7:20]So in the podcast, the guy gave a few real life examples and layers of this.
[7:25]So let me just share this little clip with you. What is elicitation is a CIA technique right? It is it was originally came up with by this guy named John Nolan, but the book is called confidential. So elicitation is about using statements instead of questions, and I'll give you an example.
[7:41]Let's say you and I walk into Whole Foods. Let's say there's a young lady stocking produce.
[7:47]You get in there and I say, all right, Steven, your goal is to go figure out how much she makes in 60 seconds and you're not allowed to ask any questions.
[7:55]That's tough, right? It's it sounds really tough. If you went over to her and said, hey, I'm trying to find the baby carrots and she walks you over there, but while you're walking, you say, I just read this article online that says, all Whole Foods employees just got bumped up to $26 an hour. That's fantastic.
[8:11]And she turns around and goes, what? No, I, I make 17. So now she doesn't feel like she's been pressed or questioned about how much she makes, she's correcting you.
[8:22]Now, this first example is great for getting to the truth. So in an interview context, instead of saying, can you tell me whether the role is more nationally or internationally, focused?
[8:32]You'd say, from what I've read, it seems this role is more focused on the domestic market, and stop talking.
[8:39]They'll almost always correct you. So they might turn around and say, well, actually, it's about 60/40, with the overseas market being a big focus for us.
[8:49]And this way, you know you've got the truth without ever asking or coming across as pushy.
[8:54]Now, there are layers to this, too. Almost like an onion, you can peel them back one at a time. And the next technique is bracketing.
[9:02]Now, this is where instead of asking, how much has the team grown, you'd use a statement again. So the team's probably doubled in the last year or two.
[9:09]And I'd suggest adding an upward inflection in your voice so that you deliver the statement as if it were a question, and then pause, and they'll respond.
[9:18]No, it's not doubled, more like 30%. But yeah, it's growing quickly.
[9:23]Again, people love having all the answers, so let them. Now, the other techniques this guy explains are disbelief and I bet style framing.
[9:32]So again, let me jump back into the clip here with the third layer.
[9:35]The third layer of that is disbelief. Let's say I wanted to ask if you just got back from vacation and I didn't want to use any questions, and I said, Steve, you look like you just got back from a vacation.
[9:46]That's a statement, and you're like, no, actually, I've been doing this, this, this, and this. So now you've you've given me more than if I just asked if you were on vacation.
[9:55]And I said, wow, that had to be interesting. I I can't imagine that's there's got to be a lot of stuff on there, and you start talking more and more and more.
[10:04]Like, that sounds great. There was no challenges to that entire trip. I love when everything is 100% flawless.
[10:11]And you're like, no, actually, and then you start going into that, and I'm like, no way.
[10:14]Then now we have disbelief that comes in, and I haven't asked a single question yet.
[10:19]That's one thing that I challenge everybody that I train to get really good at, is that elicitation piece, of how many layers can I get into a person or a conversation just using these statements.
[10:32]Okay? Now he's talking about everyday life examples here, but if you take these principles and apply them to your interviews, you're going to unlock a whole new level of transparency that you didn't even know existed, and the best thing is, you're raising your level of authority every step of the way.
[10:48]It's almost crazy how well this works, but it takes practice.
[10:53]Now, here's the important bit. Don't try this for the first time in a high-stakes interview because under pressure, you'll overthink it, and you'll probably come off as either difficult or weird, and that's not what we're aiming for, right?
[11:04]This only works when it feels natural, calm, casual, almost unconscious, which means you need to practice it in everyday life first.
[11:13]So my advice is to start developing this skill as a daily habit. Think of this like going to the gym. You don't train for the first time on race day.
[11:21]You build up to that. Same thing here. You're building conversational muscle.
[11:26]So start small in everyday situations, like when you're at the grocery store, and the cashier says, do you want a bag?
[11:32]Instead of just saying yes or no, glance at your shopping and say, hmm, how many do you think I'll need?
[11:37]Or you're in a cafe and you're not sure what to order, instead of what's good here, try, so the chicken wraps, probably the safe bet, right?
[11:44]And they'll go, actually, my favorite is the pasta. It's way better. Perfect. Free information from the best people place to answer, okay?
[11:53]So you see how this works. Get into the habit first, then maybe try it at work. So you're asking a colleague about a project timeline.
[12:01]Instead of when do you think this will be finished, try, so we're probably looking at next month, and they'll immediately correct you with the real answer.
[12:09]Again, this is all just practice, and what you're doing here isn't manipulating everyone. You're just getting comfortable, speaking in a more senior assumption based way, because that's how high status people talk.
[12:21]They don't constantly ask permission, they make calm or curious assumptions and let others refine them.
[12:27]So practice this for a couple of weeks in normal life. Believe me, it's tough, but by the time you walk into an interview, it won't feel like a technique.
[12:35]You'll be unconsciously competent, and that's when this becomes powerful, because like I said, at 100k, most candidates compete on answers.
[12:44]But when you look at hiring decisions for the very top level positions, it comes down to status.
[12:50]So to recap, if that's where you're aiming, level one is to use strategic language that implies you're already in demand.
[12:57]Level two, stop answering everything and start guiding the conversation with better questions.
[13:02]And level three, don't just ask questions. Use calm assumptions and statements and watch the interviewer really open up, because the more they explain, the more they reveal, the less you have to convince.
[13:15]Now, if this changed how you think about interviews, hit subscribe, and let me know in the comments which of the three levels you're going to practice this week.
