0:01 These are lies you can say in a job
0:04 interview. At least that's what it feels
0:06 like when you're the one saying them.
0:08 Because what I'm going to share are the
0:10 moments where your honest answer could
0:12 hurt you, even though it shouldn't. And
0:15 the version you give instead, it's not
0:17 fake. It's what everyone in hiring
0:20 expects you to say. But if no one's ever
0:22 told you that, it can feel like you're
0:24 being dishonest. I spent over a decade
0:26 on the other side of the hiring table at
0:28 Google, Tik Tok, Uber, Lyft, and the New
0:30 York Times, and I'm going to walk you
0:33 through all nine of the answers that we
0:35 expect you to give and why. So, let's
0:38 get into it. Number one, how are you?
0:40 This feels like small talk, but it's
0:43 not. It's an audition that starts before
0:45 you think it does. I've watched
0:47 candidates lose momentum in the first 10
0:49 seconds of an interview. They'll say
0:51 something like, "I'm just getting over a
0:54 cold." or honestly, it's been a rough
0:56 week or traffic was a nightmare getting
0:59 here. And what they don't realize is
1:02 that I'm already taking a mental note.
1:03 Not because I'm judging them as a
1:06 person, but because I'm asking myself,
1:07 is this how they're going to show up on
1:10 a hard day at work? You are always
1:14 great. Always. So, say, I'm great, thank
1:17 you. How are you? That's it. You're not
1:19 being fake. You're showing me that you
1:21 can regulate your energy when it
1:24 matters. That's a skill. And the
1:25 interview starts the second you walk
1:28 into the room, not when the first real
1:31 question gets asked. Number two, why do
1:33 you want to work here? Here's what most
1:35 people say. I went to your website and I
1:37 really love your mission and values.
1:39 That's what everybody says. And I'll
1:41 tell you what I'm thinking when I hear that.
1:43 that.
1:45 Nothing really. [music] It tells me
1:47 nothing about you. It tells me that you
1:50 spent five minutes on our about page.
1:52 So, what you want to do is flip the
1:55 question entirely. Stop making it about
1:58 what you want from them and make it
2:00 about what you're going to do for them.
2:02 Something like, "I've outgrown my
2:04 current role and I'm looking for a new
2:06 challenge. And based on what I've seen
2:08 about this team's goals, I know I can
2:10 help you solve." And then insert the
2:13 problem. You're not there to take, you
2:15 are there to contribute. And here's the
2:18 mindset shift. Stop treating interviews
2:20 like auditions where you're hoping to be
2:22 chosen. Treat them like a meeting
2:25 between two parties who both have
2:28 something to offer. That energy shift,
2:30 hiring managers can feel it immediately.
2:32 Number [music] three, where do you see
2:35 yourself in 5 years? Let me tell you
2:38 what we're actually asking because it's
2:41 not about your five-year plan. We don't
2:43 actually care about your five-year plan.
2:45 What we want to know are two things.
2:47 One, are you going to leave in six
2:50 months? And two, are your goals aligned
2:53 with this role? Or are you going to get
2:55 bored and become a problem? Which is why
2:58 you never say I'm going to grad school.
3:00 Never say starting my own business.
3:02 Never say hopefully in a leadership role
3:06 somewhere. Because somewhere tells me
3:09 probably not here. Even if those things
3:12 are true, and they might be, that's not
3:14 what we want to hear in this moment.
3:17 What we need to hear is, "I see myself
3:20 here. I see myself becoming an expert in
3:21 this area and I'm a valuable part of
3:24 this team." This role aligns with where
3:26 I want to go because, and then you
3:28 connect it to something specific about
3:30 the job. You're not lying about who you
3:32 are. You're telling the version of the
3:34 truth that serves this conversation.
3:36 There's [music] a difference. Number
3:38 four, why are you looking for a new
3:41 opportunity? This is for when you're
3:43 employed. We don't want to hear that you
3:45 hate your boss or that your company is
3:47 toxic, that you're being micromanaged or
3:50 underpaid or undervalued. Even if every
3:53 word of it is true, especially if it's
3:55 true, that's not what you say. And
3:57 here's why. When you trash a current
4:00 employer, I'm not thinking, "Oh, that
4:03 sounds terrible." Instead, I'm thinking,
4:05 what is she going to say about us in two
4:09 years? You become a risk. And in a stack
4:12 of qualified candidates, risks get cut.
4:15 So, keep it clean. Say, "I've learned a
4:17 lot in my current role, and now I'm
4:20 ready for a new challenge." Done. You
4:23 said nothing negative. You've shown
4:25 growth and you moved the conversation
4:28 forward. One sentence, move on. Number
4:30 five, how do you feel about your current
4:32 manager? Now, this is different from the
4:34 last one, and here's why. Because it
4:36 needs to be its own point, because
4:39 sometimes the person interviewing you is
4:41 about to become your next boss, and that
4:44 changes everything. I've watched this
4:46 happen in real time. A candidate was
4:48 interviewing for a role on a team that I
4:49 was recruiting for, and she mentioned
4:52 that her current manager was a quote
4:54 micromanager and too hands-on, and that
4:57 she was looking for more autonomy. The
4:59 hiring manager nodded politely, said
5:01 nothing, but that hiring manager was
5:03 known internally for being heavily
5:06 involved in her team's work. Some people
5:08 loved it, some people didn't, but the
5:10 candidate had just told her without
5:12 realizing it that her management style
5:15 was a problem. She didn't get the offer,
5:18 and she never really knew why. Say
5:19 nothing negative about your current
5:22 boss, nothing about your co-workers,
5:25 nothing about leadership ever, because
5:27 you don't know who you're talking to,
5:29 and you don't know who they know. This
5:32 isn't about being fake. It's about not
5:34 handing someone a reason to say no. So
5:36 instead of saying, "He's a
5:38 micromanager," you could say, "My
5:40 manager has been great at providing
5:42 structure for our team's goals. I've
5:44 learned a lot about process from him and
5:46 as I've grown, I've become more
5:48 proactive in anticipating next steps and
5:50 I'm excited about the possibility of
5:52 bringing that proactive energy to a new
5:55 team. Number six, [music] your hobbies.
5:56 Now, this one's going to surprise you
5:59 because most people just treat this as a
6:01 throwaway, but it's not. I once had a
6:04 candidate mention that she was restoring
6:06 a vintage motorcycle in her garage. She
6:08 wasn't interviewing for anything
6:10 mechanical. It was a marketing role, but
6:12 that detail made her memorable. It
6:15 signaled curiosity, patience,
6:16 willingness to figure things out, and
6:18 the hiring manager brought it up three
6:21 times in the debrief. On the other end,
6:22 I've had candidates tell me their main
6:24 hobby is watching TV or hanging out with
6:27 friends. And there's nothing wrong with
6:29 that. We all do it, but it doesn't give
6:32 me anything to work with. So instead,
6:35 you become forgettable. You're not
6:37 listing activities. Instead, you're
6:39 painting a picture of who you are when
6:41 you're not at work. And the picture
6:43 should make someone think, "Huh, that's
6:45 interesting. I'd want to get coffee with
6:48 that person." Reading, hiking, learning
6:50 a new language, building something,
6:52 mentoring, playing in a sports league.
6:54 Those are examples of things that you
6:56 can say. [music] And these tell me that
6:58 you're curious, engaged, and you have a
7:00 life outside of work. Pick the version
7:04 of yourself that's true and memorable.
7:06 So, instead of saying, "I like Netflix
7:09 and going out," you could say, "Outside
7:11 of work, I'm an avid home baker. I
7:12 actually run a small Instagram page
7:14 where I document my attempts to
7:16 mastering sourdough. It's taught me a
7:18 lot about patience, process, and
7:20 troubleshooting when things don't rise
7:22 as expected."
7:24 Number seven, your job title and
7:27 description. This is the one that trips
7:29 up high performers the most, and I need
7:31 you to hear me on this. If you've been
7:34 doing the work above your pay grade, you
7:36 need to claim it. If you've been leading
7:38 projects without the official title, you
7:39 can say that you led them. If you've
7:41 been doing the job of a senior person
7:43 while being paid as a junior one, own
7:46 the job. I've reviewed hundreds of
7:48 thousands of résumés, and one of the
7:50 most common mistakes I see is people
7:52 underelling what they've actually done
7:54 because they're waiting for permission.
7:56 They're waiting for the promotion, the
7:58 title change, the official recognition,
8:00 and in the meantime, they're letting
8:02 other candidates take credit for the
8:04 level of work they're already doing.
8:06 [music] The title on your badge is what
8:09 HR decided. The work you've done is what
8:11 actually matters. And if you don't
8:13 articulate that clearly, someone with
8:15 less experience, but more confidence is
8:17 going to walk in and take the job that
8:20 you were qualified for. That's not
8:22 lying. that's accurately representing
8:25 the value that you created. So for
8:27 example, if your title is marketing
8:29 coordinator, but you led the campaign,
8:32 you could say, "While my title was
8:33 marketing coordinator, I was responsible
8:36 for leading the Q3 email campaign from
8:38 concept to execution." This involves
8:40 setting the strategy, coordinating the
8:43 design and copy, analyzing the AB test
8:46 results, and presenting the 15% lift in
8:49 engagement to leadership. Number eight,
8:52 resume gaps. This one stresses people
8:54 out way more than it should. And here's
8:56 what I want you to understand. That gap
8:59 on your resume already got you the
9:02 interview. We saw it. We still called
9:05 you. Which means we've already decided
9:08 that it's not a deal breakaker. You just
9:10 need to not make it weird. If you went
9:12 back to school, got a certification, or
9:15 did volunteer work, talk about what you
9:16 learned and how it applies to the job
9:18 you're [music] interviewing for. If you
9:19 were laid off, say that there were
9:22 layoffs. I've been laid off. It happens.
9:25 We understand. If it was something
9:27 personal like health, family,
9:29 caregiving, you can simply say, "I took
9:31 time off for personal reasons and now
9:34 I'm ready to return to work." In the US,
9:36 employers legally can't ask you about
9:38 your family status and won't push.
9:41 Here's what actually matters. The energy
9:43 that you bring when you talk about it.
9:46 If you're defensive or apologetic, I'm
9:47 going to sense that something's wrong.
9:49 If you're matterof-act and confident,
9:52 I'm going to move on. The gap isn't the
9:55 problem. How you handle it is. For
9:57 example, let's say you had a 9-month gap
9:59 for caregiving. You could say in your
10:01 interview, "I took a planned period away
10:03 from my career to focus on a family
10:06 commitment. During that time, I kept my
10:07 skills sharp by completing a Google
10:10 Analytics certification and doing some
10:12 freelance content work. I'm now fully
10:14 ready and eager to return to a full-time
10:17 role where I can contribute deeply. And
10:20 say this with a calm, confident tone.
10:22 Number nine, do you have any questions
10:26 for us? Do not say, "No, I think you
10:28 covered everything." That's the fastest
10:30 way to end an interview on a flat note.
10:32 [music] And here's what it actually
10:34 communicates to me. You're not that
10:36 interested. You haven't thought beyond
10:37 today, and you're just trying to get
10:41 through this. The questions you ask tell
10:43 me how you think. They tell me whether
10:45 you're already picturing yourself in
10:47 this role or just hoping to survive the
10:49 conversation. Have at least two
10:51 questions ready. Why is this position
10:54 open is a good one. And it tells you if
10:56 someone got promoted, quit, or was
10:58 fired. And that's useful information for
11:00 you. What does success look like in the
11:03 first 90 days? This question shows that
11:05 you're already thinking about how to
11:07 deliver. Don't ask about vacation days
11:09 or remote work flexibility in the first
11:11 interview. That's a negotiation
11:13 conversation, not an interview
11:16 conversation. The best candidates ask
11:17 questions that make the interviewer
11:20 think that's what you're aiming for. For
11:23 example, don't say no. Instead, ask,
11:25 [music] "You mentioned the team is
11:27 growing. Could you describe the dynamic
11:29 between this role and the team it
11:31 collaborates with the most closely?" Or
11:33 you could ask, based on our conversation
11:35 today, what would you say is the most
11:37 immediate challenge the person in this
11:39 role would need to tackle in their first
11:41 month? Interviews aren't about being the
11:43 most honest person in the room. They're
11:45 about being the most strategic. Same
11:48 person, same skills, different answers.
11:50 Now, if you've been laid off, check out
11:52 this video where I lay out a 10-day plan
