Don't Walk Into a Job Interview Before You Know This

Wonder why you failed that job interview even though you felt you nailed it?

Imagine you’re at a magic show. The magician waves his hand, pulls a rabbit out of a hat, and the audience gasps. You lean in, desperate to figure out the trick. But unless you’re sitting where the magician is, or better yet, unless you are the magician, you’re left scratching your head.

That’s what interviews are like. You might have started seeing the commonality between these 2 seeming different situations.

We, the candidates, sit on the side similar to magic show audience, watching the performance unfold. But the real mechanics? The scoring rubric? The subtle hand signals? Those belong to the interviewer. And if you don’t understand their vantage point, you might as well be guessing how the rabbit showed up in that hat.

Why You’re Not Blowing Them Away

Here’s a hard truth: you’re probably not impressing your interviewer as much as you think. Why? Because you don’t know the rules of their game. You might feel like nailing it by describing a proud example of yours, but didn't know the interview just picked up a couple show-stopping red flags reading between the lines of your story. It’s like showing up at Wimbledon and scoring a perfect slam dunk. Wrong sport.

Interviewers aren’t just listening to what you say. They’re evaluating how you think, whether you fit the role, and if you’ll mesh with the team. You’re busy trying to impress with polished answers, while they’re quietly grading you against a scorecard you’ve never seen.

As Warren Buffett famously said, “You never really know who’s swimming naked until the tide goes out.” Interviews are that tide.

The Secret to Acing Interviews: Borrow Their Glasses

If you want to ace interviews, stop polishing your magic tricks and start looking through the interviewer’s eyes. This isn’t about being manipulative, it’s about awareness. Know your audience. Upgrade your mindset. Ask yourself:

• What’s the interviewer actually trying to learn about me?

• What worries might they have about hiring the wrong person?

• How can I answer in a way that reduces their risk and builds trust?

Steve Jobs once said at WWDC 1997, “You’ve got to start with the customer experience and work backward to the technology.” Swap “customer” for “interviewer” and you’ve got your strategy.

When you understand their perspective, you stop performing random tricks and start delivering exactly what matters.

The Final Trick Is Yours

So next time you walk into an interview, don’t just rehearse your lines, rehearse your perspective. Ask yourself: If I were the interviewer, what would I need to see to confidently say yes your are hired?

After all, the best magicians aren’t just skilled in tricks. They’re masters of perception. Maybe it’s time to become your own magician.

What about you, have you ever stopped to think about what your interviewer is really looking for?