HOW TO APPROACH JOB INTERVIEWS
This post will explore how you should approach interviews. Whilst I wrote it mainly for myself, it should be useful for anyone who is planning on applying for a new role. It is probably useful for interviewers who want to gain an interviewee’s perspective as well.
BEFORE AN INTERVIEW
1. Be intellectually honest
When deciding which roles to apply for you need to be intellectually honest about 3 things in particular.
First, you need to be intellectually honest about your strengths and your weaknesses. If you are aware of your strengths, you can make them stronger. If you are aware of your weaknesses, you can work to make them your strengths.
Second, you need to be intellectually honest about how you define career success. Success is subjective. If success to you means working the minimal amount so that you can spend as many waking hours with your family as possible, optimise for that. If success to you means contributing to the creation of a £1billion+ company, optimise for that.
Finally, you need to be intellectually honest about why you are applying for a certain job. That is, you need to be clear about the purpose of applying to that job in particular. Is it because the mission of the company is something you see yourself working on for the rest of your career? Is it because you will learn specific knowledge that will equip you for founding your own company? Is it because you need something to pay the bills while you work on a side-hustle? Whatever the reason, stay true to it.
2. Optimise for leverage
Your aim should be for the interviewer to spend the whole interview selling you on the company, rather than for them to be asking you to sell yourself. The best way to do this is to become a prospective linchpin (i.e. someone who is “indispensable” before they even join (Seth Godin)) and to be “so good they can’t ignore you” (Cal Newport).
There are three types of linchpin.
First, a generalist: someone “who can change directions, refactor priorities, learn something new, and adapt quickly to whatever curveballs the universe throws at them” (Reid Hoffman). These people are linchpins because they are “masters of adaptability”; they can solve all sorts of problems.
Second, a specialist: someone who is exceptionally good at one thing. These people are linchpins because they are experts and know things no one else does. They can solve specific problems.
Finally, a versatile specialist: someone who can excel at everything but prefers laser focus. A versatile specialist is a generalist and a specialist. They could do one thing exceptionally well if they wanted to specialise; but could equally do everything. These people are linchpins because they can be a generalist when circumstances require; but could equally be a specialist when circumstances require.
Which type of linchpin you should aim to be depends on: (i) the stage of the company you are applying to is at, (ii) your strengths and weaknesses, (iii) the type of people at the company you are applying to, and (iv) the nature of the company you are applying to.
On another note, it is unlikely that you will apply for a role unopposed. That is, there will likely be competition for a role. Competition for a role may be a good or bad thing. It may be good because it shows that the role/company is popular; but it may be bad for that same exact reason. Assuming there is competition, you should absolutely not focus on the competition. You should focus on the things in your control (i.e. being your best).
3. Avoid crappiness
Ben Horowitz has indicated that the Law of Crappy People states: “For any title level in a large organization, the talent on that level will eventually converge to the crappiest person with the title. The rationale behind the law is that the other employees in the company with lower titles will naturally benchmark themselves against the crappiest person at the next level.”
From the interviewer’s perspective, they should aim to hire people to a title level who are better than everyone at that level.
At first sight, from the interviewee’s perspective, there are two options. First, the interviewee should aim to be the worst person at the title level. This would mean that (i) they are surrounded by people better than them which will provide an environment for them to develop, and (ii) they will have peace of mind that the lowest standard the team is willing to accept is their standard (i.e. if you are the worst on your team and your standard is high, the rest of the team must be exceptionally good). The second option is for the interviewee to aim to raise the standard of that title level.
However, somewhat counterintuitively, you should aim to do both. You should aim to be the best at the title level at one thing, and the worst at other things. This will ensure that those at that title level are, collectively, exceptionally good and complimentary.
On another note, you should make sure that the company will add as much value to you as you will to them. The employer-employee relationship should be a symbiotic one (i.e. a relationship which allows both parties to develop and actualise their potential). While the Law of Crappy People indicates that a crappy employee is a parasite (i.e. an employee which causes harm to the employer), a crappy employer is a dead-end host (i.e. a host that prevents the employee from completing their development).
In short, remember that you should be working with an employer, not for an employer.
4. Remember you can do anything
When deciding what to do, which roles to apply for and which companies to apply to, you should always start from the premise that you can do anything. Of course, in your current form, you may be best equipped to do X; but if you want to do Y, go equip yourself to do Y.
This logic is applicable regardless of the stage of your career you are at. If you are at the beginning of your career, do not take a first step which is self-limiting. At the beginning of your career, you should not be rigid about what path you will take. If you are well into your career, remember that it is never too late for a career change. At points in the middle of your career, you should not be rigid about staying on the same path.
5. Ask the right questions of yourself
An interviewer will ask you the questions they believe will make sure they hire the most appropriate people. If you can anticipate these questions, you will be at an advantage. It may be useful to include some questions and qualities people ask of hires:
Bezos asks three questions:
1. Will you admire the people you will be working with?
2. Will the people raise your standards?
3. Along what dimension might your role at the company help you be a superstar?
Buffet looks for three qualities:
1. Integrity
2. Intelligence
3. Energy
Zuckerberg has said that he will only hire someone to work directly for him if he would work for that person.
Musk has said that “the biggest mistake, in general, [he has] made, is to put too much of a weighting on someone’s talent and not enough on their personality… it actually matters whether somebody has a good heart, it really does.”
On another note, you should ask whether you will be a cultural fit at the company. Sam Altman has written that “anyone [a company] hire[s] should be a cultural fit”. From the interviewee’s perspective then, you should only join a company where you would fit in culturally. If the culture of a company is not suitable for you, you will not thrive.
DURING AN INTERVIEW
1. Focus on the things in your control
You have the ability to lead the direction of an interview. Guide the interviewer to the things you want to discuss. However, do not assume that you will not be asked questions you did not anticipate. Embrace these questions. These are the most fun because they are the least robotic. They allow you to be fluid in your thinking and allow you to authentically express yourself.
2. Be an interviewer
The interviewer is simultaneously the interviewee and vice versa. Both parties must understand that this is the dynamic to make the most of any interview. You should make sure you ask the questions you want to ask. The interviewer should be open and transparent in their answers. Of course, they may be unable to discuss some things; but you should probably be cautious of interviewers who are defensive in their answers.
3. Be yourself
As a result of the inequality of bargaining power between interviewers and interviewees (i.e. the interviewer has more decision-making power than the interviewee), an interview becomes more a game of the interviewee representing themselves in a way they think the interviewer wants them to be. You should avoid doing this. You should represent yourself in a fully honest and authentic way. The best way to do this is to remain true to your intellectual honesty established before the interview.
In short, maintain integrity, honesty and authenticity at every stage of an interview process.
4. Assume you will be successful
If you approach an interview with doubt, you probably shouldn’t turn up. Stewart Butterfield has said this better than I could:
“There is some truth to that old Henry Ford aphorism “Whether you think you can, or you think you can’t — you’re right.”. If you can’t believe it, it’s probably not going to happen. However, I like to take that one step further and ensure that every action we take is one that assumes the desired outcome is inevitable. Do not make actions that are out of alignment with that inevitability. Do not allow judgements which contradict it. The more evidence you have — and everyone else has — that things will come out as planned, the more likely it will be so.”
AFTER AN INTERVIEW
There are two scenarios after an interview process: you join the company or you don’t. However, there are two reasons which could lead to the latter: you decline to join or they reject you. As a result, there are 3 situations to consider.
SITUATION 1: YOU JOIN
If you join, there are 3 rules to abide by.
1. Over-perform
If you join, you should aim to over-promise and over-perform. Add more value than you were expected to add. Use it as an opportunity to level-up and get better. As Jeff Bezos would say, treat every day as if it was Day 1. Do not take your past contributions and successes as granted. Do not get complacent. You are only as good as your next shift.
2. Take ownership
Nominate yourself for tasks you are not qualified for. Get comfortable being uncomfortable (Peter McWilliams). Warren Buffet has said to “criticise generally and praise specifically” when speaking to others’ contributions. When speaking to your contributions, you should take ownership of mistakes and share ownership of successes.
On another note, an employer will hire you on the basis that you will make a net positive contribution to the company over time. This may mean that you do things in the way they have previously been done. However, this will not necessarily be the case. As a result, don’t be afraid to initiate change; but don’t do it in an overly disruptive way.
3. Leave
If your employee-employer relationship does not continue to be symbiotic, leave. Only stay as long as you are both adding value to each other. Even if you are both adding value to each other, leave if you could add more value and/or receive more value elsewhere. As Chamath Palihapitiya said recently, you are no one’s “slave” and you absolutely have a right to change your career path if you are unhappy with its current form.
On another note, as Naval Ravikant has said: “You’re not going to get rich renting out your time. You must own equity- a piece of a business- to gain your financial freedom.” As a result, you should probably leave a company in which you will never receive a ‘piece of the pie’. But to be clear, renting out your time is sensible so long as you are learning things which will contribute to your future financial freedom (i.e. things which will optimise for leverage in a future equity negotiation).
SITUATION 2: YOU DECLINE
Remember, just because there is an inequality of bargaining power during an interview, it does not mean that you do not have the right to say ‘no’ to them. They can say no to you, so you can absolutely say no to them.
A good heuristic here is: “If you can’t see yourself working with someone for life, don’t work with them for a day” (Naval Ravikant).
SITUATION 3: YOU GET REJECTED
You should absolutely take rejection personally. It hurts. But rejection should not inhibit you; it should empower you.
Rejection is the single most empowering thing that can happen to you. Rejection is not a ceiling; rejection is a foundation. It is a foundation for your future success.
The best thing about rejection is that it is an opportunity to prove someone wrong. You get to prove them wrong by discovering or creating a better opportunity.
Rejection does not signify a loss to you; it signifies a loss to the person who rejected you. If someone rejects you, you need to take the position that you would have added more value to them than they would have to you. In order to embody this mindset, you need to have “almost too much self-belief” (Sam Altman).
FINAL REMARKS
I will finish with three final points.
First, always remember that an interview process is not a true reflection of who you are and whether or not you will ‘fit’ the role you are applying for. Companies seem to be getting better at testing for requisite skills (e.g. setting practical challenges, having trial periods etc.), but it is likely that these are not an exact replica of the things you will be doing if you get the role. You should keep this in mind throughout any interview process.
Second, the best way to avoid the inequality of bargaining power present during interviews is to avoid job interviews entirely. That is, you can start your own company. However, if you plan on starting your own company, it is important to note that while you may avoid the need to interview for a job, you will not avoid interviews entirely. Your talent will continue to be scrutinized. Your interviewer changes from being a potential employer, to being cofounders, investors, customers, your prospective employees etc.
Finally, Don’t. Fucking. Settle. It’s your only life. You’ll spend most of your best years working so you better make sure you enjoy your work.
