Because the job interview is where you win or lose the offer.

Even the world’s best resume and cover letter won’t save you if you commit common, critical mistakes. The REAL way to win an interview is by taking just a few extra steps before it even starts so you can craft the perfect answers, display high levels of competence, and get the job every time.

Here are three of my best interview tips to get you started.

Interview Tip #1: Hack the Interviewer’s state of mind

To prepare for your interview, think about what the interviewer is looking for. Most candidates, however, only think about themselves — they get so wrapped up in their own thoughts, concerns, and abilities and forget what the interviewer actually wants in the perfect candidate.

Instead of focusing on ourselves, take a minute to ask yourself:

• What’s their state of mind?
• What are they looking for?
• What does the ideal candidate look like and say in their eyes?

Then, dig deeper and control the conversation by using three tricks to hack into the interviewer’s mind.

Interview Mind Hack #1: Interviewers have jobs, too

“Well duh,” you might say. “How is THAT important?”

Because they want to get back to work! Interviewers don’t want to waste their day talking to boring candidates; they want to check the box that says, “Hired,” and get back to work to finish their own projects.

By understanding this reality, you can transform the entire feel of the conversation.

• Instead of seeing it as an interrogation, you’ll sound like a friend who’s just asking if you can help
• Instead of putting them on a pedestal, you’ll see them as a future colleague
• Instead of spending the entire time talking, you’ll turn the interview into a dialogue and mix in some questions

Remember: they’re looking to hire someone and really want you to succeed because it’s in their best interest.

Interview Mind Hack #2: It’s not just your skills

What do potential employers really want when they bring you in for an interview?

I’ll give you a hint: It’s not “experience.”

If they were looking for the most experienced person, they could simply read resumes and test people.

But Interviews don’t ONLY assess your skills: They also gauge your behaviour.

Understanding this gives you a huge advantage because you can prepare by considering the following things:

• What are the behaviours and personality traits that this position requires? For example, salespeople are friendly and personable
• What type of language would someone in this role understand and use? For example: do you know what Ruby on Rails means? SEO? ROI?
• What nonverbal cues do I want to send before I even walk into the room?  For example: How does someone in this position dress? Suit? Dress? Polos?

When used correctly, you can use these cues to instantly and subtly signal to the interviewer that you are a high-value candidate and vastly improve your chances of receiving an offer every time.

Interview Mind Hack #3: Do your homework

Finally, do research on your interviewer on sites like LinkedIn, Twitter and Google.

The goal is NOT to stalk them or memorize everything they’ve ever done. Instead, it’s to learn:

• Their background (What schools did they go to? What clubs have they been a part of?)
• Their position with the company (Are they in a new role? Were they recently promoted?)
• Common interests you both share (Are they into volunteer work, sports, hobbies, etc?)

With these details, you can spark deeper discussions and stand out by subtly bringing them up during the interview — you’ll position yourself as someone who goes the extra mile, who’s proactive, and who cares. What’s the result?

A great job offer.

Once you’ve taken these steps to go deep into your interviewer’s mind, it’s time for final interview preparations and practising how to answer tough interview questions.

Interview Tip #2: The 3 step method to give the “perfect response” (to even toughest interview questions)

Use these three steps to always give a great answer to any interview question:

“Perfect Response” Step 1: Find the question behind the question

Let’s take a cue from the world of dating and analyze this common question:

“Does this make me look fat?”

How would you answer a question like this? What is she really asking?

This is not just about the fit on a pair of jeans. She’s asking, “Do I feel secure with the way I look? Do you still love me?”

As you can see, the question goes far deeper than it appears on the surface. This same principle is true in interviews.

When someone asks you, “Can you tell me a little about yourself?” it seems simple and very straightforward, but the reality is, “tell me about yourself” has dozens of questions behind the question.

A great way to uncover these hidden questions is to think:

• What is their concern?
• What other information does this question give them?
• Are they testing to see if I’m familiar with the job’s responsibilities?
• Do they just want to see how I handle vague questions?

Always take time to pause and think about what they want. If you jump into answering their question or trying to sound good, you can miss what’s really being asked.