Have you ever been on a date where you had nothing in common so you spent your time asking questions about the other person's past?

"Where did you work before that? Where did you grow up? Where did you move to after that? How many brothers do you have?"

You get the idea. Your brain is in escape mode and your mouth is simply buying time until you can leave.

Many people find themselves in the same situation at interviews and spend all their time talking about the past, trying to defend their resume. This a really bad sign and if you find it happening to you then you're probably not going to get the job.

But there is a devastatingly simple way you can turn the interview around.

What if you asked this question instead:

"You want to hire someone to make something *happen* - so what is it you want to have happen from this job?"

Asking an employer what outcome or what they want to happen from this job completely turns the interview around and an interviewer or employer will start to tell you what they want... Now you can give them examples from your PAST (your resume) that demonstrate you can deliver the outcomes the employer is looking for.

Now instead of talking about your past, you can now talk about your potential.

Now instead of giving the usual staid examples of how you handled a bad situation with a customer, you can talk about the job itself, and the challenges these guys are trying to overcome. You can then take them by the hand and reassure them that not only is your past not your potential but you'll show them how your talents, skills and experience can deliver all they're looking for and MORE.

Not bad, eh?

There's one caveat on this approach though. When you ask the "what do you want to have happen" question of the interviewer, they may not know the answer!

This can be especially true of HR people who spend their days thinking up hard interview questions and have NO idea that the people they hire are the fuel for their company's growth and innovation. If you were to ask the manager of a hotel restaurant what they want to happen when they hire a waiter you'll get a totally different response than if you ask the same question to the HR manager of the hotel.

Nonetheless, asking "What do you want to have happen if you hire me for this job?" gives you a fantastic opportunity to talk about the job and the challenges they're facing.

Hopefully the person you will be working for will be in the interview as well, but if it's just the HR people then ask the question and explore their answers. More than likely there will be a second interview in which case you'll most probably be interviewed by your potential manager. Make sure you ask them what THEY want to have happen and explore the answer with them.

So, before you head off to your next interview, make sure you print a piece of paper with the question "What do you want to make happen" printed on it and space to make notes underneath. (Yes! You are allowed to take notes in with you and to ask questions! Hard to believe I know!)

This simple thing will turn you into a candidate that stands apart and commands respect.