I once sat with the tough founder of a Blockchain startup.
I had volunteered to help her project.
"What can you do for me, and why should we take you?"
I wasn't planning on being interviewed, but she decided to interview me.
"I'm just volunteering," I said.
"We don't need to accept," she replied.
Looking back, she asked a good question.
The interviewer is not under pressure to hire.
No, the pressure is on the interviewee.
Here are some observations about interviewees.
Almost all bring their CV and their papers.
Most don't talk much.
And hardly any will tell you how much they can do for you.
Instead, they want to know how much you can do for them.
How much pay.
How much bonus.
The perks.
They don't care whether they can help the firm perform better.
They don't offer to work harder than in their old job.
No offers to take a pay cut, of course.
Not even if it means learning something new.
No offers to add value.
They want to have freedom.
A great remuneration package.
With hardly any work.
Are they wrong?
They should strive to make their future employer great, before making great demands.
But then, many of them are just trying out their luck.
No, they are not wrong to want to try their luck.
But interviews are no guarantee of employment.
An interviewer may interview a thousand people without even hiring a single one.
It's just a try out.
Sometimes, interviewers are seeking answers to problems.
So the problems get packaged as job interviews.
"How would you solve this situation?" they ask.
"I would do this, and that, and that."
Who knows, somebody is taking notes.
After all, an interview doesn't need to lead to a hire.
Interviewing senior management means tapping their brains.
Maybe sneaky, but that's one way to get free consultation.