"Place 100% of your focus on understanding their problems"

While it may sound harsh, the person across the desk doesn’t really care about you.  And frankly, I don’t think they’re supposed to.  After all, interviews are sales situations, not social calls.  You’re not there to make a friend or get a date.  You’re there (hopefully) to show them beyond a reasonable doubt that you’re the person best positioned to come in, roll up your sleeves, solve their problems, and make them look like a superstar.  So why would they care about you as a person, if this is the underlying dynamic? 

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For every question you’re asked in an interview, there’s an (appropriately) selfish motive behind it on the part of the employer.  So make sure to keep your answers short, relevant, and focused on how the particular skill/qualification/strength you’re talking about is going to conspire to make the interviewer’s life better — and help them reach their goals within the organization. 

Matt Youngquist has more good advice, this time focusing on the interview and where you should focus as you talk with the recruiter or hiring manager.

Read the full article here