By Jeff Altman, The Big Game Hunter
EP 3105 Stop trying to sell yourself with a laundry list of skills. That strategy is failing you. In this direct, no-BS episode, we share the one critical shift you must make to get the results you want.
Your Digital First Impression May Be Getting You Rejected
Hey, welcome to our explainer. Today, we’re going to talk about a huge mistake so many people make in job interviews. It’s a mistake that can totally change how an interviewer sees you.
We’re talking about a complete mindset shift that honestly could be the difference between getting the job and well, not. So let’s start with a really simple question. So picture this, you’re sitting in that chair across from the hiring manager.
What are you actually selling them? Really take a second and think about that because your answer to that one question pretty much decides your entire strategy for the interview. Now, if you’re like most of us, your gut reaction is probably my experience or my skills, you know, my qualifications and look, that feels like the right answer, but it’s actually the number one mistake people make it completely misses what the interviewer is really looking for. And this is the big difference right here.
See, most candidates get stuck on the left side of the screen, just listing their qualifications. But the people who get the offers they’re on the right, they are selling their results. Getting this one little pivot is the whole key.
So let’s break down what that really means. Okay. Let’s talk about something I like to call the resume recital mistake.
You know what I’m talking about, right? It’s when the interview just becomes a live reading of your resume. You list off your skills, you walk through your job history, and you’re probably boring the interviewer to tears. It just feels so natural to want to sell your qualifications, doesn’t it? I mean, you worked hard for that degree.
You put in the time for that certification. You have a decade of experience, but here’s the thing. The interviewer already knows all that.
Why So Many Interviews?
They’ve read your resume. Just repeating it back to them. Doesn’t add any new value at all.
All right, let’s flip this around and look at it from the other side of the desk for a minute. Why does just listing your credentials fall so flat from their perspective? What’s going through their head while you’re doing it? Oof, this quote just says it all. Doesn’t it? When you only talk about how qualified you are, it can really come across as just bragging.
Without any real substance, the interviewer just tunes out because you’re not answering their real unspoken question, which is always, what can you actually do for me and my team? And that brings us to the big solution here. Instead of selling who you are on paper, you need to start selling what you’ve actually done. This is that powerful shift we’re talking about.
From just listing qualifications to showing real tangible impact. So what do we even mean when we say results? It’s actually pretty simple. A result is the measurable, tangible outcome of your work.
It’s not saying I managed a team. It’s saying I increased my team’s productivity by 15%. It’s not, I worked on a marketing campaign.
It’s I helped generate a 20% lift in sales leads. See the difference? It’s the effect you had. Think about it.
Employers hire people to solve their problems and to create value. So when you talk about your past results, you’re giving them cold, hard evidence that you’re someone who can do exactly that for them. You’re speaking their language, the language of impact.
Now let’s get into the psychology of why this works so well. It’s not just about giving them proof. It’s about helping the interviewer’s brain connect the dots and actually start to picture you succeeding at their company.
This is where the real magic happens. When you say something like, at my last job, I streamlined a process that saved the team 10 hours of manual work every week. The hiring manager hears that, and they aren’t just thinking about your old job.
Nope. In their mind, they’re already imagining you saving their team 10 hours a week. You just made your value real, and that’s incredibly powerful.
LinkedIn’s #opentowork Post
So how do you actually do this? It’s easy. Just use this simple three-step formula. First, state the achievement.
I increased customer retention. Next, detail your actions by creating a new feedback system. And finally, highlight the impact, which cut customer churn by 5% in just six months.
Achievement, action, impact. That’s your game plan right there. All right, let’s wrap this up with the most important things to remember.
First, your goal is to sell outcomes, period. You are not just a list of skills. You are a collection of accomplishments.
So focus on those achievements and be super clear about the impact your work had. When you do that, you’re literally helping the interviewer see you winning in the role before you’ve even gotten the offer. At the end of the day, every interview is a chance to tell a story.
You can tell the boring story, the one about your qualifications, which let’s be honest, they’ve already right on your resume, or you can tell the exciting story of your results, a story about impact, about achievement and about the value you’re going to bring. The choice is yours. So what story are you going to tell?
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ABOUT JEFF ALTMAN, THE BIG GAME HUNTER
People hire Jeff Altman, The Big Game Hunter to provide No BS Career Advice globally because he makes many things in peoples’ careers easier. Those things can involve job search, hiring more effectively, managing and leading better, carer transition, as well as advice about resolving workplace issues.
He is the producer and former host of “No BS Job Search Advice Radio,” the #1 podcast in iTunes for job search with over 3100 episodes. 
Don’t Act Desperate!
You will find great info to help with your job search at my new site, JobSearch.Community Besides the video courses, books and guides, I answer questions from members daily about their job search. Leave job search questions and I will respond daily. Become an Insider+ member and you get everything you’d get as an Insider PLUS you can get me on Zoom calls to get questions answered. Become an Insider Premium member and we do individual and group coaching.
Executive Job Search: The Invisible Market
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