An Expert’s Advice on Steering Interview Topics

You’re driving on the highway at a comfortable speed for you, but it happens to be just a bit faster than the rest of the drivers in your commute to work. What do you do? Do you chose to possibly be late to work or do you simply decide to keep going at your preferred speed and maneuver around them (without provocation!!) by politely waiting for your opportunity to catch an empty spot by your side, switch lanes and eventually pass the slower cars? If you’re like most drivers I’m going to bet that you chose to pass.

When you are being interviewed for a job, this same mentality can help you!

In this case though what you get is not being on time but getting the opportunity you so much deserve! But how do you steer a topic in ways that benefit you and not actually hijacking the conversation in a setting where the H.R. should be in charge of the interview? Well, here are a few tricks to put up your sleeve!

This steering technique, in media coaching parlance, is often referred to as “bridging,” connoting the fact that the conversational path being pursued by another person may very well be a dead end for you. If that’s the case, you’ll need to bridge to a conversational road that suits your purposes. Accomplishing this subtly and organically is the key, since the goal is to steer the conversation not clumsily hijack it. 

Steering is referred by us as “bridging,” and is sought usually by a sales or interviewer individual who has peaked a conversation which holds no interest or expertise for him or her, so by bridging topics the person can change a conversation into something that you can be part of or lead without actually hijacking and looking egotistical or pushy.

What I mean by hijacking can be explained with the following interview example:

H.R. – “It shows here that you have been you were let go from your last two jobs, could you explain your perspective?”

You – “That’s a complicated question, I would like instead to talk about my most recent training which I’m sure make me a great candidate for this position…”

Even if your topic of interest might be beneficial to the third party, you are hijacking a topic by forcefully changing it.  If you come across tough questions like these, you can pull off a conversational bridge paving the road to something that is beneficial to you, by steering not taking over the wheel. 

Here’s an example of how:

H.R. – “It shows here that you have been you were let go from your last two jobs, could you explain your perspective?”

You – “Yes I was, my interests at that time conflicted with my education and goals which have now for a while been aligned with the type of positions and job responsibilities I am seeking and for which I am here today. I have also taken on more training which make me a great candidate for this position such as…”

Accomplishing this change subtly and organically is key, since the goal is to steer the conversation without taking control from the H.R. Interviewer, because this could threaten the interviewer (let’s face it, this happens but that’s a different topic)  and cost you an opportunity.

Bridging from a difficult or vulnerable topic from a more pleasant or beneficial to you or both is accomplished by not making a big deal of things. When you appear to remain cool under what seems like a tough question you show that you are capable of smart unemotional reactions to tough scenarios and by low playing the importance of the topic the other person will have a psychological vulnerability that we all have, where our mind resembles that calm as reassurance that you are a capable person who has simply had a certain type of experience, in this scenario being let go multiple times.

Bridging, An Expert’s Advice on Steering Interview Topics

By remaining cool and answering tough questions with short concise answers and adding a topic to the response you swiftly steer the questioning to you directing what is being discussed that actually benefits you, puts you in control of a conversation allowing H.R. to appear in control of the questioning and can follow up on that new topic.