Let's talk about how to be successful in your next interview.

The first thing we need to consider is communication - how you're speaking and presenting your views AS WELL AS how you're listening to the needs of the interviewer on the other side.

There's a lot of focus and training materials out there on how to present your career stories in a relevant, concise, coherent way.

But, what I'd like to focus on today is the other person in the room.

You see, to be successful in your next interview, you HAVE to know who you’re meeting with, their role and - most importantly - what they care about.

Each person you meet with will have a perspective on the role they’re considering you for and what they think is important in a successful hire.

Sometimes these objectives overlap, sometimes they don’t.

These people are called stakeholders. They could be the recruiter, the hiring manager, the hiring manager’s boss, someone on the team (a peer).

Side Note: The more senior the position you apply for, the more stakeholders there will be.

In this edition of Design a Career You Love, I want to share with you a framework to help you assess each stakeholder so you can put your best foot forward in the interview.

Remember, as a job seeker you’re actually a salesperson. So, it’s important to understand the audience you’re speaking to (AKA which stakeholder) so you can tailor your content to what they want to hear about.

That’s why stakeholder analysis is so important.

Let’s dive in!

1. Identify Key Stakeholders

First, list all the stakeholders involved in the hiring process. Be specific and spend time on LinkedIn to determine the names and positions of each person. You can also ask the recruiter for details as well. Typically, they include:

• Hiring Manager: Responsible for the final decision.
• HR/Recruitment Team: Manages candidate sourcing, compliance, and initial screening.
• Direct Team Members: Colleagues who will work closely with the new hire.
• Cross-Functional Teams: Other departments that may collaborate with the role.
• Senior Leadership: May provide strategic oversight or ensure cultural alignment.
• External Stakeholders (if relevant): Partners, clients, or community members involved in the process.

2. Understand Stakeholder Interest and Needs

For each stakeholder, assess what they care about in the hiring process:

• Hiring Manager:
  • Key responsibilities for the role.
  • Short-term and long-term performance expectations.
  • Skills, experience, and fit within the team.
• HR/Recruitment Team:
  • Organizational culture and fit.
  • Diversity and inclusion considerations.
  • Alignment with company policies and legal compliance.
• Direct Team Members:
  • Collaboration style and communication skills.
  • Impact on team dynamics and workload sharing.
  • Technical or functional expertise relevant to the team.
• Cross-functional Teams:
  • Ability to work across departments.
  • Understanding of collaborative processes and systems used.
• Senior Leadership:
  • Strategic alignment with company goals and vision.
  • Leadership potential or growth trajectory.
• External Stakeholders:
  • Customer-centric focus.
  • Industry knowledge and networking capabilities (if applicable).

3. Understand The Evaluation Criteria Each Stakeholder Uses

Once you understand what each stakeholder cares about, identify the criteria they will likely evaluate you against, based on the role’s requirements and stakeholder interests.

Criteria might include:

• Technical/Functional Skills: Your ability to perform core duties.
• Cultural Fit: Gauge alignment with the company’s values and working environment.
• Leadership and Problem-Solving: Your capacity for leadership, innovation, or critical thinking.
• Teamwork and Communication: Evaluate your interpersonal skills and ability to work within diverse teams.
• Adaptability and Growth Potential: Understand your ability to learn and grow within the organization.
• Strategic Thinking: For senior roles, assess your alignment with the broader business goals and their capacity for long-term planning.

Use this list to focus your interview preparation. For example, if you know you’re meeting with the senior leadership team, they’ll likely be evaluating your overall fit and leadership skillsets. Prepare your content and career stories to address this.

Whereas if you’re meeting with a technical team member, they may care more about your ability to structure problems and create clear communication channels.

4. Design Stakeholder-Specific Interview Questions

As you prepare for the interview, draft interview questions that are tailored to each stakeholder. The purpose of this is to shift the interview into a conversation, build rapport and clarify the needs of each stakeholder.

Examples include:

• For the Hiring Manager:
  • "What goals has your manager set for you over the next 6 months? How can this hire help you achieve them?"
• For HR:
  • “Why is this role open?”
• For Direct Team Members:
  • "Describe a successful working relationship with the new hire. What do you expect from the next person in this role?”
  • "How is feedback typically communicated on this team?”
• For Senior Leadership:
  • "Can you walk me through the roadmap and projections for the next 12 months?"
  • "What strategies do you use to stay current with industry trends and how would you implement that knowledge? How do you anticipate this hire support this work?”

5. Assess Stakeholder Influence and Decision-Making Power

Not all stakeholders have equal weight in the decision-making process. Assess their level of influence:

• Primary Decision-Makers: Typically the hiring manager and senior leadership who make the final decision.
• Advisors: HR and direct team members who provide key input but may not have final say.
• Consulted: Cross-functional team members and external stakeholders who provide feedback on specific aspects.
• Informed: Those who need to be aware of the hiring decision but do not influence it directly.

By applying this framework, you’ll gain a structured approach to understand each stakeholder in the hiring process. You'll also be able to focus your interview preparation by tailoring your career stories and content to the needs of each stakeholder.

This is essential for proving that you are truly the top candidate!

Are you in the midst of an interview process? Tell me what you think of this strategy!

Until next week,

Beckie
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