How not to get eliminated in a job interview in less than two minutes?

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When interviewing for a job, you can easily get eliminated and not know about it. So, how do you prevent this from happening?

To understand this, let's look at how Joe Biden got eliminated when he was debating Donald Trump. The debate was a high-stakes event, and Biden was either unprepared or could not execute. Joe Biden is trying to get re-elected as the president, so all the blame goes to him. Similarly, if you screw up a job interview, you are to blame. It is you who is not going to get the job.

When you have a face to face interview and can't get the job, the interviewer is saying that you can't help them make money.  It is that simple. It is always about money.  Joe Biden lost the debate since he could not convince people how he will make their lives better.  

So, what can we learn from Joe Biden's mistakes in a high-stakes debate that can be applied to a job interview? Understanding these mistakes can provide valuable insights and help you avoid similar pitfalls.

First Mistake: First Impression

When Joe Biden enters the stage, he points to the lectern. Everyone in America knows that Biden has the lectern closest to him, so it makes no sense why he is unsure. Pointing to the podium makes Biden look unconfident. This happens before he utters a single word or even Donald Trump enters the stage.

Strike One. But Biden still has two strikes left.

Second Mistake: First Sound from Joe Biden.

Biden's first sound in the debate was raspy and inaudible.  He did not sound confident. If Biden was not feeling well, his campaign manager should have postponed the debate.

Strike Two. Biden is now down to one strike. 

Third Mistake
Since there were no opening statements, Biden had to clearly explain why he was debating a candidate convicted of 34 counts of felony, guilty of committing sexual assault and convicted of committing fraud where he has to pay $453 million. Biden had to make Trump unacceptable right from the beginning. Biden did not do that and made Trump acceptable. That's all on Biden. You can have a bad day playing a round of golf, but not when you want to remain the president.  

Strike Three. The debate was over in less than two minutes.

Many who watched the debate past the first two minutes thought that Biden was better later in the debate, but it was too late. The damage was done.

Joe Biden knocked himself out without Trump laying a punch on him. Go watch it, and you will see that this debate was torture to watch for 90 minutes since we went to "garbage time" after the first two minutes. Basketball games in the NBA have garbage time of no more than fifteen minutes, which typically happens in the fourth quarter when one team is so far ahead that the outcome has already been decided, and the players from both teams are just playing to run out the clock. 

The only event I remember that was just as short as this debate was when Michael Spinks fought Mike Tyson. It was on pay-per-view, so I paid to watch it at a colleague's house. I went to get some snacks in another room, and when I came back to the TV room, the fight was over. Tyson knocked out Spinks. I could not believe it. The fight was over in 91 seconds, and Michael Spinks never fought again.

Joe Biden did not understand that you can't debate a felon. You are entering a boxing ring and must knock him out. That is on Biden. 

At least Michael Spinks took a punch from Tyson and got knocked out.  Biden knocked himself out in less than two minutes, which I don't think was possible in a presidential debate with high stakes.

What can you learn from Joe Biden's debate performance so you don't make the same mistakes in a high-stakes interview?

First impressions are crucial, so you must work on how you will present yourself from the beginning at a job interview. For instance, dress professionally, maintain eye contact, and offer a firm handshake. The first impression is how the interviewer sees you without you saying a single word.

Secondly, remember that your initial communication with the interviewer is as crucial as your responses to their questions. Clear and confident communication can set the tone for the entire interview and leave a lasting impression.

Third, you must ensure that your and the interviewer's expectations are aligned. This means understanding the job role, the company culture, and what the interviewer is looking for in a candidate. It's not just about what you can offer, but also about what you can expect from the job and the company.

Though this sounds simple. But, as you saw in the presidential debate, Joe Biden could not do this well, and it got worse from there. He did not even try to recover from or correct his mistakes in his closing statement. The entire debate was a disaster for Biden. SInce BIden was so bad, very little focus was being given to Donald Trump.  He won the debate because of a self knockout commitred by Joe BIden.

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I guide people succeed when they must win, such as getting a good job, advancing in career or winning a sales deal.
I wrote a practical, no-nonsense book on winning throuhg speaking titled Winning Speech Moments: How to Achieve Your Objective with Anyone, Anytime, Anywhere. 

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