How would you interview for the VP job with Joe Biden?

The purpose of any interview is to show up, stand out, and secure an offer. If you are meeting Joe Biden, then you are on a shortlist of potential candidates. You will prepare to show up. But you still don't have an offer, So what do you do to stand out? You must seize control during the interview.

Seizing Control

This is the most important part of any job interview. The reason for this is that the interviewer will take a very short time to make a go/no-go decision; hence, you must seize control very early. The best way to do this is to have a three-minute pitch ready to be delivered on why you should be hired. The purpose of the pitch is to steer the conversation toward a direction where you can score points and win. To pull this off, you need to script the pitch first, practice hard and perform at the interview.   

In this post, I have shown the script of a pitch I would use to seize control. Look, you don't have to like Joe Biden to do this exercise. This exercise is all about how you would show up, stand out, and secure an offer if you were under consideration for the VP job. This what we all have to do when we are on a shortlist for a job.

I coach people on job interviewing, and getting my clients to do a three-minute pitch is very hard, including those pursuing executive-level jobs. Most never do it no matter how much I encourage them. The only conclusion I can draw from this is that getting rejected is a lot easier than making a three-minute video that could help them get the job they want. People don't like to put in the work that is necessary. Interviewing is the most important skills for success.  If you would like to learn more, you can watch the talk I gave on this topic:
Interviewing is the Most Important Skill for Success... Today.

Why three-minute speech is important to getting a job?
A three-minute pitch is important because it allows you to focus, based on your research, on what will resonate with the interviewer. You don't want to think during the interview. You want to do most of your thinking before the interview during your preparation.

Preparing for a job interview is no different than how PGA professional golfers prepare for major golf tournaments, if not all tournaments. I was watching the PGA Championship, and when golfers were interviewed after their round of play, they all tend to say they tried to stick to their process and not think on the course. The winner of the tournament will be the player who has a good game plan and can execute well will walk away with the Wanamaker trophy. 

The three-minute speech will allow you to stand out in any interviews, including interviewing for the VP job in any field and likely securing a job offer.

Does this mean you will always walk away with a job offer? No.

It just means that you will have done everything in your power to stand out. The decision to hire you is outside your control. Similarly, a golfer can only control the ball he or she is hitting. A golfer can't control how others play the game. 

Rough Script of the Three-Minute Pitch for the VP Job ( Indented )

I wholeheartedly agree with you when you say that the soul of our country is at stake in this election. I believe as you do that the experiment to make this a perfect union will end if we don't win in November. 

That's why it's critical that you pick the VP that will give you the best chance to win in November, and help you move this country toward the vision of our modern founding fathers like John Lewis. 

So what does restoring the soul of our country mean to me? It has two parts. One is believing in fundamental American beliefs; second, governing and prioritizing based on those beliefs. 

Fundamental American Beliefs

The traditional American beliefs have been life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness. But we need to revise that since we have lost our ways since Donald Trump became president. We need to restore beliefs in the following:
Constitution
​Democracy
Justice
Decency
Facts
Science
Compassion
Equality

When we start becoming more like autocratic countries, we start losing the soul of our country. Time has come to revise the Declaration of Independence and come up with a Declaration of Revival. 

Governing Beliefs

The second part is to govern based on those fundamental beliefs. We have to strengthen our national security, economic security, and future security.

National Security

• Alliances -- we have to restore and strengthen our relationship with our traditional allies: Canada, Mexico, and NATO. 
• Pandemic -- we need to get this pandemic under control working with the countries.
• Climate Change -- we have very limited time to turn this around instead of debating whether it is real. 

Economic Security

• Healthcare -- we have to not only make Obama Care stronger, but make  healthcare cheaper and affordable by adding public option.
• Livable Wages -- we need people to make livable wages so they can make a decent living and can create a future for themselves and their children.
• Education -- we can only compete and win based on how educated our people are, so we need to invest more and smart.

Future Security

• Infrastructure -- we have to invest in building our infrastructure if we want to be a superpower.
• Deficit/Debt -- we have to reduce our deficits and debt to secure a better future for our kids.
• Nuclear Arms Control -- we have to work with other nations to reduce nuclear weapons and prevent from spreading.

America is first when it leads, not when it follows or hides. 

With your leadership and the outstanding team you will put together, I know America will again be the leader of the free world. And when that happens, the world will be a better, safer, and prosperous place. And I will contribute in any way I can to make that happen.


Now it's your turn to come up with a script of a three-minute pitch you would use if you were under consideration for the VP job. If you don't do it for this exercise, you will need one when you are interviewing for a job. It will increase your chances of securing an offer.
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Jay Oza is an author, speaker, executive coach.  He makes people thrive on high stakes stage whether it's for a job interview, a sales presentation or a high-stakes speech. He is the author of a practical  book Winning Speech Moments: How to Achieve Your Objective with Anyone, Anytime, Anywhere. You can get this book on Amazon for 99 cents for limited time. Please download the free speech checklist that you can use to help you create a winning speech for any situation.

Please contact him if you would like to have a two 75 minute coaching session on job interviewing or high-stakes speaking. If you are interested in inviting him to give a talk on job Interviewing or high-stakes speaking. You can reach him at joza@winningspeechmoments.com.

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