What 'Hot Ones' Taught Me About Getting The Job

It’s no secret that job interviews can be stressful, especially in the tech-sales sphere. They can be overwhelming and fear-inducing. We all want the job, but no one actually wants to go through a dry, boring, prolonged, uncomfortable interview cycle to get there, right? I’m very skeptical that self-proclaimed job-interview-lovers aren’t just 3 children in a trench coat running a side hustle for some ice-cream truck money.

Job interviews are a necessary evil — or joy if your 3 said children in a trenchcoat I guess — but for grow-ups in the real world, what’s really the key to nailing them?

Is there a way to fake it until you make it? How will I know what kind of questions are going to be asked? What are the tricks of the trade? What kind of jargon do I need to know? How many alarms do I set to make sure I wake up on time? It's easy for things to spiral.

In ye ole’ days, you could walk into an office building and say Please, I'd like a job. I’ll work hard and hit those quotas double!,” some suit might take a chance on you and go I like your moxie, kid,” and you’d land a job for the rest of your career.

But you can’t do that anymore. If you actually find a tech company still working in the office you’ll probably get the side-eye and watch one coworker elbow another to share a laugh at your expense.

After all my late nights, deep-diving on YouTube, I finally found a solution. Your job interview troubles will disappear if you pretend like you’re the host of Hot Ones.

What does that even mean, you ask?
Do I need to bring hot sauce to an interview, you inquire?
What’s 'Hot Ones', you plead?

I’ll tell you.
No.
And a good question, I'll start with that.

Hot Ones is a talk show where the host shares a platter of spicy chicken wings with popular celebrities. They try to answer interview questions while each wing gets spicier and spicier. Hilarity ensues.

So what do hot wings and celebrities have to do with tech sales interviews? It’s simple.

The fundamentals of nailing a job interview break down into the 3 Ps

1. Prep
2. Personality
3. Perseverance

With the fundamental mentality behind them being this: You are finding the right fit as much as they are. No matter how much you want this position, you need to figure out whether they are a good fit for you as you are for them.

Sean Evans is the current host of Hot Ones and our fearless wing-eating champion. He uses the 3Ps pers. He interviews his own personal heroes while creating memorable connections with each one. That is the mark of an excellent interview, which is why he is the BEST example of 3 children in a trench coat.

So let’s get into it.

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PREP

Sounds easy: a quick company google and a little name drop here and there? NO!

Whenever you think about taking the easy road, think W.W.S.E.D — What Would Sean Evans Do?

Sean does extensive research into each interview subject. We're talking about Instagram deep dives, obscure musical references, and unaired pilots. You should bring that same energy to an interview by researching the company. Treat each interview as a learning opportunity for yourself. If you were to leave the interview having learned one new thing, what would it be?

More than that, treat your interview as if you already have the job. Researching the company is like pursuing a lead. Get that info and get it gooooooood. Sean surprises his interview subjects with his knowledge of their career histories. It’s impressive. The farther you dive into a company's history and M.O., the better you’ll feel on interview day.

Ask yourself:

• What do you know about the company?
• How are you a good fit for them?
• What don’t you know about the job role?
• Are you connected to anyone who already works there?
• If YOU were to interview THEM to see if THEY were a good fit for YOU, what would you ask?

Bring those questions along. At the end of the day, it’s mutually beneficial if you’re the right fit for a company. They want to find the right candidate as much as you want to find the right job!

Gordon Ramsay began to critique the wings themselves during his interview. While it could've derailed the episode, it ended up being a fantastic and memorable moment. While doing research, Sean had learned a lot about Ramsay's restaurant empire. He used this knowledge to his advantage by redirecting Ramsay's notorious temper. Thanks to Sean, Ramsay is now the official sponsor of chicken wings for First We Feast interviews.

Look over your resume, clean up your cover letter, and get a couple of sets of eyes on it. Then, go back and look over it again. Clean up your social media too.

Remember the importance of personal branding. Make sure you’re putting your best foot forward before you even walk through the door. But most of all, find your personal connection to a company and use it to your advantage.

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PERSONALITY

Use this research time, and interview time to find your connection to the company. Are they a good fit for you? If you want to work there, what’s your edge? What unique flavor do you bring to the table?

Show this on your fine-tuned resume, and from the moment you walk in the door. Being professional is important, but not at the expense of your personality! Whoever YOU are is who they want to hire.

Most businesses now use an Applicant Tracking System. This is a software tool that helps them organize and manage their job applicants. Automating your resume might prove you can follow instructions. But, you’ll have more success if you engage with the decision-maker on a human level.

9 times out of 10, a potential employer will jump at the chance to see you speak over reading another cover letter. Nothing shows you off better than your own face saying words at your potential new employer. It’s much harder to reject a person than a resume.

No matter the format, find your common ground. On top of that, find what humanizes THEM for yourself. It's easier to hang with girl-pal Stefani Germanotta than Grammy-award winner Lady Gaga. Watching Billie Eilish run laps because her mouth burns from hot sauce is humanizing. It feels like she belongs at your dinner party or at a friend's cottage.

But there are other ways than hot sauce to give that illusion.

Mentally level the playing field for yourself. In your research, find all the reasons why THEY need YOU on their team. Humanize them and pump yourself up.

Do you love badminton? Do they have a rep league? Bam! There you go!

Are you a four time Rubix cube champ, and the hiring manager has never solved one? There you go again.

That preparedness will help you answer that fateful How are you today?” Or Tell us about yourself!” question. Your new answer will make you seem approachable and remind everyone in the room that we’re all just people!

Be the hot sauce, level the playing field.

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PERSEVERANCE

The best — or worst — part of Hot Ones is the last dab. Sean and the subject both add a huge dab of the hottest hot sauce to the final wing. This is the most important tradition, and we can learn a lot from it.

There is something to be said for perseverance in a job interview. At the end of the day, there are people behind every business. Those people are looking for passionate and dedicated people on their teams.

Sean covers a lot of topics in a single interview, but there are a lot of celebs that still come back for round two. These people had their mouths burned by ghost pepper hot sauce and then volunteered for a second round.

Email is your friend, but it isn’t the only communication tool at your disposal. While you don’t want to harass your potential employer, connect with them on social media! Saying thank you” in a phone call can also add a personal touch.

I once knew someone who loved to send physical thank you cards in the mail after an interview. Her boss later said that this personal touch made them rethink their decision. It’s much easier to delete an email than to throw away a handwritten note. Especially if it’s meaningful and thoughtful.

Find your version of the last dab.

It's surprising how many times a no” becomes a referral, a client, or the employer for your next role. Sales is a rewarding and challenging career. It’s the only job that’s directly responsible for the all-important top-line number. Businesses succeed and fail by the effectiveness of their sales teams. Commissions tie your pay to performance for a reason. Start by showing that you want it, and show that in the way that feels most authentic to you. The rest will follow.

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While we can’t all be Sean Evans, we can watch an inhumane amount of Hot Ones interviews to learn a thing or two about showing off personality. Sean himself is not an abrasive or intrusive interviewer, but this approach allows each celeb to shine. When talking to Dave Grohl, Grohl spent half the interview gushing about Sean. The two of them went back and forth and we learned more about the Foo Fighters and Nirvana than we would have if Grohl had only talked about himself.

If there is anything to glean most about that, taking the onus off of yourself and putting the focus on the interviewer can sometimes make all the difference. Listening is as important as showing off, and always bring in the last dab to clinch the deal.

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