Interviewing Like J.P. Morgan: 7 Practical Ways
By AI Anyone Team · 2024-08-27 · 3 min read · Career Development
7 actionable tips for improving your interviewing skills, inspired by the approach of J.P. Morgan.
Your voice matters more than you realize... Interviewing is one of the most valuable capabilities you can develop, and few people have demonstrated it as powerfully as J.P. Morgan. Whether you are just starting out or looking to sharpen skills you have been building for years, these 7 actionable tips will help you improve immediately.
1. Lead with Curiosity, Not Assumptions
Before responding, ask a clarifying question. Most communication breakdowns happen because we assume we understand what the other person means. A single well placed question can save hours of misunderstanding and build trust at the same time.
2. Practice the 30 Second Summary
Can you explain your idea in thirty seconds or less? If not, you probably do not understand it well enough yet. Practicing concise summaries forces you to identify the core message and strip away everything that does not serve it.
3. Record Yourself and Listen Back
This is uncomfortable at first, but incredibly revealing. Recording a practice presentation or even a casual explanation exposes verbal habits you never knew you had: filler words, unclear phrasing, and pacing issues that are invisible in the moment.
4. Mirror the Language of Your Audience
The most effective communicators adapt their vocabulary to match who they are talking to. Technical jargon works with technical audiences. Simple analogies work with everyone else. Pay attention to the words your audience uses and reflect them back.
5. Use Concrete Examples Instead of Abstract Concepts
Every time you catch yourself making a general statement, follow it with a specific example. "We need to improve customer experience" becomes much more powerful when followed by "For instance, last Tuesday a customer waited forty five minutes for a response that should have taken five."
6. Silence Is a Tool, Not an Awkward Pause
After making an important point, stop talking. Give the other person space to process. Most people fill silence out of discomfort, but the best communicators use it deliberately to let key messages land.
7. Write to Think, Then Edit to Communicate
Your first draft should be messy and complete. Get everything out of your head and onto the page. Then rewrite with your audience in mind. The thinking draft and the communication draft serve different purposes, and trying to do both at once produces mediocre results.
Interviewing improves with practice, not with perfection. Pick one or two tips from this list and commit to applying them this week. Small, consistent changes produce remarkable results over time.
If J.P. Morgan's approach to interviewing resonates with you, explore more of their teaching style at J.P. Morgan.
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