So, four months ago, I was wrapping up an interview, and right at the end, the client looked at me and asked, βWhy should I trust you?β
The easy play wouldβve been to give some polished, corporate answer. But I was genuinely invested in the opportunity, and I didn't want to hand them a scripted version of myself. I wanted to give them the truth.
So I just laid it all out there: "Honestly, for the exact same reason Iβm trusting this opportunity. Weβre both taking a leap of faith here. The only difference is you have a pool of candidates to choose from, and I can only make one decision at a time."
In that moment, I just dropped my answer and completely let go of the result. I didn't care if it cost me the gig or if it came off too bold. I had put my heart into the conversation, spoken my truth, and walked out the door totally detached from the outcome. If it was the right fit, it would land. If not, so be it.
Fast forward to today, and Iβm officially four months into working with that exact client.
Looking back, Iβm just incredibly glad they had the maturity to respect that honesty. Instead of seeing it as arrogance, they saw it for what it was: someone who actually cared enough to skip the BS. Because we both acknowledged the shared risk on day one, we completely bypassed the walls people usually put up and went straight into a real partnership.
Don't get me wrong, Iβve had to show up and earn that trust every single day since. But itβs been incredibly rewarding to work with a team that values straight-up honesty over corporate pleasantries.
It was a reminder that interviews don't have to be a one-way interrogation. When you treat yourself like a true partner from the very first conversation and speak without fearing the outcome, the right people will meet you there.
Shoutout to the client for taking that leap with me four months ago. Itβs been a great ride so far.