The Value of the Pre-Interview Conversation
Launch library · evergreen read
A short conversation before an interview officially begins, covering logistics, purpose and rough shape rather than actual content, often determines how comfortable a subject genuinely feels once the real questions start being asked in earnest just a few minutes later in the very same sitting, once the preliminaries are finally out of the way.
This preparatory step lets a subject know roughly what to expect from the conversation ahead, which reduces the anxiety that can otherwise make early answers guarded or overly cautious, and it also gives the interviewer a useful chance to adjust their planned approach based on those first few minutes.
Skipping this step entirely to save time often costs considerably more time later, since a subject who feels ambushed by an unfamiliar format tends to answer more defensively throughout the entire conversation that follows from that point onward, no matter how carefully the later questions are actually phrased.