Shadowing Practice: Ex-Google Recruiter: 6 Mind Tricks That Make Interviews Easy - Learn English Speaking with Video
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If you hate job interviews because you feel like you're just performing instead of talking,
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like you're putting on this version of yourself that isn't really you, I get it.
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We all do it.
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But here's the thing, that feeling isn't because you're bad at interviews, it's because no one ever taught you how to think about them.
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I've spent over a decade recruiting at places like Google, Lyft, Uber, TikTok, and the New York Times.
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But before I got into recruiting, I was on your side of the table.
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I worked as an engineer, I worked in finance, and I've sat in your chair and felt everything that you're feeling.
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So when I tell you interviewing is a skill that you can learn, I'm not just saying that as a recruiter,
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because I've lived it from both sides.
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And what I can tell you is this, when you see someone walk into an interview calm and confident, they're not built any differently than you.
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They've just learned to think about it differently.
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And that's a skill, which means you can learn it too.
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So I'm gonna give you six reframes that change everything, not just for interviews, but for salary negotiations, promotions, all of it.
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So let's get into it.
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Reframe one, you can't subtract thoughts, only add.
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You can't stop thinking, I'm gonna mess this up.
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So stop trying.
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Here's what happens to most people before they start an interview, they start spiraling.
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They think, what if I forget what to say?
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What if they ask something I don't know?
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Or what if I sound stupid?
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And then they try to push those thoughts away.
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They tell themselves, stop thinking about it or just relax.
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And it just ends up making everything worse.
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And here's why.
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You cannot subtract a thought.
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The more you try not to think about something, the more you actually think about it.
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It's like telling yourself not to picture a pink elephant.
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What do you see? a pink elephant.
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So instead of trying to remove the bad thoughts, you can add better ones so you can crowd out the bad thoughts with those good ones.
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And the way that you do that is with preparation.
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When you've practiced your answers out loud, not in your head, out loud, those words are going to take up space.
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When you've researched the company, the role, the interviewer,
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the information that information takes up space do mock interviews until your answers feel more automatic
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so there's no room left for you thinking what if i mess this up and here's why this matters
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i can always tell when someone is prepared versus
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when they're just winging it the prepared candidate has answers
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that flow they don't hesitate they don't ramble they sound like they've thought about this because they have.
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And that tells me something about how they'll show up on the job.
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If you prepare this well for an interview, you'll probably prepare this well for other things that matter too.
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Reframe two, anxiety is energy.
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That anxiety that you feel before an interview, that's not fear, that's fuel.
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Your heart is racing, your stomach is tight, and your brain is running through every possible way
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that this could go wrong and most people label that feeling as I'm nervous or I'm scared or I hate this.
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But here's the thing.
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Anxiety and excitement triggered the same adrenaline rush.
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Your body can't tell the difference between I'm terrified and I'm pumped.
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The only difference is the story you're telling yourself.
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So the first step is to stop labeling it as panic.
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When you feel that wave hate you.
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Instead of saying, I'm so nervous, say, I have a lot of energy right now.
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Because that's actually what's happening.
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Your body is preparing you to perform.
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Now here's where it gets nuanced.
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You don't want to walk into an interview wired.
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You want to be calm, grounded, and in control.
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So while you don't want to panic about the adrenaline, you also don't need to hold on to all of it.
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Fun fact, I used to take improv classes
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and one of the first things
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that they taught us was to quote never pee out the funny
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which meant before you go on stage don't use the bathroom
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that urgent feeling is adrenaline it's your body getting ready to perform
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and in comedy that nervous energy actually makes you funnier
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so you want to keep it but an interview isn't improv you don't need
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that edge so if you're feeling nervous before an interview go to the bathroom.
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Seriously, let some of that adrenaline go.
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This is actually why recruiters ask if you like to use the bathroom before you start.
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We want you as relaxed as possible.
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So remember, reframe the anxiety so you're not spiraling, but release some of it so you're not wired.
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You want just enough energy to be sharp and present, but not so much that you're vibrating out of your chair.
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And here's why this matters.
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I can tell within the first 30 seconds whether someone is controlled or scattered.
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When you walk in radiating nervous energy, I'm not thinking, Oh, they're just anxious.
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I'm thinking, is this how they're gonna show up when things get hard?
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You wanna walk in calm and grounded, even if you're feeling the same thing internally because that's what looks ready.
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Same feelings, different framing, different outcome.
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Now, if you want me to help you with your resume, LinkedIn, or job interviews, check out the link below to learn more.
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Reframe three, criticism is a chemical reaction.
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People's judgment of you is just a chemical reaction happening in their head.
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It's not a verdict on who you are.
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And I know that sounds weird, but stay with me.
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When you're sitting in an interview worrying about what they think of you, here's what's actually happening.
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Some neurons are firing in a piece of meat on the other side of the table.
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That's it.
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Their opinion of you is literally just chemicals sloshing around in their brain.
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It's not permanent.
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It's not even really about you.
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It's actually about their perception, their biases, their mood that day.
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The good thing is that you have influence over that chemical reaction.
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That's what interview skills actually are.
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When you tell a compelling story that applies to the job, you're shifting their perception.
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When you show enthusiasm, you're creating a favorable impression.
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When you ask smart questions, you're shaping how they see you.
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You're not just sitting there hoping to be judged well, you're actively influencing the outcome.
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And here's why this matters.
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The candidates who get offers aren't the ones waiting to see what the interviewer thinks.
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They're the ones who walk in knowing they have influence.
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They're not hoping for a good outcome, they're creating one.
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Reframe 4.
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Embarrassment can't hurt you.
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You freeze because you're terrified of looking stupid.
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But embarrassment has never actually hurt you, and it never will.
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It feels like a big deal in the moment, but a month from now, you won't even remember what you stumbled over.
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What's the worst that can happen in an interview?
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You stumble over a word, you forget what you were going to say, you give an answer that doesn't land
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or maybe you say um too many times
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and then what you feel embarrassed your face gets hot you want to disappear
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but then nothing nothing actually happens to you the embarrassment passes you're still alive you're still employable the interview ends
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and you go home the anticipation of embarrassment is always worse than the actual embarrassment always
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and the more you put yourself in situations where you might
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be embarrassed like mock interviews networking events asking for things
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that you might not get the less power it has over you
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and here's why this matters i've seen candidates stumble recover
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and still get the offer you're human it happens to all of us you know
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which one i'd actually rather work with the one who can stumble and keep going because that's resilience.
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That's someone I trust to handle pressure.
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Reframe five.
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Control the controllable.
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You can't control if somebody likes you.
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So stop trying.
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This is where a lot of interview anxiety comes from.
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Worrying about things that are completely outside of your control.
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What if the interviewer is in a bad mood?
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What if they already have an internal candidate?
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What if they just don't like your vibe?
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You can't do anything about any of that.
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And worrying about it is just burning energy that you could be using somewhere else.
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Here's what you can control.
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How prepared you are.
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What stories you have ready.
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How you answer the questions you know that are coming up.
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How you walk in, how you sit, how you compose yourself.
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That's it.
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That's what's in your hands.
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And here's why this matters.
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When candidates focus on what they can't control, they come across as nervous and scattered.
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They're trying to read faces.
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They're adjusting their answers mid -sentence based on whether the interviewer is nodding.
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They're performing instead of communicating.
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But when you focus on what you can control, like your preparation, your delivery, your energy, you come across as calm and confident.
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Same person, same skills, different focus, different result.
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Reframe six.
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This is a skill, not a personality trait.
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Hating interviews is not a personality trait.
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And I hear people say this all the time.
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I'm just not good at interviews.
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I'm not a natural and I need you to hear me on this."
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That is a story that you're telling yourself and it's costing you job offers.
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Interviewing is a skill, like driving or cooking, like anything else you've learned in your life.
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It feels awkward and uncomfortable at first, but then you learn or someone shows you how to master it and then you practice,
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then it gets easier and eventually you don't even think about it anymore.
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The people who are good at interviews aren't built any differently than you.
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They've just practiced more.
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They've done more reps, gotten more feedback, and failed more times than you have.
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That's the only difference.
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And here's why this matters.
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I've interviewed hundreds of people, and the ones who get offers aren't the ones with the most talent or the best resumes.
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They're the ones who treated interviewing like a skill to develop.
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So if you hate interviews right now, that's fine.
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That's where you're starting.
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But you don't have to make it your identity.
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Make it your project.
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And once you learn it, you never have to hate interviews again.
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Now, if you want to know what questions to ask hiring managers in your next interview, check out this next video where I give you seven.
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This speaking lesson is built on the video “Ex-Google Recruiter: 6 Mind Tricks That Make Interviews Easy”. The speaker keeps coming back to these words: interview, reframe, skill, feeling, energy. This video has 164 sentences and 1813 words to shadow. The speech runs for 10:46. The speaker talks at a natural 168 words per minute, close to everyday conversation. 86% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English; the rest is worth studying before you start.
Key vocabulary in this video
15 words from the video worth learning, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| skill noun | /skɪl/ | A capacity to do something well; a technique, an ability, usually acquired or learned, as opposed to abilities that are regarded as innate. |
| anxiety noun | /æŋˈzaɪ.əti/ | An unpleasant state of mental uneasiness, nervousness, apprehension and obsession or concern about some uncertain event. |
| embarrassment noun | /ɪmˈbæɹ.əs.mənt/ | A state of discomfort arising from bashfulness or consciousness of having violated a social rule; humiliation. |
| adrenaline noun | /əˈdɹɛnəlɪn/ | Epinephrine, the hormone and neurotransmitter. |
| interviewer noun | /ˈɪntɚvjuɚ/ | One who interviews. |
| outcome noun | /ˈaʊtkʌm/ | That which is produced or occurs as a result of an event or process. |
| differently adverb | /ˈdɪf.ə.ɹənt.li/ | In a different way. |
| recruit verb | /ɹɪˈkɹut/ | To enroll or enlist new members or potential employees on behalf of an employer, organization, sports team, the military, etc. |
| mood noun | /muːd/ | A mental or emotional state, composure. |
| label noun | /ˈleɪ.bəl/ | A small ticket or sign giving information about something to which it is attached or intended to be attached. |
| wire noun | /ˈwaɪɚ/ | Metal formed into a thin, even thread, now usually by being drawn through a hole in a steel die. |
| preparation noun | /ˌpɹɛpəˈɹeɪʃ(ə)n/ | The act of preparing or getting ready. |
| relax verb | /ɹɪˈlæks/ | To make something loose. |
| panic noun | /ˈpænɪk/ | Overwhelming fear or fright, often affecting groups of people or animals; (countable) an instance of this; a fright, a scare. |
| perception noun | /pɚˈsɛpʃ(ə)n/ | The organisation, identification and interpretation of sensory information. |
Phrasal verbs you will hear
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| check out verb | To record the departure or withdrawal of someone or something (such as guests, employees, books, etc.). |
| come across verb | To change sides; to cross over to work for the opposition. |
| take up verb | To pick up. |
| come up verb | To emerge or become known, especially unexpectedly. |
| end up verb | To bring to a conclusion. |
| head out verb | To leave, depart; to go on ahead. |
| run through verb | To summarise briefly. |
| show up verb | To appear, arrive, or attend, especially suddenly or erratically. |
Sentences worth repeating
Short, complete lines from the video that you can reuse in everyday conversation:
- Reframe one, you can't subtract thoughts, only add.
- You can't stop thinking, I'm gonna mess this up.
- They think, what if I forget what to say?
- What if they ask something I don't know?
- What if they just don't like your vibe?
Grammar in this video
The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:
| Structure | In the video |
|---|---|
| Present perfect have/has + past participle — a past action that still matters now | I've spent · I've sat · I've lived |
| Relative clauses who / which + clause — extra information about a person or thing | skill, which means · ones who walk · one who can |
| Passive voice be + past participle — the focus is on what happens, not who does it | is controlled · be judged · aren't built |
| Verb + -ing enjoy, keep, stop… + -ing — verbs that are followed by the -ing form | stop thinking · stop trying · start spiraling |
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 90 contractions and reduced forms, such as you're, I'm, don't. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
- The “sh” and “zh” sounds: preparation /ˌpɹɛpəˈɹeɪʃ(ə)n/, perception /pɚˈsɛpʃ(ə)n/, rush /ɹʌʃ/, sharp /ʃɑɹp/, promotion /pɹəˈmoʊʃn̩/
- Long words — get the stress right: anxiety /æŋˈzaɪ.əti/, embarrassment /ɪmˈbæɹ.əs.mənt/, adrenaline /əˈdɹɛnəlɪn/, differently /ˈdɪf.ə.ɹənt.li/, preparation /ˌpɹɛpəˈɹeɪʃ(ə)n/
How to practise with this video
- Listen to the whole video once without speaking and note the words you do not know.
- Start at 0.75× speed, shadow it sentence by sentence, then go back to normal speed once it feels easy.
- Record yourself and compare with the original, paying attention to words like skill, anxiety, embarrassment.
What is the Shadowing Technique?
Shadowing is a science-backed language learning technique originally developed for professional interpreter training and popularized by polyglot Dr. Alexander Arguelles. The method is simple but powerful: you listen to native English audio and immediately repeat it out loud — like a shadow following the speaker with just a 1–2 second delay. Unlike passive listening or grammar drills, shadowing forces your brain and mouth muscles to simultaneously process and reproduce real speech patterns. Research shows it significantly improves pronunciation accuracy, intonation, rhythm, connected speech, listening comprehension, and speaking fluency — making it one of the most effective methods for IELTS Speaking preparation and real-world English communication.