How many interviews would you say it takes to secure a job? 1, 2, 5000? The truth is that when it comes to securing a job, the interview doesn't end until your last day at the company. Everyday that you engage with an employer is an interview day. And given this logic, your first "interview" is also your first workday. This is a secret that successful interviewees know and apply daily.

The reason companies hire is because they have a problem and they are looking for a solution. Interviewees who understand this start working for the company as soon as they find out about the opportunity. The first thing they do is ensure that they understand the challenges of the organization. Next, they determine if they have the skills or access to the skills required to bring about a solution. If they do, they will work to communicate to the decision makers that they have a means to ease the pains that the organization is feeling.

Once they are brought in for the interview/first day they begin to consult with the interviewer. They use this opportunity to demonstrate their ability to listen, engage, and problem solve. But more than this, they make sure this first hour or so of work shows that they are already adding value to the company. If they do this successfully, they will be asked to return and it will continue on until a point in time when either the employee or the employer determines that they've gone as far as the relationship will presently take them.

You see, the idea that you need a company's permission to work for them is a fallacy. By working for any particular industry, you are automatically working for every organization operating in that industry. When you move on to a different company, it is ideally because it provides an opportunity to make a greater contribution to your industry of choice. The more value you add to your industry, the more in demand you will be and the greater the reward will be over time.

The mistake that many candidates make is to think that they cannot contribute unless someone hires them. But the people who find opportunities the fastest are those who are always looking for ways to contribute to their industry. They volunteer. They create blogs. They participate in online discussion groups. They start online communities. They even start their own companies.

Candidates with this mindset have the goal to contribute to their field to the maximum of their ability. And because they're passionate they will do this regardless of the number of doors they have to walk through before they start getting paid for their services. This is the Secret of empowered interviewees and now it's yours.