A former CIA agent has revealed the simple tactic he learned while working as a spy that will help you ace any job interview and move up in the workplace.
Andrew Bustamante, 45, is a former intelligence officer who now spends his time teaching others how to use the things he discovered as a spy to improve their lives.
He recently sat down with Steve Bartlett on his Podcast Diary of a CEO to share some of his expertise – and he talked about a method spies use to “influence” the way people “perceive” them.
Andrew believes that anyone can use the process to impress a potential employer during a job interview or to secure a promotion from their boss.
He explained that during his time at the CIA he learned that impressing people is all about the trust they place in you.
A former CIA agent has revealed the simple tactic he learned while working as a spy that will help you ace any job interview and advance in the workplace
Andrew Bustamante (seen when he worked for the agency), 45, is a former intelligence officer who now spends his time teaching others to use the things he discovered as a spy
And to gain someone’s trust, he said, many people think they have to make the other person like them. But what matters most is that you can identify with the other person.
“We at the CIA know that most people don’t understand that you don’t have to like something very much before you trust it,” he said.
He explained that employers tend to hire people who “have elements of themselves in them.”
‘When you see someone who reflects elements of you, you immediately think: [start to] “Trust them,” he continued.
‘Every interviewer dreams of having someone at the table during a job interview who looks exactly like them, who they enjoy talking to, who they can identify with and with whom they immediately feel a click and chemistry.’
According to Andrew, another way interviewees can gain the interviewer’s trust is to ask questions.
“When you ask questions, especially open-ended questions, it makes the person you’re talking to feel interesting, important and special,” he explains.
‘This gives the interviewer the feeling that you mean it, that you thought critically before coming here, that you are prepared and curious.
He recently spoke to Steve Bartlett about the Diary of a CEO to share some of his expertise. He talked about a method spies use to “influence” the way people “perceive” them.
He explained that during his time at the CIA he learned that impressing people simply comes down to making them “trust” you
“It meets the requirements of: this person is attentive, this person is dedicated, this person is responsible, this person does what I would do. You’re going to gain trust in that person much faster.”
Something else Andrew learned as a secret agent that he believed could help people in job interviews is the ability to glean “as much information as possible” about them from “verbal and nonverbal cues.”
And to gain someone’s trust, he said the most important thing is to be recognizable
“Read their body language, listen to their verbal cues, listen to the things they’re talking about and reflect and mirror their behavior and their terminology, their tone and the cadence of their speech,” he suggested.
‘Use this process of asking questions, open-ended questions that give you more information, to convert it into knowledge.’
And for those who already have a job and want to move up in the workforce, he shared four qualities he learned at the CIA that can help you “build influence quickly” and get promoted.
“They’re called the four C’s. Consideration, consistency, collaboration and control,” the ex-spy shared.
‘Considering means putting yourself in someone else’s shoes. You consider what life is like for your boss or colleague.
Another way interviewees can gain the interviewer’s trust, according to Andrew, is by ‘asking questions’. He has been seen with presenter Steve
Another thing Andrew learned as a secret agent that he said could help people in job interviews is the ability to glean information from “verbal and nonverbal cues.”
“If you consider their point of view more quickly than they consider yours, you have an advantage.”
As for consistency, he explained that it is essential because “no one wants to be in a relationship with an inconsistent person.”
“Consistency is what creates comfort and trust in people,” he added. “It’s what builds influence.
‘Because when push comes to shove, when the bullets are flying or all hell breaks loose, you want to make sure that the person you think is going to be there, is going to be there.’
He said bosses typically want to promote people who will “work with” them, rather than “compromise.”
“A compromise basically just means you don’t get what you want and I don’t get what I want and we find something in the middle that neither of us wants, but we both accept it. That’s a shitty deal,” he said.
‘What we really want is not compromise, but cooperation.
‘Collaboration means that you bring your idea and I bring mine. Together we create a third, better result for both of us.’
Finally, he recommended using all three qualities to gain “control.”
“Control means making optimal use of all the societal benefits you have built up with the first three Cs,” he explained.
“Now you actually take action to get what you want. You ask for the opportunity. You go to your boss and say, ‘I’m the one who needs to be promoted to manager.’
‘Then you come back to the fact that you have performed the other three C’s in a way that allows you to exercise control over the situation.’
“Read their body language, listen to their verbal cues, listen to the things they’re talking about, and reflect and mirror their behavior and their terminology,” he suggested. He has been seen with his wife
And for those who already have a job and want to get ahead at work, he shared four qualities that can help you get ahead: consideration, consistency, cooperation and control.
Andrew, who worked as an undercover spy for seven years, revealed earlier in the show the key signs that someone is lying.
He explained that you can’t really tell if someone is lying until you know him or her long enough to establish a “baseline,” or his or her normal behavior.
But he added that there are some key signs that can tell you if someone is a bad liar.
First, he said that a person who is not a good liar usually talks too much.
“Bad liars talk a lot. Good liars talk little, because the more you talk, the greater the risk of undermining your own lie,” he said.
Andrew also said that good liars try to shift the conversation to someone else, while bad liars focus on themselves.
“Bad liars make a lot of statements, good liars ask a lot of questions, because when you ask questions, you don’t really reveal anything about yourself,” he continued.
He also suggested paying attention to anyone who can’t sit still, is nervous, or looks away while talking.