We all want to leave a job interview feeling as though we’ve stood out from the crowd – that we’ve been able to communicate clearly and effectively. More often than not, however, we find ourselves leaving the room kicking ourselves for getting lost in a long anecdote or losing our point halfway through an answer.

In fact, job interviews can often leave us feeling like rambling, incoherent messes. If you are tired of flailing your way through job interview questions, the ‘punch and proof method’ might be just the thing for you.

Francesca O’Connor is a qualified executive coach, comms expert and director at Good Shout, a social learning practice that helps you to experiment with your voice, talent and thinking. We spoke to her about why breaking down your interview answers into distinct ‘punches’ and ‘proofs’ might be the interview game changer you’ve been looking for.

Have you been preparing for your interviews all wrong?

According to O’Connor, one of the main problems people face in job interviews is not that they weren’t prepared to give answers, but rather they weren’t prepared with a good structure for their answers. She believes that knowing how you want to answer your interview questions is half the battle, and a lack of structural preparation can lead to rambling.

“From a performance perspective, it’s often a lack of structural prep that leads to waffling,” she tells us. “Talking without really saying anything or selling yourself in the right way.

“There is a significant difference between turning up to an interview and ‘showing up’. Always show up. Research the company, the culture, the key spokespeople, the industry. Think about your unique skills and what you bring. Have great examples and great opinions,” she says.

That’s where punches and proofs come in.

Punches and proofs: the hack that could transform your next job interview

It’s all very well to talk about ‘showing up’, but what does that really mean?

“Punches and proofs are a tool we use at Good Shout to prepare people for meetings, panels, roundtables and interviews,” she says. “The crux of it is: you can’t control what people think about you, but you can control what they remember about you.”

Punches, O’Connor explains, are “memorable statements that make an impact”.

These are statements you come up with in advance of the interview – think of it like an impactful little catchphrase. “It’s crafted with the sole intention of being heard and remembered by whoever you’re talking to,” she says.

Proofs, on the other hand, are the evidence – the statements that back up and support your punches. While many people include plenty of punches in their interview answers, they can easily come across as empty and vague without proof to back them up.

“They’re the sign you know what you’re talking about,” O’Connor says. “They unequivocally elevate the conversation every time and show you’ve prepped, and that you respect people’s time and attention.”

Proofs, she explains, should be specific and detailed. “They could be stats or anecdotes or well-summarised case studies.” It’s all about showing you’ve done in-depth research and that you can add something substantial to the role. 

Let’s take a look at a few examples of punches and proofs in action:

PUNCH: I am comfortable with ambiguity.

PROOF: I’ve never had a job with a job description that I didn’t write myself.

Then, O’Connor recommends taking the interviewers through some specific examples.

Another example might be:

PUNCH: I believe there is no place for ego at work.

PROOF: I pass the mic quite literally. I ensured that every single member of my team spoke at a conference this year.

Again, you might then include specific examples of these conferences or even statistics to show how many more conferences your team attended this year.

Using punches and proofs in the real world

Understanding the concept of punches and proofs is all well and good – but how can we use them in real interview scenarios?

The first step is figuring out what your specific punches and proofs are. For every person, these impactful statements (and the proof to back them up) might be a little different. For instance, one of your strengths might be that you are constantly coming up with creative solutions at work; another person might pride themselves on following instructions to a tee.

The best way to begin building up a list of punches is by actively engaging in your industry and finding out where you fit in. “Build your own space and expertise to find your passion points beyond the company,” says O’Connor. “Don’t be afraid to build your own personal brand, your own point of view – make the space to be curious and creative and the punches and proofs will follow.”

Once you know what your punches and proofs are, make sure you know them well enough to bring them up in an interview setting. “It is always more powerful to memorise your punches and proofs,” recommends O’Connor. “In general, know your answers ‘cold’, or off by heart.

She adds, “If you are worried about forgetting your points (easily done with nerves), it’s not the end of the world to have your notes for reference. It shows you’ve prepped and taken it seriously.”

When you arrive at a job interview armed with your own unique punches and proofs, you won’t have to worry about whether you’ll find the right words to get your point across – after all, you’ll already have them waiting and ready in your back pocket. This might just be the perfect hack to make sure your interviewer not only sees your value, but remembers you, too.

Images: Getty; Francesca O’Connor