The Ultimate Interview Hack (That Also Works for Client Meetings)

AI isn’t about replacing people; it’s about doing the important stuff better and easier. Here’s a live example I used for a technical business-development role in the protective-coatings industry. The prompt below took less than ten minutes and produced a briefing that would cost hours to build manually.

Why traditional prep falls short

• Last-minute Googling delivers surface info only.

• Long research reports are time-heavy and hard to skim.

• Generic “About Us” pages don’t reveal strategic moves.
  

If you hire—or interview—in the building-products recruitment space, speed and depth win.

The 10-minute AI workflow

1. Install the Gemini app on your phone.

2. Switch to Deep Research mode.

3. Paste the prompt below (swap the placeholders):

ROLE You are a research assistant preparing me for an upcoming sales interview. INPUT <COMPANY NAME> <LOCATION / REGION> e.g. “Australia-wide”

<PRODUCT LINE> e.g. “protective coatings”

<TARGET ROLE> e.g. “BDM – Mining & Infrastructure”

<MEETING CONTEXT> e.g. “first-round interview”

TASK Produce a concise, interview-ready brief in Australian English, plain text. OUTPUT SECTIONS 1. Company Snapshot

2. Product Overview

3. Markets & Customers

4. Solutions & Use Cases

5. Project Examples

6. Recent News & Moves

7. Questions to Impress

4. Tap “Create audio overview.” Gemini turns the brief into a five-minute podcast you can replay on the way to site.

What you get

• Company fast facts—founded year, HQ, ownership.

• Product summary—why that coating system matters.

• Core markets—commercial, industrial, civil or government.

• Recent wins—funding rounds, mergers, or spec breaks.

• Two smart questions that prove you did the work.

I tested this for a national coatings manufacturer and was stunned by the accuracy on niche standards and recent project references.

Beyond interviews -four more uses

• First meetings with new clients.

• Discovery calls when scoping fit-out projects.

• Cold outreach research for sales recruitment targets.

• Onboarding packs for fresh hires in Melbourne, Sydney or Brisbane.

Bonus tip

Save multiple versions of the prompt—one for lighting, one for cladding, one for building-envelope roles. Your team can generate tailored briefs on demand.

Ready to level up your prep?

Give the prompt a try before your next meeting and walk in five times more prepared than the competition. Got questions about AI, recruitment or talent pipelines? Call James Bowesman on 0487 640 299 or email james@specifiedselect.com.