Core Jobs Interviews

Prime them to tell a real story, not give abstract opinions. The job only shows up in specifics.

1. 01

   Imagine that I am filming a documentary.

   Documentary framing surfaces real behaviour, not what they think you want to hear.

   GeneralCore
2. 02

   Tell me the story about buying this product. What, when, how?

   The purchase story contains the clearest signal of the job being hired for.

   GeneralCore
3. ···

   1 more question in this phase

   These extend the phase when the story goes that way. They are part of the full guide.

   See what is included

Map the functional, emotional and social dimensions of what they were trying to get done — and establish which buyer role you are hearing it from.

1. 04

   Were you solving a problem or improving your life?

   Distinguishes functional job (fix a problem) from aspirational job (improve life).

   Customer JTBDPleasure vs. PainCore
2. 05

   Whose problem was this to solve?

   Establishes which role you are actually talking to. The same job sounds different from an economic, user, technical or champion seat — and you cannot compare across roles until you have named the one in front of you.

   Customer JTBDBuyer roleCore
3. 06

   What does this product enable you to do?

   Gets to the enabling outcome — what did the product make possible?

   Customer JTBDNot about ProductCore
4. 07

   How does this product/service make you feel?

   The emotional job — how did they want to feel as a result?

   Customer JTBDEmotionalCore
5. 08

   How has this product/service changed how you interact with others?

   The social job — how did it change their interactions or status?

   Customer JTBDSocialCore
6. ···

   4 more questions in this phase

   These extend the phase when the story goes that way. They are part of the full guide.

   See what is included

Understand how critical this job is, what it costs to leave it undone, and what else customers weigh against you.

1. 13

   Tell me more about why this was the right solution?

   Whether one product was hired for multiple jobs — reveals job bundling.

   Customer JTBDOne Product Many JobsCore
2. 14

   When did you realize "it can't go on like this"?

   When the job became urgent — context triggers are as important as the job itself.

   Events & TimelineCore
3. 15

   What would have happened if you had done nothing?

   Cost of inaction, in their words. The economic buyer answers this in money or risk; a user answers in time or frustration. Both are useful, and the difference tells you which seat you are in.

   Customer JTBDBuyer roleCore
4. 16

   What other categories or brands did you consider? Why?

   What else they considered, including outside the category. Category-level alternatives are how you find where the segment actually ends.

   PullsNot just BrandCore
5. ···

   4 more questions in this phase

   These extend the phase when the story goes that way. They are part of the full guide.

   See what is included

Capture how they would describe this in their own words, then validate your synthesis of the job by playing it back.

1. 21

   How would you describe this to someone in your role at another company?

   The language-market fit question. Write down their exact words — not a summary. How a buyer explains this to a peer in the same role is the copy you have been trying to write.

   Customer JTBDLanguageCore
2. 25

   Let me playback your story. Correct me if I get it wrong.

   Play back your job hypothesis — "So it sounds like you were trying to…" Correct or confirm.

   GeneralCore
3. ···

   3 more questions in this phase

   These extend the phase when the story goes that way. They are part of the full guide.

   See what is included