--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: To me, the best purpose of an interview…" description: "\"To me, the best purpose of an interview would be to illuminate some things about how somebody works for the benefit of somebody else who wants to do th..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/197/will-oldham-7702_body-work_to-me-the-best-purpose-of-an-interview-w_2496353.png" --- # To me, the best purpose of an interview would be to… ![“To me, the best purpose of an interview would be to illuminate some things about how somebody works for the benefit of somebody else who wants to do those things. And that's not where most interviews go at all, so to me, they seem like strange exercises in small talk and wasted air.” quote by Will Oldham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/197/will-oldham-7702_body-work_to-me-the-best-purpose-of-an-interview-w_2496353.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/197/will-oldham-7702_body-work_to-me-the-best-purpose-of-an-interview-w_2496353.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/197/will-oldham-7702_body-work_to-me-the-best-purpose-of-an-interview-w_2496353.png) > “To me, the best purpose of an interview would be to illuminate some things about how somebody works for the benefit of somebody else who wants to do those things. And that's not where most interviews go at all, so to me, they seem like strange exercises in small talk and wasted air.” [Will Oldham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-oldham/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Interviews often become superficial, missing the chance to reveal genuine work habits and insights that benefit others. **In simple terms:** Interviews usually stay shallow and wasteful. Key Takeaway Seek depth and purpose in interviews. Themes communication authenticity career development learning Mood thoughtful critical Type professional philosophical When to use this quote - job interviews - media interviews - networking events Key Concepts interview depth knowledge sharing professional growth Questions to Reflect On - How could you make an interview more meaningful? - What questions reveal true work habits? A Different Perspective Time constraints limit depth; not all interviews aim for insight. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Best Purpose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/best-purpose-1017481/) [Body work](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/body-work/) [Exercise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/exercise/) [Fitness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fitness/) [Interview](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/interview/) [Interviews](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/interviews/) [Interviews Like](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/interviews-like-810834/) [Purpose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/purpose/) [Purpose Interview](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/purpose-interview-1017479/) [Small talk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/small-talk/) [Strange](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/strange/) [Things Interviews](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/things-interviews-1017480/) ## Related quotes > [“We all try and live our lives in a way that resonates most with what our purpose is. --from an interview in The Globe…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cory-booker/we-all-try-and-live-our-lives-in-a-way-that-resonates-most-with-what/) [Cory Booker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cory-booker/) > [Sometimes I say things in interviews and then I see them in print and I think, "What an asshole."](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thao-nguyen/sometimes-i-say-things-in-interviews-and-then-i-see-them-in-print-and/) [Thao Nguyen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thao-nguyen/) > [Music's at its best when it has a purpose.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eddie-vedder/music-s-at-its-best-when-it-has-a-purpose/) [Eddie Vedder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eddie-vedder/) > [It is proved...that things cannot be other than they are, for since everything was made for a purpose, it follows that everything is made…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltaire/it-is-proved-that-things-cannot-be-other-than-they-are-for-since/) [Voltaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltaire/) > [What we can do is to live out our lives as best we can with purpose, and love, and joy. We can use each…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/what-we-can-do-is-to-live-out-our-lives-as-best-we-can-with-purpose/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [She knows what is the best purpose of education: not to be frightened by the best but to treat it as part of daily…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mason-brown/she-knows-what-is-the-best-purpose-of-education-not-to-be-frightened/) [John Mason Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mason-brown/) > [I think everybody works from a defensive position, for the most part, in the film industry.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-oldham/i-think-everybody-works-from-a-defensive-position-for-the-most-part/) [Will Oldham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-oldham/) > [I don't really do too many interviews - I like creating and being visual, shooting videos and movies. I just like showcasing my skill…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tyga/i-don-t-really-do-too-many-interviews-i-like-creating-and-being/) [Tyga](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tyga/) > [“There was a knack in interviews like this. If you could build on a level of trust there was no end to what people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clare-donoghue/there-was-a-knack-in-interviews-like-this-if-you-could-build-on-a/) [Clare Donoghue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clare-donoghue/) > [“Interviews seem like such artificial situations, everyone on their best behavior trying desperately to hide behind a professional facade. Did my face fit? I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-l-james/interviews-seem-like-such-artificial-situations-everyone-on-their/) [E.L. 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In many ways, I've said everything…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/agnes-obel/with-philharmonics-i-had-to-do-a-lot-of-interviews-and-it-was-like-i/) [Agnes Obel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/agnes-obel/) ## More by Will Oldham > [As far as implying that we know what we're doing, that we have perspective enough - by diving fully into something it requires a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-oldham/as-far-as-implying-that-we-know-what-we-re-doing-that-we-have/) [Will Oldham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-oldham/) > [It's O.K. to accept good fortune.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-oldham/it-s-o-k-to-accept-good-fortune/) [Will Oldham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-oldham/) > [I like rural areas.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-oldham/i-like-rural-areas/) [Will Oldham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-oldham/) > [The songs are not meant to be real life. 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I mean, am I an idiot again for not doing that?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-oldham/sometimes-it-will-be-for-more-money-than-i-ve-ever-been-offered/) [Will Oldham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-oldham/) > [I think most great actors have their own life trajectory, the character motion doesn't have anything to do with their life motion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-oldham/i-think-most-great-actors-have-their-own-life-trajectory-the/) [Will Oldham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-oldham/) > [To me, recordings are little fourth-dimension artifacts, because they already are representatives of past, present, and future, just inherently in their existence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-oldham/to-me-recordings-are-little-fourth-dimension-artifacts-because-they/) [Will Oldham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-oldham/) > [Venues are all the same, all feel the same, these generic blank spaces. I like artists like Lightning Bolt-bands that go in and kind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-oldham/venues-are-all-the-same-all-feel-the-same-these-generic-blank-spaces/) [Will Oldham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-oldham/) > [Too much emphasis is put on American roots music when people try and place me. 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Born Jul 6, 1970 in Payson, AZ., to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simpleman/travis-c-holly-arnold-30-former-deming-resident-died-in-silver-city/) [Simpleman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simpleman/) > [“The key experiential approach I now use to induce non-ordinary states of consciousness and gain access to the unconscious and superconscious psyche is Holotropic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanislav-grof/the-key-experiential-approach-i-now-use-to-induce-non-ordinary-states/) [Stanislav Grof](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanislav-grof/) > [I got a message from one of my friends in Puerto Rico, who said, 'Sonia, there's nobody working in Puerto Rico - they're all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonia-sotomayor/i-got-a-message-from-one-of-my-friends-in-puerto-rico-who-said-sonia/) [Sonia Sotomayor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonia-sotomayor/) > [In my case, the body of work stands for itself... I think my work has been representative of me as a man.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sidney-poitier/in-my-case-the-body-of-work-stands-for-itself-i-think-my-work-has/) [Sidney Poitier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sidney-poitier/) > [“Each work of criticism is supposed to build on the body of work, to increase the total sum of human understanding. It's not like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elif-batuman/each-work-of-criticism-is-supposed-to-build-on-the-body-of-work-to/) [Elif Batuman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elif-batuman/) > [Id do anything for a perfect beach body, except work out and eat less.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/id-do-anything-for-a-perfect-beach-body-except-work-out-and-eat-less/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [There are 800 some muscles, 200 some bones. Your body works in three planes of motion: arms, legs - pentadactyl limbs. 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