Espinosa de los Monteros Interview Advice: 'I Never Sought Employment'

The marquis giving interview lessons without ever seeking employment

There is a scene that repeats itself in any Spanish hiring process: the candidate arrives with the company website memorized, the "I want to add value" speech practiced in front of the mirror, and a forced smile. Iván Espinosa de los Monteros, former Vox leader and V Marquis of Valtierra, has published a video with tips for passing a job interview. He inherited his noble title from his great-great-grandfather, a diplomat and military officer who mediated in the Third Carlist War. The reaction has been swift: some find the advice common sense, while others point out that he never had to go through a standard selection process.

The central advice is simple: prepare for the interview, know the company, show interest. Nothing anyone who has stepped into a human resources office doesn't already know. The problem is not the what, but the who. A little marquis — as he is called in conversation — explaining to a working-class son how to succeed in the corporate jungle of the capital has a point of disconnection with reality that does not go unnoticed.

What Espinosa de los Monteros's video actually says

The former Vox leader suggests that candidates should research the company before the interview, understand its circumstances, sector, and projects. The underlying idea is that skilled workers have negotiating power and that demonstrating genuine interest sets them apart from other candidates. "Looking for a job is like flirting; you have to show interest," summarizes one of the positions defending the video's content.

Along these lines, some argue that prior preparation is basic even for occasional jobs. An autonomous professional compares it to their own routine: before accepting a client, they check the website to understand what the company does. Preparation is not flattery; it is respect for the interviewer's time, argue those holding this view.

The counterpoint arises when asked how many of those giving this advice have gone through a real interview. The repeated answer: few. The title of Marquis of Valtierra was granted by Alfonso XIII to his great-great-grandfather, and that, in certain circles, opens doors that others struggle to push open for years.

Nepotism as the backdrop to the Spanish labor market

The most repeated criticism is not against the advice itself, but against the context it ignores. Some argue the underlying discourse is classist: if you don't have a job, it's because you don't prepare well for interviews. This reading connects with a reality many know: public companies and state-dependent entities are the natural ground for nepotism, while the private sector seeks candidates who can solve specific projects.

The nuance matters. A selection process in an administration is not the same as in engineering. In the first, the filter may be an HR person asking about what is already on the resume. In the second, what is evaluated is whether the candidate can solve concrete problems. Confusion between these two worlds is what generates most of the rejection.

A recurring example: the HR person who calls to ask if you have experience in something already listed on your resume, which appears among the twenty different things the job offer requests. That filter does not evaluate if you are qualified for the role; it evaluates if you fit into a staffing plan. And there, the marquis's advice is of little use.

Candidate-prepared answers versus what interviewers expect

The classic question — "Where do you see yourself in five years?" — has a response many rehearse: "In five years, I am a department head. If not, I start my own company." This type of answer is learned in a non-verbal communication course, along with hand positioning, body posture, and not going empty-handed.

The problem is that this choreography has become transparent. When the interviewer knows the candidate has rehearsed the answer, the effect dissipates. What used to impress is now detected. Excessive preparation can backfire: the interviewer sees the climber trying to steal the job, not the interested professional.

Some go further, arguing that interest in the company is, in most cases, fiction. People work to earn money, not out of vocation. Knowing the corporate mission or company values matters little when what is sought is to pay the mortgage. The theater works on both sides of the table, but no one fully believes it.

The candidate who swept the ship before being hired

The irony has been rising in tone. "In my first interview, I slipped into the ship at 5 a.m. to sweep, and went to the interview with the work already done." The exaggeration serves to ridicule the idea that one must demonstrate commitment before having a contract. Taken to the extreme, the logic of "show interest" leads to working for free just in case.

Another example: "I swept the ship a year before the interview. I recorded it, took a photo with that day's newspaper, and showed it to the boss." The caricature points to a real problem: the line between preparing and flattering is blurred, and in a labor market with hundreds of candidates per position, the difference between the two fades.

The question that remains floating: how much of what is demanded of the candidate is preparation and how much is submission disguised as proactivity? There is no closed answer. What there is, however, is broad agreement that the advice alone solves nothing.

The disconcerting fact

The title of Marquis of Valtierra was granted by Alfonso XIII to his great-great-grandfather. This does not automatically invalidate advice on interviews, but it does explain why the video has generated so much rejection. The one giving the lesson never had to look for himself in a standard selection process. And in a country where meritocracy is invoked more than it is practiced, that detail weighs more than any advice.