Ask For The Job!
I met with a recruiter in Atlanta, Georgia many years ago. He provided me
with one of the best questions in interviewing I have ever heard in my life! At the conclusion of the interview, when you are at the point where you are
going to stand up and shake hands, look your interviewer dead in the eyes, and
in your own words or these, say:
"Mr./Ms. Interviewer, do you feel comfortable recommending me to the
next step?"
You will be absolutely amazed at the responses you are given! There is a misconception
that interviewees are supposed to leave an interview unsure of how they did. Nothing could be further from the truth! Your best line of defense is to immediately
address whatever concerns your interviewer might have. You will normally be
provided with one of the following responses:
- Yes, I think you are a good candidate for the position.
- Well, I need to speak to some other people before I can comment on that.
- Um.... well, I ah... blah, blah, blah.
In any case, you will immediately have a "gut feeling" as to how
well or poorly you did. Obviously, if you feel you did poorly, this is your
chance to extract the concerns and address them. You will note that the answer
‘NO,’ is not found anywhere in the above responses. People traditionally
avoid confrontations. In most instances, you will not get this answer. If you
feel the interviewer is trying to avoid telling you ‘NO,’ and your
really want to hear it, you may want to try the following example.
A very famous negotiator named Roger Dawson has his own question at
the conclusion of an interview. While I believe "my" question works
very well in most instances and is non-confrontational, I do believe that there
is a place for this question as well. With confidence and an inflection in his
voice, he would say the following:
"You will recommend me to the next step ... woooonnnn't you?"
Obviously, the questions are quite similar. The main distinction is actually
in the aggressiveness of the question. I would recommend only using Mr.
Dawson's question as a last resort. Do so only if you are convinced
that the answer is indeed ‘NO,’ and you would like the opportunity
to flush out the concerns and address them. Also, if you are able to get your
interviewer to tell you why they are not going to hire you, sometimes the character
you demonstrate in this adverse situation is enough to convince them otherwise.
Never leave an interview unsure of how you did. Ask for the job!
