PART I THE RULES OF THE GAME The interviewer s most critical question in a job inter view is often the last one The interviewer's last question is frequently the most important one. That's when the interviewer smiles and says: Now, do you have questions for us? ""Your response at this point often determines if you continue as a job seeker or transform into a job getter. There are great questions and dumb questions and, worst of all, no questions at all. This book prepares you for the most neglected part of the job interview: the opportunity for you to ask questions. Part I outlines some rules and principles you can apply in your questioning so that you ask more of the former and fewer of the latter But first a quiz. Of the following five candidate behaviors in the job interview, what behavior do you think recruiters find most unforgivable? 1. Poor perso 2. Overemphasis on money 3. Failure to look at interviewer while interviewing 4. Doesn't ask questions 5. Late to interview Copyright 2002 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. Click Here for Terms of Use
PART I THE RULES OF THE GAME The interviewer’s most critical question in a job interview is often the last one. The interviewer’s last question is frequently the most important one. That’s when the interviewer smiles and says: “Now, do you have questions for us?” Your response at this point often determines if you continue as a job seeker or transform into a job getter. There are great questions and dumb questions and, worst of all, no questions at all. This book prepares you for the most neglected part of the job interview: the opportunity for you to ask questions. Part I outlines some rules and principles you can apply in your questioning so that you ask more of the former and fewer of the latter. But first a quiz. Of the following five candidate behaviors in the job interview, what behavior do you think recruiters find most unforgivable? 1. Poor personal appearance 2. Overemphasis on money 3. Failure to look at interviewer while interviewing 4. Doesn’t ask questions 5. Late to interview 1 Copyright 2002 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. Click Here for Terms of Use
THE RULES OF THE GAME answer is number 4. Surprised? Candidates who do not ask uestions represent the number one behavior that causes re- cruiters to lose confidence, according to my admittedly unscien tific survey of over 150 recruiters, job coaches, and hiring managers. Still, it's not too bold to make this statement: You can- not succeed in a job interview without asking a number of well- considered questions Of course, even great questions will not get you a job offer if you come in with other problems. Here, in order, are the 10 atti tude strikeouts that most often condemn job candidates: 1. Doesnt ask questions 2. Condemnation of past employer 3. Inability to take criticism 4. Poor personal appearance 5. Indeci 6. Overbearing, overly aggressive, know-it-all 7. Late to interview 8. Failure to look at interviewer while interviewing 9. Unable to express self clearly 10. Overemphasis on money
The answer is number 4. Surprised? Candidates who do not ask any questions represent the number one behavior that causes recruiters to lose confidence, according to my admittedly unscientific survey of over 150 recruiters, job coaches, and hiring managers. Still, it’s not too bold to make this statement: You cannot succeed in a job interview without asking a number of wellconsidered questions. Of course, even great questions will not get you a job offer if you come in with other problems. Here, in order, are the 10 attitude strikeouts that most often condemn job candidates: 1. Doesn’t ask questions 2. Condemnation of past employer 3. Inability to take criticism 4. Poor personal appearance 5. Indecisive, cynical, lazy 6. Overbearing, overly aggressive, “know-it-all” 7. Late to interview 8. Failure to look at interviewer while interviewing 9. Unable to express self clearly 10. Overemphasis on money THE RULES OF THE GAME 2
CHAPTER I WHY YOU HAVE TO QUESTION QUESTIONS ARE NOT AN OPTION Now, do you have any questions? Every job interview, if the job seeker is lucky, gets to this stage. What you do now controls whether or not you get an offer. The resume gets ou in the door, but whether you leave as a job seeker or an employ depends on how you conduct yourself during the interview. Some candidates think that when the interviewer says, Now, do you have any questions? " its a polite indication that the interview is about over and they are about to wrap up. They couldnt be more mistaken. The question really signals the start of the main course. Everything that came before was just appetizer Recruiters are unanimous on this point: Job seekers who fail to ask at least a few intelligent questions are destined to remain job seekers. If you dont ask questions, you leave these impressions You think the job is unimportant or trivial You're uncomfortable asserting yourself. You re not intelligent You're easily intimidated. You're bored or boring. Copyright 2002 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. Click Here for Terms of Use
CHAPTER 1 WHY YOU HAVE TO QUESTION QUESTIONS ARE NOT AN OPTION “Now, do you have any questions?” Every job interview, if the job seeker is lucky, gets to this stage. What you do now controls whether or not you get an offer. The résumé gets you in the door, but whether you leave as a job seeker or an employee depends on how you conduct yourself during the interview. Some candidates think that when the interviewer says, “Now, do you have any questions?” it’s a polite indication that the interview is about over and they are about to wrap up. They couldn’t be more mistaken. The question really signals the start of the main course. Everything that came before was just appetizer. Recruiters are unanimous on this point: Job seekers who fail to ask at least a few intelligent questions are destined to remain job seekers. If you don’t ask questions, you leave these impressions: • You think the job is unimportant or trivial. • You’re uncomfortable asserting yourself. • You’re not intelligent. • You’re easily intimidated. • You’re bored or boring. 3 Copyright 2002 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. Click Here for Terms of Use
THE RULES OF THE GAME Not one of these impressions works in your favor. Of course, not any old questions will do. If you don't think about this in advance, you run the risk of missing a critical opportunity by not asking intelligent uestions or by planting your foot in your mouth by asking stupid ones. Good questions show the interviewer that you are interested in the job. Great questions tell the interviewer that you are a force to be reckoned with VESTED IN THE INTERVIEW I want to know that the candidate in front of me is vested in the job in- terview, says Janice Bryant Howroyd, founder, CEO, and chairman of Torrance, California-based ACT-1, the largest female, minority-owned employment service in the country. If the candidate doesnt have any questions, that really clouds my estimation of their interest and ability to In fact, Bryant Howroyd's practice is to ask just one question, and then immediately throw the ball to the job seeker. Bryant Howroyd's first question, after greeting the job seeker, is What is your understanding of our meeting today? How's that for turning the interview topsy-turvy? But Bryant Howroyd understands she can tell more from candidates by the quality of their questions than by the quality of their answers. So the next instruction I would now like you to ask me seven questions. Depending on the quality of the applicants response to the first query, Bryant Howroyd invites the applicant to ask her from three to seven spe cific questions. The higher her initial estimation of the applicant, the more questions she requests What's more, Bryant Howroyd gives the applicant permission to ask her any questions at all. No limits. And then she listens. I learn a lot more about people by allowing them to ask me what they want to know than by having them tell me what they think I want to know, she says. True, the hiring company ultimately selects the applicant, but the applicants I most admire insist on being full part ners in the selection process, she says
Not one of these impressions works in your favor. Of course, not any old questions will do. If you don’t think about this in advance, you run the risk of missing a critical opportunity by not asking intelligent questions or by planting your foot in your mouth by asking stupid ones. Good questions show the interviewer that you are interested in the job. Great questions tell the interviewer that you are a force to be reckoned with. VESTED IN THE INTERVIEW “I want to know that the candidate in front of me is vested in the job interview,” says Janice Bryant Howroyd, founder, CEO, and chairman of Torrance, California–based ACT-1, the largest female, minority-owned employment service in the country. “If the candidate doesn’t have any questions, that really clouds my estimation of their interest and ability to engage.” In fact, Bryant Howroyd’s practice is to ask just one question, and then immediately throw the ball to the job seeker. Bryant Howroyd’s first question, after greeting the job seeker, is: What is your understanding of our meeting today? How’s that for turning the interview topsy-turvy? But Bryant Howroyd understands she can tell more from candidates by the quality of their questions than by the quality of their answers. So the next instruction is: I would now like you to ask me seven questions. Depending on the quality of the applicant’s response to the first query, Bryant Howroyd invites the applicant to ask her from three to seven specific questions. The higher her initial estimation of the applicant, the more questions she requests. What’s more, Bryant Howroyd gives the applicant permission to ask her any questions at all. No limits. And then she listens. “I learn a lot more about people by allowing them to ask me what they want to know than by having them tell me what they think I want to know,” she says. True, the hiring company ultimately selects the applicant, but “the applicants I most admire insist on being full partners in the selection process,” she says. THE RULES OF THE GAME 4
WHY YOU HAVE TO QUESTION Now, are you really ready for an interview with Janice Bryant Howroyd Robin Upton is a career coach at Bernard Haldane Associates, the largest career management firm in the United States. Based in the firms office in Dallas, Texas, Upton coaches her candidates to ask two ques- tions of the hiring manager The first question is: Now that we have talked about my qualifications, do you have any con cerns about me fulfilling the responsibilities of this position? Does it seem counterintuitive to ask the interviewer to articulate his or her concerns? Many candidates think so. But they are being short sighted, Upton argues. Once objections are stated, the candidate can usu- ally address them in a way that is satisfactory. Unstated objections will doom the candidate every time Upton's second question is As my direct report in this position, what are the three top priorities you would first like to see accomplished? This question, she says, effectively determines the hot buttons of the hir ing manager, demonstrates the candidate's understanding that every hir ing manager has priorities, and underscores the candidate's commitment to action by the final word in the question. Remember, "accomplish"is a term dear to the heart of every hiring manager. If you don't ask questions in the interview, many recruiters will won- der if you will avoid asking questions on the job. If I set up a scenario for a technical candidate, and they don' t ask qualifying questions, I re- ally wonder if that is how they would approach an application develop- ment project, says Kathi Jones, director of Employee Central at Aventail, a Seattle-based provider of extranet services. " Are they let ting ego get in the way of asking the hard questions? Do they play on a team or play against the team? I think you can learn as much from some- one's questions and their thought process as you can from the answers she add Here's another wrinkle. Recruiters expect candidates to ask enough questions to form an opinion about whether they want the job or not. If you dont ask enough questions, recruiters who may otherwise be will
Now, are you really ready for an interview with Janice Bryant Howroyd? Robin Upton is a career coach at Bernard Haldane Associates, the largest career management firm in the United States. Based in the firm’s office in Dallas, Texas, Upton coaches her candidates to ask two questions of the hiring manager. The first question is: Now that we have talked about my qualifications, do you have any concerns about me fulfilling the responsibilities of this position? Does it seem counterintuitive to ask the interviewer to articulate his or her concerns? Many candidates think so. But they are being shortsighted, Upton argues. Once objections are stated, the candidate can usually address them in a way that is satisfactory. Unstated objections will doom the candidate every time. Upton’s second question is: As my direct report in this position, what are the three top priorities you would first like to see accomplished? This question, she says, effectively determines the hot buttons of the hiring manager, demonstrates the candidate’s understanding that every hiring manager has priorities, and underscores the candidate’s commitment to action by the final word in the question. Remember, “accomplish” is a term dear to the heart of every hiring manager. If you don’t ask questions in the interview, many recruiters will wonder if you will avoid asking questions on the job. “If I set up a scenario for a technical candidate, and they don’t ask qualifying questions, I really wonder if that is how they would approach an application development project,” says Kathi Jones, director of Employee Central at Aventail, a Seattle-based provider of extranet services. “Are they letting ego get in the way of asking the hard questions? Do they play on a team or play against the team? I think you can learn as much from someone’s questions and their thought process as you can from the answers,” she adds. Here’s another wrinkle. Recruiters expect candidates to ask enough questions to form an opinion about whether they want the job or not. If you don’t ask enough questions, recruiters who may otherwise be willWHY YOU HAVE TO QUESTION 5