THE RULES OF THE GAME ing to make you an offer may nevertheless reject you because they have lo confidence you know what you would be getting into. At the end of the day, as the interviewer, I need to feel satisfied that the candidate has enough information on which to make a decision in case I make an offer, says Richard Kathnelson, VP of human resources at Syndesis Inc, in Ontario, Canada. Open-ended questions that generate informa tion-rich answers signal to Kathnelson that he is talking to a resource ful candidate who knows how to make informed decisions. a skill vital to any job A QUESTIONING ATTITUDE Asking just the right questions is your chance to demonstrate that you are the best candidate for the job by communicating five different im- Intelligence. You really understand the requirements of the job Confidence. You have everything it takes to do to the job Personal appeal. You are the type of person who will fit in well Assertiveness. You ask for the job Of course, there is a sixth objective for your asking critical questions help you assess whether or not you really want the job. The job in- terview is a two-way street. You get to estimate the quality of the organ ization as much as the organizations gets to estimate your credentials The other important point is to avoid"What about me? questions until after you get a job offer or a very strong expression of interest. What about me? " questions are anything that goes to what the candi date receives as opposed to what the candidate offers. Remember, you have two roles in the interview: buyer and seller. For the first part of the interview, you are a seller. The only time you are buying is when they make you an offer. Listen to Susan Trainer, senior information systems recruiter with RJS Associates in Hartford, Connecticut. She interviews hundreds of candidates to determine if they represent a good fit for her client com-
ing to make you an offer may nevertheless reject you because they have no confidence you know what you would be getting into. “At the end of the day, as the interviewer, I need to feel satisfied that the candidate has enough information on which to make a decision in case I make an offer,” says Richard Kathnelson, VP of human resources at Syndesis, Inc., in Ontario, Canada. Open-ended questions that generate information-rich answers signal to Kathnelson that he is talking to a resourceful candidate who knows how to make informed decisions, a skill vital to any job. A QUESTIONING ATTITUDE Asking just the right questions is your chance to demonstrate that you are the best candidate for the job by communicating five different impressions: • Interest. You have taken the trouble to investigate the job. • Intelligence. You really understand the requirements of the job. • Confidence. You have everything it takes to do to the job. • Personal appeal. You are the type of person who will fit in well. • Assertiveness. You ask for the job. Of course, there is a sixth objective for your asking critical questions: to help you assess whether or not you really want the job. The job interview is a two-way street. You get to estimate the quality of the organization as much as the organizations gets to estimate your credentials. The other important point is to avoid “What about me?” questions until after you get a job offer or a very strong expression of interest. “What about me?” questions are anything that goes to what the candidate receives as opposed to what the candidate offers. Remember, you have two roles in the interview: buyer and seller. For the first part of the interview, you are a seller. The only time you are buying is when they make you an offer. Listen to Susan Trainer, senior information systems recruiter with RJS Associates in Hartford, Connecticut. She interviews hundreds of candidates to determine if they represent a good fit for her client comTHE RULES OF THE GAME 6
WHY YOU HAVE TO QUESTION panies. It makes me crazy when I ask a candidate if they have any ques- tions and they respond with either "No, you have answered them al ready or 'How many vacation days does your client give? " There are so many things you can screw up in a job interview, and not asking thoughtful questions when you have the opportunity is prob ably the biggest one. Interviewers want to know how candidates collect information, and the easiest way to know that is by listening to candi dates ask questions, Trainer says. "This is a real chance for a candidate to shine and set themselves apart from all the other job seekers. When I am prepping a candidate to go on an interview, I usually give them two or three very pointed ques tions to ask in the interview, and then we talk about another three for them to formulate she adds. Her two favorites In what area could your team use a little polishing? Why did you come to XZr Company "The questions you ask, and how you ask them, do as much to differ entiate you from the competition as the questions asked by the inter viewer, " Trainer insists. As you prepare for the job interview, your questions have to be as carefully coordinated as your suit and shoes. If you miss the opportunity to leave your interviewer with any one of these impressions, you risk losing the main prize Thoughtful questions emphasize that you are taking an active role in the job selection process, not leaving the interviewer to do all the work. Active is good. Great questions demonstrate that, far from being a pas sive participant, you are action-oriented and engaged, reinforcing your interest in the job Asking questions is an excellent way to demonstrate your sophist ation and qualifications. The questions you choose indicate your depth of knowledge of your field as well as your general level of intelligence. Asking questions also enables you to break down the formal inter viewer-candidate relationship, establish an easy flow of conversation, and build trust and rapport. The matter of rapport is critical. Remem ber, most finalists for a job are more or less evenly matched in terms of qualifications. What gives the winning candidate the nod is rapport
panies. “It makes me crazy when I ask a candidate if they have any questions and they respond with either ‘No, you have answered them already’ or ‘How many vacation days does your client give?’ “There are so many things you can screw up in a job interview, and not asking thoughtful questions when you have the opportunity is probably the biggest one. Interviewers want to know how candidates collect information, and the easiest way to know that is by listening to candidates ask questions,” Trainer says. “This is a real chance for a candidate to shine and set themselves apart from all the other job seekers. When I am prepping a candidate to go on an interview, I usually give them two or three very pointed questions to ask in the interview, and then we talk about another three for them to formulate,” she adds. Her two favorites: In what area could your team use a little polishing? Why did you come to XZY Company? “The questions you ask, and how you ask them, do as much to differentiate you from the competition as the questions asked by the interviewer,” Trainer insists. As you prepare for the job interview, your questions have to be as carefully coordinated as your suit and shoes. If you miss the opportunity to leave your interviewer with any one of these impressions, you risk losing the main prize. Thoughtful questions emphasize that you are taking an active role in the job selection process, not leaving the interviewer to do all the work. Active is good. Great questions demonstrate that, far from being a passive participant, you are action-oriented and engaged, reinforcing your interest in the job. Asking questions is an excellent way to demonstrate your sophistication and qualifications. The questions you choose indicate your depth of knowledge of your field as well as your general level of intelligence. Asking questions also enables you to break down the formal interviewer-candidate relationship, establish an easy flow of conversation, and build trust and rapport. The matter of rapport is critical. Remember, most finalists for a job are more or less evenly matched in terms of qualifications. What gives the winning candidate the nod is rapport. WHY YOU HAVE TO QUESTION 7
THE RULES OF THE GAME Your questions steer the interview the way you want it to go. Ques- tions are a form of control. You can also use questions to divert an in- terviewer's line of questioning. If you sense the interviewer is leading up to a subject that youd rather avoid-your job hopping, for example- ask a question about another topic. After a lengthy exchange, the inter viewer might not return to her original line of questioning The more senior the position you are seeking, the more important it is to ask sophisticated and tough questions. Such questions demonstrate your understanding of the subtext and context of the position, as well as your confidence in challenging the interviewer. Hiring managers will judge you as much on the inquiries you make as on the responses you provide If you dont ask sufficiently detailed questions, it will demonstrate lack of initiative and leadership qualities that a senior-level position demands CANTI JUST WING IT? Imagine that tomorrow you are giving the senior decision makers in your organization the most important presentation of your career. Your future at the company literally depends on the outcome. Would you wing it? Well, the situation I've just described is your next job interview. It's a presentation. The agenda: your future at the company. In the audience the senior decision makers required to authorize offering you a position. Everyone is looking at you to shine. Now, given the stakes, are you will ing to wing it? If you're comfortable with working like that, there's lit tle need to read further Some applicants believe that spontaneity can make up for lack of strategic planning. But spontaneity, in cases such as this, can be indis- tinguishable from laziness and lack of preparation. Interviewers, pro- fessionals themselves, really want you to prepare for the interview as they did. Preparation is professionalism in action. It's common sense. It's courtesy. It works WRITE YOUR QUESTIONS DOWN You've secured a job interview. Great. The first thing you do is home work(see Chapter 4 for a discussion on researching the company ).The second thing you do is write down the questions you will ask
Your questions steer the interview the way you want it to go. Questions are a form of control. You can also use questions to divert an interviewer’s line of questioning. If you sense the interviewer is leading up to a subject that you’d rather avoid—your job hopping, for example— ask a question about another topic. After a lengthy exchange, the interviewer might not return to her original line of questioning. The more senior the position you are seeking, the more important it is to ask sophisticated and tough questions. Such questions demonstrate your understanding of the subtext and context of the position, as well as your confidence in challenging the interviewer. Hiring managers will judge you as much on the inquiries you make as on the responses you provide. If you don’t ask sufficiently detailed questions, it will demonstrate lack of initiative and leadership qualities that a senior-level position demands. CAN’T I JUST WING IT? Imagine that tomorrow you are giving the senior decision makers in your organization the most important presentation of your career. Your future at the company literally depends on the outcome. Would you wing it? Well, the situation I’ve just described is your next job interview. It’s a presentation. The agenda: your future at the company. In the audience: the senior decision makers required to authorize offering you a position. Everyone is looking at you to shine. Now, given the stakes, are you willing to wing it? If you’re comfortable with working like that, there’s little need to read further. Some applicants believe that spontaneity can make up for lack of strategic planning. But spontaneity, in cases such as this, can be indistinguishable from laziness and lack of preparation. Interviewers, professionals themselves, really want you to prepare for the interview as they did. Preparation is professionalism in action. It’s common sense. It’s courtesy. It works. WRITE YOUR QUESTIONS DOWN You’ve secured a job interview. Great. The first thing you do is homework (see Chapter 4 for a discussion on researching the company). The second thing you do is write down the questions you will ask. THE RULES OF THE GAME 8
WHY YOU HAVE TO QUESTION Some job seekers are uncertain about whether they should write down their questions. If they do, should they bring them to the inter- view? The answer to both questions is yes. Doesn't that look, well, pre- meditated? Of course it does. That's the effect you want. See Chapter 5 for a fuller discussion of the issues around taking notes "Ive always found that the most important thing at a job interview is to have a list of questions prepared before going in, says Kate Broth- ers, director of grants administration at Keuka College in Keuka Park, New York. It accomplishes two things: It makes you look like you've done your homework, and it fills the awkward silences when the inter viewer runs out of things to ask you. Also, it puts at least a portion of the interview in your control Writing down your questions accomplishes a number of useful objectives It helps articulate your thoughts. Your questions should be as crisp as your shirt or blouse. Write them down, practice reading them aloud, and edit until the questions sing It helps prioritize your issues. Not every question weight. But only when you write them all down can you question to ask first. Some candidates write questions on index cards so they can easily order and reorder them until they have the flow they want It helps you remember. In the anxiety of the interview, you can eas lly forget a question you meant to ask. Or worse, your brain can vapor-lock and spill out something really dumb. If you have been in terviewing with a number of companies, it is easy to forget where you are and ask a totally inappropriate question, such as asking about manufacturing facilities at an insurance company. Protect yourself and make yourself look professional by preparing questions in advance It improves your performance. Knowing which questions you will ask generally makes the interview go better. It breeds confidence. You will be able to guide the interview to highlight your qualifications in a way that your questions will underscore
Some job seekers are uncertain about whether they should write down their questions. If they do, should they bring them to the interview? The answer to both questions is yes. Doesn’t that look, well, premeditated? Of course it does. That’s the effect you want. See Chapter 5 for a fuller discussion of the issues around taking notes. “I’ve always found that the most important thing at a job interview is to have a list of questions prepared before going in,” says Kate Brothers, director of grants administration at Keuka College in Keuka Park, New York. “It accomplishes two things: It makes you look like you’ve done your homework, and it fills the awkward silences when the interviewer runs out of things to ask you. Also, it puts at least a portion of the interview in your control.” Writing down your questions accomplishes a number of useful objectives. It helps articulate your thoughts. Your questions should be as crisp as your shirt or blouse. Write them down, practice reading them aloud, and edit until the questions sing. It helps prioritize your issues. Not every question carries equal weight. But only when you write them all down can you decide which question to ask first. Some candidates write questions on index cards so they can easily order and reorder them until they have the flow they want. It helps you remember. In the anxiety of the interview, you can easily forget a question you meant to ask. Or worse, your brain can vapor-lock and spill out something really dumb. If you have been interviewing with a number of companies, it is easy to forget where you are and ask a totally inappropriate question, such as asking about manufacturing facilities at an insurance company. Protect yourself and make yourself look professional by preparing questions in advance. It improves your performance. Knowing which questions you will ask generally makes the interview go better. It breeds confidence. You will be able to guide the interview to highlight your qualifications in a way that your questions will underscore. WHY YOU HAVE TO QUESTION 9
THE RULES OF THE GAME It makes you look prepared. Thats a good thing as far as interview- ers are concerned KNOW YOUR KILLER QUESTION Depending on how the interview goes, you may have time to ask only one question. If thats the case, make it a killer question Everyone has a different killer question. Ask yourself, if you could present just one question, what would it be? Think about the brand you want to present. You are that brand. Take some time to think of the ques- tion that allows you to differentiate yourself from the crowd In many cases, the killer question has three elements A statement that you appreciate the company's challenges or problem An assertion that you can solve the problem A request that you be given the opportunity to do so The thoroughness with which you prepare for this qu a long way in deciding whether you will be successful in getting a job offer Formulating open-ended, penetrating questions gives you a leg up on the competition. The right questions give the hiring manager a bet ter picture of your value proposition to the company, the only basis on which you will be offered a position. The 15 rules that follow pro- vide guidance to help you strategize about the questions you will take into your job interviews. Now is the time to be intentional about the interview, to take control, and to put your best foot forward. 15 RULES FOR FRAMING BETTER QUESTIONS The art of asking questions is considering what responses you prefer and framing the questions to maximize your chances of getting the answers you want. Here are 15 rules for asking better questions 1. Ask Open-Ended Questions Closed-ended questions can be answered yes or no, and begin with words such as"did”“has;"does;“" would”and"is:"Open- ended ques
It makes you look prepared. That’s a good thing as far as interviewers are concerned. KNOW YOUR KILLER QUESTION Depending on how the interview goes, you may have time to ask only one question. If that’s the case, make it a killer question. Everyone has a different killer question. Ask yourself, if you could present just one question, what would it be? Think about the brand you want to present. You are that brand. Take some time to think of the question that allows you to differentiate yourself from the crowd. In many cases, the killer question has three elements: • A statement that you appreciate the company’s challenges or problem • An assertion that you can solve the problem • A request that you be given the opportunity to do so The thoroughness with which you prepare for this question goes a long way in deciding whether you will be successful in getting a job offer. Formulating open-ended, penetrating questions gives you a leg up on the competition. The right questions give the hiring manager a better picture of your value proposition to the company, the only basis on which you will be offered a position. The 15 rules that follow provide guidance to help you strategize about the questions you will take into your job interviews. Now is the time to be intentional about the interview, to take control, and to put your best foot forward. 15 RULES FOR FRAMING BETTER QUESTIONS The art of asking questions is considering what responses you prefer and framing the questions to maximize your chances of getting the answers you want. Here are 15 rules for asking better questions. 1. Ask Open-Ended Questions Closed-ended questions can be answered yes or no, and begin with words such as “did,” “has,” “does,” “would,” and “is.” Open-ended quesTHE RULES OF THE GAME 10