Ask for the job

Ask for the job

Preparing for job interviews is essential. You should know who the person(s) is you’re interviewing with, should have current information about the company or firm and know as much as you can about the position you’re interviewing for. With this information you can develop meaningful questions to ask during your interview. By asking substantive questions during the interview you demonstrate you have an interest in the job and interested in working for the company, but you also need to convince the interviewer you want the job.

A lot of emphasis is placed on preparing for the interview and what gets overlooked is how you plan to close the interview and ask for the job. In my career I have hired executive managers, account executives and staff members. I have interviewed hundreds of people and can tell you what will ruin a great interview is a candidate who is not prepared to close the interview. So how do you close the interview?

My advice to closing an interview is never answer “no” when asked if you have any additional questions. Instead ask for the job. This may seem too aggressive especially for the first interview or a screening interview, but it’s not. It’s all based on delivery.

At the end of the interview you’ll be asked if you have any additional questions. This is your opening to ask for the job. You want to begin with a short opening statement that expresses your interest in the position and then use an indirect question to ask for the job.

Something like this. I am sincerely interested in the position with (firm name) and feel my experience definitely qualifies me for the position. Based on what we discussed today do you have any reason to believe I am not qualified for the position? Asking this question provides the interviewer an opportunity to express any concerns the interviewer might have about your qualifications and provides you an opportunity to address any concerns immediately. Asking for the job also demonstrated you are serious and want to continue the interview process.