The Most Important Question to Ask in a Job Interview

A job interview is the ultimate selling situation. You are selling your best product — YOU! As you prepare for your next job interview, be sure to keep this fact in mind. You need to do everything you possibly can to best represent YOU.

I was blessed over my career to work with sales professionals who approached their jobs as a true art form. They would spend hours practicing and honing their craft. These sales professionals each possessed a similar trait that contributed to their success. This trait was the ability to ask for the business.

Even if you are not in sales, you need to be able to ask for the business. Or in this case, the actual job you are interviewing for. Asking for the job will differentiate you from your competition and it may even be the determining factor.

All interviews have a natural cadence. First, there is an introduction followed by your opening argument. The hiring manager will ask you questions, then you will ask your questions. So, what’s next? A significant number of candidates drift to the end of a job interview without a closing argument. This creates a very awkward moment for everyone. The candidate doesn’t know what to say next and frankly, the hiring manager just wants the interview to end and move on to the next scheduled interview! There needs to be a proper conclusion to the case you are presenting and it is up to you to present that conclusion.

“If someone does not ask for the job, just how interested are they?”

In countless interviews I’ve conducted, I can assure you that most people do not ask for the job! As a hiring manager, this always struck me negatively. I hired sales professionals, so they should have had the skills to ask for the job. Speaking to friends who are in completely different industries (not in the sales side of the business), they tell me they feel the same way. If someone does not ask for the job, just how interested are they? You have applied for the job and researched the company and can visualize yourself in the position, so why not do absolutely everything to prove to the hiring manager that you have earned the job?

Recently, I had a conversation with a hiring manager that interviewed the final candidates for a Regional Manager position. All three final candidates did a fine job of articulating why they should be hired, gave great in-depth examples, and made their case very well. You might think the hiring manager had a difficult time deciding whom to offer the position. No, it was very easy to decide who earned the position. The person that got the job was the one who asked for the job. The other two candidates never made a closing argument and that was the main reason they did NOT get the position. It is vital to finish what you start. You have expertly relayed your experience, talents, and skills so finish with the “ask”.

Over the years, I have interviewed and hired scores of people. I found it interesting to compare candidates who courageously asked for the job to those who struggled or didn’t ask at all. Those who asked for the position were confident and knew they had “earned the right” to do so. Energetically, they sold me on why they would be the best person to hire.  During the interview, they consistently weaved-in asking for the job while telling their unique story, then delivered a compelling closing argument.

“It doesn’t matter what type of position or industry you may be applying for, you have to ask for the job. ”

It doesn’t matter what type of position or industry you may be applying for, you have to ask for the job. You may wonder what is the best question to ask in your closing argument? Simple…the one that brings your closing argument to a logical, persuasive conclusion. You should practice your closing argument with your interview coach in advance and base it on YOU and your talents. Target your closing question to the person across the table, looking them directly in the eye. No matter the words you use, please ask for the job!

If you are considering entering or are currently in the job interview process, you owe it to yourself to hire a coach who will give you expert feedback on perfecting your closing argument. I would be honored to be your interview coach. Please contact me at tom@interviewcoachingsolutions.com.