What recruiters think
It’s good to be direct when asking for the job, says Tony Stanic, resource manager at CNC Global, in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. “I think it is good to come across as enthusiastic and direct as possible. The person that appears to want the job the most will get the offer. Try to find out their level of interest in you by asking them directly.” Stanic has been impressed with candidates who could deliver lines such as:
- Do you feel that I am suitable for the position?
- Do you have any reservations about my ability to do this job?
“Don’t be afraid to ask these questions,” Stanic continues. “You may be able to overcome any objections that they may have. It may feel a bit uncomfortable but it’s better to find out what their concerns are than it is to find out that you did not get the job. Asking for the job can be a crucial factor in the interviewer’s decision-making process.”
“There’s a fine line between confidence and arrogance,” says KnowledgePoint’s HR director, Rich Franklin. To be successful in some jobs, you need to be pushy and demonstrate in the job interview how aggressively you can sell. For example, Franklin recruited stockbrokers for Dean Witter for 10 years before he joined KnowledgePoint. Stockbrokers, of course, are salespeople who sell securities. One question from a sales candidate that that impressed him was:
- I’m the person for the job! Can you tell me when you can make me an offer?
“In the software industry where things are more laid back,” Franklin continues, “I’d be a little less comfortable with a guy coming on that strong.” The Pacific Firm’s Nancy Levine also urges caution. For her, such direct questions are indications of too much thinking inside the box. What Levin likes to hear from candidates are more subtle probes for objections:
- I am very interested in this position. Do you have any questions or concerns I can address?
- It has been a pleasure meeting you. I really want this job. Can you tell me where you are in your process?
“Then, hopefully, the interviewer will cough up objections that the job-seeker can address and overcome,” Levine says. The important thing, she says, is not to appear like you’re trying too hard. For example, Levine criticizes a formulation such as this:
As I understand it, the successful candidate will be someone with x education, y qualifications, and z experience. Do I understand the opportunity correctly?
“For me this formulation is too cookie cutterish, too car salesman-y, a bit transparent in terms of trying to close,” she says. “It may work as a line of questioning in a first phone call, but not to close in an interview. I would expect that our discussion would pinpoint what we’re looking for.”
Susan Trainer Senior Information Systems Recruiter RJS Associates Hartford, CT “There has to be a certain chemistry between me and the candidate for those kinds of questions to come off well,” agrees Kimberly Bedore, director of Strategic HR Solutions at Peopleclick, Dallas, Texas. “You have to know the interviewer is really interested; otherwise it makes the interviewer uncomfortable.” Don’t put the interviewer in a defensive mode, she adds. “Just demonstrate that you understand the company’s greatest business problem and that you have what it takes to solve it. Asking for what the next step will be is always okay.”
So the burden is on you to call it right. If your timing is even slightly off or your voice is a little too shrill, you will come off as grasping, clumsy, or, worst of all, desperate. If you’re going to ask for a job, please practice these questions with a trusted friend or mentor. Use a video camera to record yourself uttering the questions. Until you can pull off a vibe of relaxed confidence, I’d avoid these questions.
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