Page 44 - 301 Best Questions to Ask on Your Interview, Second Edition

W H Y YOU H AV E TO QU E ST ION

14. If You Want the Job, Ask for It

As a candidate, you should use your opportunity to ask questions as
a platform to ask for the job. These are called bid-for-action ques-
tions because, like every marketer (in this case, you), you should con-
clude every contact with the prospect (the hiring manager) with an
invitation to take action (make me an offer).

Many employers feel that a desire for the position is just as impor-
tant as the ability to do the job. A very effective interviewing tech-
nique is simply to ask for the job. One way to do this is to ask the
employer:

Do you think I can do the job?

Generally, the interviewer will hedge. But if the answer is yes, smile
and say:

Great! When do you want me to start?

More likely, the interviewer will say something like:

I am very impressed with your credentials, but we have a number of other
steps to go through before I can give you an answer to that question.

That’s fine. It’s also possible the interviewer will state some objec-
tions. Believe it or not, that’s even better. An unstated objection will
kill your chances every time. With stated objections, at least you
have the possibility of reversing the concern.

Of course, there are some objections that you really can’t do much
about:

The job listing clearly noted that the position requires a minimum of
six years of coding experience. You don’t have any.

Some objections are softer:

I’m concerned that you are not as seasoned in leading large multidisci-
plinary teams as this position requires.

Here you have some recourse:

I can see how you might get that impression. But if I can take you
back to my work for XYZ Company, I showed you how I led four sepa-

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