Page 61 - 301 Best Questions to Ask on Your Interview, Second Edition

THE RULES OF THE GAME

hiring manager really wants is someone who can do the job and
will fit in. Are you that someone? Can you prove it? That’s your
goal in the next phase of the interview.
• will you select. This acknowledges the authority of the decision
maker. It is critical for you to know if, by chance, you are talk-
ing to someone who is not the decision maker, but merely a gate-
keeper. In either case, you need to focus on the action verb in the
clause and what you must provide in order to be selected.
• the person. Only one person will be selected for this particular job.
You want that person to be you. One of your jobs in the interview is
to remind the hiring manager that you are a well-rounded, likable
person who will fit in with the other people in the organization.
• for this job. This phrase underscores the idea that the subject of
this conversation is a job that the interviewer needs to fill because
a vital organizational function is not being done. Furthermore,
the ideal remedy for the problem is available and ready to start.

BEFORE THE BEGINNING

A job interview can be over before you think it’s even started. In
other words, a job interview can be a conversation that starts long
before the first word comes out of your mouth.

This scenario demonstrates what a mistake it is to assume that
you can reliably time the start of a job interview.

Susan arrived early at her job interview. At the appointed hour,
Susan’s interviewer greeted her and asked her to follow him
to his office. Susan immediately noticed that the interviewer
seemed a bit befuddled, as if he forgot where the office was. As
they started walking through a maze of cubicles, he seemed to
hesitate, looking first left and then right. Ignoring Susan, he
paused at every intersection, like he was a pioneer exploring a
territory for the first time. With Susan in tow, he even retraced
his steps a couple of times. Susan felt very uncomfortable, but
she didn’t know what to do. Should she say anything? Would a

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