Page 63 - 301 Best Questions to Ask on Your Interview, Second Edition

THE RULES OF THE GAME

Thankfully, techniques like these are falling out of favor, so you
probably won’t encounter too many role-playing challenges. But
the point remains: the interview starts sooner than you think. Keep
thinking and don’t hesitate to ask questions. Here’s another scenario
you might encounter.

Charles was interviewing for a senior sales position, and every-
thing was going perfectly. His experience was exactly right, and
Charles and the hiring manager, the VP of sales, seemed to be
getting along great. So imagine the candidate’s surprise when
the interviewer suddenly stood up and said, “I’m sorry, Charles.
I just don’t think it’s going to work out after all. Thank you for
meeting with me and good luck to you.” The rejection came so
unexpectedly that Charles could only mumble something as he
walked out.

What’s going on here? Again, take a minute to put yourself in
Charles’s shoes. How would you have handled the situation?

Charles didn’t realize it, but the resistance from the recruiter sig-
naled the start of the job interview, not the end. Remember, Charles
was being sized up for a senior sales position. A critical skill for such
a position is grace in handling a prospect’s objections or rejection.
So the interviewer threw a big road block at the candidate to see how
he would react.

What could Charles have done? One Fortune 500 recruiter suggests
Charles could have responded: “Excuse me, can I just have another
minute? I’m confused. I thought the interview was going pretty well
and that my experience fit the position you described very closely.
Apparently, I missed something important. I would very much like
to understand where you saw a disconnect between my skills and the
job so that I might have the opportunity to demonstrate that I really
am the best candidate for the job.”

“This kind of response would tell me that Charles can handle
objections, accepts responsibility for not making his case, and asks
for information so that he may continue selling, which is why I’m

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