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asking hard-sell “closing” questions in job interviews -- ASK A MANAGER
asking hard-sell “closing” questions in job interviews

by ASK A MANAGER on JULY 22, 2011



A reader writes:



I read about a in a “career search expert’s” column that was sent to me by a recruitment agency that I should ask “closing” questions at the end of an interview. So in the last two interviews I had (which were both unsuccessful), I asked the question, “Do you think that I have met the qualifications for this job?”



In the first interview, I thought this worked really well. He responded with a yes, but also noted an area that concerned him in which I was lacking experience. From what I heard, the successful candidate did have that experience, but at least I had some idea of why.



The second interview didn’t go so well. She said yes and began to tell me that I was on a short list and the next steps in the process. She seemed very uncomfortable at having to answer the question though. The timeframe to hear back came and went and she later responded to my follow up email with “We have filled the position.”



Should I be wording my closing question differently or are they too confrontational in general? It feels like I might be making interviewers uncomfortable by putting them on the spot.



Yes, you’re making them uncomfortable. Most of them, anyway.



I’ve seen those articles recommending that you ask aggressive questions like that too. They also like to recommend:

* “Do you have any hesitations about me for this job?”

* “Is there any reason I wouldn’t be a great fit for this job?”

* “Is there anything standing in the way of me getting an offer?”



Ugh, ugh, ugh.



It’s too aggressive. It puts your interviewer on the spot and can create a really awkward situation.



Your interviewer may well have concerns about your candidacy that she isn’t ready to share … because she’s still processing her thoughts … or because she, like most people, prefers not to speak off the cuff when saying something that might make someone feel bad … or because, frankly, she’s simply not willing to share with you that you smell bad or seem crazy or don’t seem smart enough. (And yes, I know lots of you argue that interviewers should share that kind of feedback, but the reality is that most aren’t going to.) Or, maybe she figures that the type of candidate who asks questions like that is the type of candidate who’s going to argue with her when she responds that you don’t have the experience she wants in X, and she’s not inclined to get into a debate with you about it.



And moreover, even if your interviewer thinks you’re a strong candidate, these questions come across like they’re trying to pin the interviewer down before she’s ready. It’s too much like car salespeople who ask, “What do I need to do to get you into this car today?”



Of course, an experienced interviewer will manage to field these questions just fine, by saying something like, “You have great experience but we have a competitive pool so it’ll be a few weeks before we make any decisions.” But that doesn’t mean that she won’t still be annoyed to get a hard sell like that and to be put on the spot. And you don’t want the interviewer’s last impression of you to be discomfort.



Now, ultimately when “experts” (scoff) recommend these questions, they’re trying to help you create an opening to learn about and address any doubts the interviewer might have about you. And there actually is an effective, softer way of doing that. Instead of sounding like a used car salesperson, you can say something like, “Are there any reservations you have about my fit for the position that I could address?” (That last part is key.)



That’s a reasonable question, it doesn’t have the same pressure-tactic feel as the ones above, and an interviewer who doesn’t want to give on-the-spot feedback can easily say, “No, you’ve answered all my questions thoroughly, thank you.” But it also opens the door for the interviewer to say, “You know, I guess the one area where I have concern is that you don’t have a lot of experience doing ___. Ideally for this position we’d love someone with more background in that.” And that can indeed be useful — because maybe it prompts you to mention that you actually do have experience in that but it just wasn’t on your resume, or that you have experience with something not quite the same but similar, or whatever. (And it also gives you a chance to consider whether those doubts might be reasonable and point to a bad fit.)



But overall, if anyone ever recommends that you take a hard-sell, super-aggressive approach to interviewing (other than maybe for a sales job), stop listening to that person. Interviewers like to think they’re hiring the best person for the job, not the most aggressive.