The One Best Interview Question of All Time

by Eric Kramer,

special to WWDS. Founder of Innovative Career Services and developer of the successful InterviewBest presentation.  This is another in the Share the Podium series.

eric_edited Let’s all say this together; “an interview is a sales call.” After having submitted your sales brochure (resume) to a prospect (hiring company) you have been invited in to a meeting (interview) to convince the purchasing manager (hiring manager) that she should purchase your services (hire you) as the solution to her problem. The one best question of all times is a sales question, read on to learn about it.
During your interview, you want to accomplish the following (sales) tasks:
A needs analysis- By asking focused questions and listening hard, gain a full understanding of the critical job requirements from the hiring manager’s perspective. Just what is she looking for in terms of skills, experience, education, and personality? What does the job entail on a day to day basis? What constitutes success in the first 3/6/12 months and how is success measured? What are the immediate priorities? What problem(s) does this position solve?
Link your skills, experience, education, and personality to the job requirements- Use examples of past jobs, projects, and education to communicate that you can do the job and do it well.

Differentiate yourself- Talk about additional areas of expertise you bring to the position; your “value ads”. Are you an accountant with project management experience or information systems implementation? Be sure to talk about it.
Talk about your successes- Tell stories about your accomplishments, the times when you were at your best. Be sure to give details including the situation, any obstacles you overcame, the actions you took and the results.
Share your “personal success factors”- Talk about personal traits that make you successful on the job. For example, are you analytical, have good forecasting skills, driven to get things done, share wins and successes, good at selling ideas, etc.
Present a strategic action plan- Give a list of your goals for the first 30/60 days. Make them concrete, measurable, and discuss how you plan to achieve them.
Summarize why you are the best candidate for the position- Reffering to the information you have shared, summarize why they should hire you based on the benefits you will provide.
Ask questions-Ask good questions about the job, company, and industry that demonstrate you have done your research.
Once you have accomplished the above sales tasks, it is time to ask the one best interview question of all time. Any sales person worth their salt knows they need to hear and overcome any buying objections to make the sale. You need to do the same in your interview so ask this question:
“Based on my background and skills what do you think would be the greatest challenges for me in this position?”
Asking for challenges is a subtle way of asking “why wouldn’t you hire me?” Asking a more direct question such as “Is there a reason you would not hire me?” puts the interviewer on the defensive and gets the dodge response “no reason but we are interviewing more candidates and we will let you know”. Interviewers are far more comfortable talking about “challenges” and are more likely to give you valuable information about their thinking.
If there are any challenges you now have the opportunity to address them directly in the interview and in your follow-through letter. You may be able to correct any misinformation or provide a strategy for overcoming a legitimate challenge(s). If the challenge(s) is a “show stopper” at least you know and you won’t be left looking at the phone and your email wondering if you will get the offer.
Here at no charge, the second best question “How and when should I follow up with you? This will tell you how and when to get back in touch. This is like asking for a second sales meeting and it will prevent you from the unpleasant task of having to guess you follow-up strategy.
So, treat your interview like a sales call. Come prepared to present why you are the best candidate for the job and ask the one best interview question to raise and then overcome any objections. Good selling!

What sales ideas or techniques have you found work best in your own job interviews? If you are hiring manager, do you agree with my concept that a good job interview is like a sales call? I would love to hear your reactions and comments.

Ed. Note: Eric is Founder and Chief Innovation Officer for Innovative Career Services, a career services firm helping people find the job they love and earn the money they deserve through the use of innovation. Eric’s experience includes working as a Senior Career Consultant and Career Center Manager with two of the country’s largest job transition firms. In these positions, Eric worked with hundreds of job searchers individually and in groups helping them develop career visions, teaching job search skills and coaching them through interviews.

Combining knowledge of Career Coaching and technology Eric has developed a unique new approach to job interviews; the InterviewBest interview presentation www.interviewbest.com. In addition,
Eric has authored two books “What to Think What to Do- 100+ Hints for Successful Interviewing” and “What to Think What to Do- 100+ Hints for Successful Networking. He is identified as a recruiting Thought Leader by Kennedy Information, contributing articles to Kennedy’s Recruiter Trends magazine and writes the Interview Your Best blog. Eric is also a frequent presenter at local and national conferences on the subjects of interview presentations, online identity optimization and career management.