Page 158 - John Kador - 201 Best Questions to Ask on Your Interview-McGraw-Hill (2002)

BID-FOR-ACTION QUESTIONS

? Memorably Bad Question

#20
If I work here, would I get an office or a cubicle? I’d really like
to be able to close the door.

Who wants to hire someone who closes the door before he is
hired? The candidate has closed the door on any chances of
getting an offer.
Susan Trainer
Senior Information Systems Recruiter
RJS Associates
Hartford, CT

“There has to be a certain chemistry between me and the candidate
for those kinds of questions to come off well,” agrees Kimberly
Bedore, director of Strategic HR Solutions at Peopleclick, Dallas,
Texas. “You have to know the interviewer is really interested; other-
wise it makes the interviewer uncomfortable.” Don’t put the inter-
viewer in a defensive mode, she adds. “Just demonstrate that you
understand the company’s greatest business problem and that you
have what it takes to solve it. Asking for what the next step will be is
always okay.”
So the burden is on you to call it right. If your timing is even
slightly off or your voice is a little too shrill, you will come off as
grasping, clumsy, or, worst of all, desperate. If you’re going to ask for
a job, please practice these questions with a trusted friend or mentor.
Use a video camera to record yourself uttering the questions. Until you
can pull off a vibe of relaxed confidence, I’d avoid these questions.

BUT SALES JOBS ARE DIFFERENT

In general, as we discussed, it’s tricky to be too direct in asking for the
job. But if you are applying for any kind of sales representative job, then
asking for the job is not optional. If you don’t ask for the job in the in-

133