Page 77 - John Kador - 201 Best Questions to Ask on Your Interview-McGraw-Hill (2002)

THE RULES OF THE GAME

THE RULES OF THE GAME
Ask Permission
Asking permission is a simple thing, but it makes a big difference. First,
it’s respectful. Second, it draws attention to the behavior, so that the in-
terviewer is not surprised. Surprises are rarely in the candidate’s favor.
Here are some suggested wordings for getting permission:
Do you mind if I take notes? I want to keep the details of this discus-
sion very clear in my mind because the more I learn about this op-
portunity, the more confident I am that I can make an important
contribution.
Notice how the applicant embeds a selling message in her request.
Also ask permission before you look at your notes when you ask your
questions:
While we were talking, I jotted down a few points I wanted to ask about.
May I have a minute to consult my notes?

Or:
Thanks for the detailed description of the opportunity and the company.
I know you answered most of my questions in the course of our conver-
sation. Before I came here, I jotted down a few questions I didn’t want
to forget. May I consult my notes?

USE A NOTEBOOK
In Chapter 1, I suggested ordering questions by writing them on index
cards. That’s a useful practice as you determine which questions to ask
and in which order to ask them. But after you have established the ques-
tions and their order, transfer the list to a handsome leather-bound note-
book. Whipping out a set of index cards sends the wrong message. Plus
there’s always the risk of the index cards slipping out of your hand and
flying all over the place.
One of the reasons for having a notebook in the interview is that you
will think of questions to ask the interviewer. Perhaps the interviewer
is talking about a new product that the company is about to launch. You

52