20
Ask for the Job
By: Amy Rossi
You’ve likely heard the expression, “You never know until you ask!” Asking seems easy enough, until you are asking for something that you really want. Sometimes it feels easier to wait and see, to give it time, to chicken out … even though it will mean wondering what would have happened, what could have happened, if you’d had the courage to ask.
While some situations may benefit from the wait and see model, a job interview simply isn’t one of them. When you’re in an interview, don’t waste your moment with a potential employer. Ask for the job!
Yes. You heard me. If you are interviewing and sincerely want the job, make sure that the employer knows you are interested by asking for the job, rather than hoping they can guess.
How the interview really works
Here’s a little secret: we (employers) want to make you (applicants) comfortable so that you want to work for us. Believe it or not, while you are sitting in that interview chair, we are trying to picture you on the job, in our department, as a part of our team. We want you to be a good fit so that you will be happy working for us. After all, happy workers are productive workers, and productive workers get results.
The two most memorable parts of an interview are the first five minutes and the last five minutes. The beginning of the interview helps us to envision you working at the company, in the role—a given at an interview. But those five minutes aren’t about us, they are about you. We want to know if, after spending time with us, you really want to work at our company in this role.
How do you show your interest?
One of the best ways to show your interest is by asking questions at the end of the interview. These questions are your chance to show you’ve been paying attention and have done your research.
I recommend that you prepare three questions in advance—enough to show your interest, while giving you the flexibility to ask a question you thought of during the interview… like they mentioned traveling, but it wasn’t in
About that job?