Looking At A Job? - Here Are Some Interview Tips On How to Convey Your Interest In The Position!

Did you know that during a job interview asking your own questions for the interviewer can go a long way? I'm going to be attending a big job interview tomorrow and my employment adviser sent me a VERY long email which gave me tips on how to ask questions for an interviewer and I thought I'd share! Here's a little summary of what the email held.

Asking your own questions is one of the best ways to show the interviewer your interest in the position. 

It's good to have around 7 questions per interview and each should be about one of 4 categories:

• The industry
• The company
• The position
• The closing question

QUESTIONS HAVE RULES

1) They must be positive versus negative.

2) They should have 2 parts, the pre-question and the question.

3) They need to be written out.

4) They must NOTbe about compensation or benefits.

5) There must be a closing question

1. Positive versus negative examples:

- Negative: How do you compete with your competitors on pricing?

- Positive: What separates your firm from you competition in terms of value?

Separating a positive question from one that is negative can be tough. Negative questions tend to have an accusing tone rather than a curious one provided by a positive question.

- Negative: With such a diverse and technical product line, how do people learn it all?

-Positive: How is your training structured?

2. Two part question examples:

-  At my last position, I was responsible for generating all my own leads and prospecting to find new businesses. How do your current reps locate new businesses?

In the first part of the "question" you're making a statement that provides positive information to the employer that you want them to hear, whether its mentioning past experience or even a strength/achievement.

- One of the things I personally excel at is closing. In fact, my closing ratio was over 41% at my last employer. How would you like to see your sales reps close business?

3. Written Out

Simply put, good preparation calls for good interviews! Writing out questions and keeping them in a padfolio is good to refer back to during an interview and helps keep yourself on track! 

4. No questions about benefits or compensation!

Interviews are for selling yourself and your skills, save any questions involving compensation or benefits for the offer stage of the hiring process which is commonly held during the second or final interview.

5. The closing question

Closing questions simply make sure the interviewer knows there is no question in your interest in moving forward.

- Thank you for meeting with me! I am extremely interested in this role in your company. What is the next step in the process?

Employers typically respond best to the candidate that shows the most interest. And interest is gauged by the number and complexity of the questions you have for them. I hope these tips helped you like they are for me! Good luck!