What is the best way to close an interview?
What is the best way to close an interview?
Your final impression in an interview is essential. You want to leave them with a positive message ringing in their ears. The best way to do this is to have a question that shows genuine interest and research, and a final pitch for the job that is tailored to exactly what the employer is looking for.
The question.
First a few don’ts:
Don’t ask a question that you should have known the answer to from reading promotional material, looking on the website or by googling.
Don’t ask a question that is purely focused on you. Nothing about when you will hear back, what the salary will be, do we finish early on Fridays…
And don’t just say “No thanks, not at this moment” when they ask.
You have two clear options :
1. You can ask a question that comes from a position of research. If you are well prepared for the interview, you will have done a significant amount of research on the company. Use it at the end.
Form a question that says – I know this about the role, could you tell me a bit more? Or I know that this development is coming down the line for the sector, how might that affect your business? This shows curiosity and genuine interest.
2. The other option is not to ask a question. This is absolutely acceptable, but you need to tell them why you don’t have a question. This shows you’ve thought about the role, and about potential questions, but you have your research done.
So “thank you, but I don’t have any other questions. I’ve researched the role thoroughly, talked to your recruiters at various events and so I feel I have a good understanding of the role. Thanks a million for your time”.
The pitch:
You need to be crystal clear on your pitch. Ask yourself;
What are the three or four central reasons that make you a strong candidate for the role?
What are the key skills or experiences that you have that make you stand out?
If you could ensure that the remembered three things about you, what would they be?
This pitch should be based on your strongest selling points, but also needs to be guided by the job specification or description for the role. You need to analyse what the employer is looking for and match it to your skillset.
If you are asked in the interview Why you are right for the role? Or What can you bring? you need a well thought out answer. One that is specific to your employer’s needs, and that is backed up with specific evidence.
Anyone can answer this question by saying they are a strong communicator, they are hardworking and that they have a passion for the industry.
To stand out you need to be specific. And the way to do that is to pick three key points, structure them in a way that is easy to remember for the interviewer and follow the rule of:
Key statement; then Evidence.
Give them the opening point “I’ve well developed and proven communication skills”. And then the evidence. “I’ve proven these consistently. I’ve consistently been graded highly on college presentations, I was chosen to present at a client meeting as an intern, I have reached the semi-finals in college debating competitions and customers consistently praised my communication skills to management when I worked in retail.
Even if you’re not asked this in the interview, you still need to have the answer worked out. If you’re not clear on this yourself, there is no possible way you will get it across to the interviewer.
Get in Touch
The above really only scratches the surface of what you need to prepare for an interview. The Communications Clinic offers tailored one to one interview preparation sessions to help you get over the line and secure the job you want. We put you through an interview, record it, assess it and make you better.
If you call us at +3531 644 9700 or email us on info@communicationsclinic.ie and mention you read the above article we can book you in for an Interview Preparation Session for a reduced fee.