There is always a time at the beginning of an interview where each party exchanges greetings, opening questions, or even just small talk. An interview is a sale. As a candidate, you are a sales person. Keeping this principle in mind, my colleague brought to my attention a great question to start an interview. This is something I am surprised I have not put a lot of thought into before.
Read Job Interview Preparation Techniques
The question. Drum roll. What are your goals?
Yeah, I know. A lot of build up to this one question: what are your goals?
The process for defining interview goals starts with gaining an understanding of what your prospect (hiring manager) is looking for. With this knowledge, your interview should flow much better as you are informed. Most people are horrible at interviewing, and you know what, that is okay. As long as you as a candidate have an end goal for each interview, you will do just fine.
What are your goals? is a great probing question to find out about what a hiring manager is looking for. The answer, hopefully, will help you determine how this position fits your personal goals and how you fit within the organization. The answer to this question will also help you answer in a way where you can highlight how your background and skills will help the manager achieve his/her goals.
Be sure to send a thank you letter after your interview.
Read How do I Get a Second Job Interview?
Photo credit to Flickr @boetter
Leave a Reply