Page 160 - James Caan - Get the Job you Really Want

Going out on top

At the end of an interview, you can continue to retain control.
Ask another killer question: ‘Would you mind if I asked you how
you feel the interview went?’
The beauty is, it can only go two ways. Either the interviewer
is going to say, ‘It’s been very useful, I think you’ve come across

very well,’ which is reassuring for you. Or he’ll say, ‘We’re very
impressed with you and we’d certainly want to call you back,
but we’re still a bit concerned that your financial background is

not as strong as we were looking for.’ Or, ‘Actually I’m not sure
that your IT skills have come through at the interview.’ Fantastic,
there’s your cue. That’s perfect, because by asking the question,
you’ve just found out why you were going to be rejected.
If you don’t ask that particular question, you don’t have

a chance to change the odds. This is all about adjusting the
balance of power. So, that question is critical in my mind.
Absolutely critical. ‘How have I done?’

An even harder variation of that question – because you
have to be confident that you can take the feedback – is, ‘Do
you have any reservations about my application?’ Now, that is
a particularly tough thing to ask, but imagine if you did have
the confidence to ask the question, how powerful it would be

and how useful in helping you secure the job. If the interviewer
tells you what their principal reservation is, you have a chance
of turning the position. And if you didn’t ask the question, you

wouldn’t know.

148 get the job you really want