Don't Make This Interview Mistake

The biggest mistake that many job seekers make during interviews is not closing the sale. We all know that the goal in any interview is to sell yourself – but, just like any good salesperson, you have to close the sale. 

For example, if you've ever had a visit from an in-home salesperson, or been in a professional purchasing role, you've probably seen this process in action. A salesperson visits, greets you, and makes some small talk to build rapport. Then they give you a sales pitch based on what they think you need. Then comes the close, which nails down the offering and reiterates the reasons why it's valuable.

To place yourself in the mindset of a successful closer, think back to your high school composition class. Remember the basic overview of an essay? It's a three-step process:

1. You summarize what you're going to say.
2. You say it in detail.
3. Then you reiterate what you just said.

For the first two steps of the process, it's best to keep your focus to somewhere around three points. For example, you might focus on saying that you're adaptive, you're a great communicator, and you're a great collaborator. Then you would explain each in detail. In explaining the above example, you might say, "I've been able to adapt to different roles in my career, because I have a variety of skills and I'm calm under stress. At one point in my last job, I successfully adapted to... I also believe a part of my success is due to communication with coworkers, which reminds me of a project when... I've also been successful because I've collaborated with great people who..." Keeping it around three points makes it memorable for you – in terms of keeping your pitch understandable and on point – as well as for the interviewer. If you can remember three points, then the odds are that they can too.

The last of the three steps in the process – the reiteration of what you just said – is often difficult for people to grasp. (After all, didn't you just say what you said?) But the last step is the close, and the point of this article. To get in the closing mindset, think back to the salesperson visiting in your home or office. Their final line probably sounded something like, “Now that I've shown you how great our product is, what questions or concerns do you have?” Notice the roundness of the statement: it shows confidence that the reasoning was clear, and it hands the conversation back to the listener. You need to do the same thing. Nail down your points, and hand the microphone back to the interviewer with a question.

For a salesperson, the closing process offers opportunity to assess the customer's willingness to buy. What does the company need? How can they benefit from a service I provide? When should I expect to hear from them? In an interview, your asking of such questions shows interest, shows understanding, and allows both parties to learn more.

For you, closing the sale allows you to ask for the job. It's a simple matter of saying, “Now that we've discussed my background and experience, what concerns do you have about my ability to do the job?” You'll probably be pleasantly surprised at the amount of feedback it will generate. Even if you don't get the job, the information you receive can help you fine tune your sales strategy for your next interview.

Also, chances are that you'll have a chance to ask questions after your close, and you should use that chance to your benefit. By asking the right questions, you can show your knowledge and insight, gauge how the interviewer feels about you, and increase your appeal as a candidate. During your next interview, try asking your interviewer one of these questions, or something similar:

• "What is the company culture like?"
• "Can you take me through the process of a typical project here?"
• "What would you expect from the person you hire in a month, and how about six months?"
• “What is the next step in the hiring process?”

If you can throw in details that you've learned about the company, all the better, as it will show that you have taken time to do research. But the key is to make the interview feel like a conversation. At this point, your formal pitch is over, and you can relate to the interviewer as a person. 

It might seem pushy at the beginning, and take a little bit of practice before it feels natural, but closing the sale is an extremely important part of the interview process. If you still aren't sure exactly how the closing process works, there's a great video about it at Career Confidential. After putting the time and energy into selling your skills and talents, if you don't close the sale, you'll miss out on a valuable chance to find out what the interviewer thinks about you. When you're looking for a job, you're selling yourself, so don't leave the sale hanging. Ask for the next step, and you might end up with a job offer.

Do you close the sale? Why or why not? Please share you thoughts in the comments.

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