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>John Posada said:
>>Jim Barrow wrote:
>>
>>Also, as previously posted, I have never, EVER, asked an interviewer "Can
>>I have the job?" That, to me, is just too forward. I've had bad
>>interviews, and I've had good interviews - interviews where I knew that I
>>had impressed the interviewers - but asking for the job would seem to
>>place the interviewer in an awkward situation.
>
>Why'zat? Why are you there? What did you spend the last few hours of your
>life for? To make friends? Nothing better to do?
Everybody's got to be a comedian :^)
>You are there for the job and hopefully, the person that you've been
>talking to has the power to give it to you.
I my own experience, the interviewer is typically not the person that does
the hiring (or so they say). My interviewers often say that they will
discuss our interview with that person. This could be the way that they do
business, or it could be a way or them to avoid making a decision right
there and then.
[]
>You don't always get the close. OTOH, you might get the reason why you
>don't. Most times, your cue to ask the question is signaled by certain
>questions on the other end, such as "How much notice do you need to give?",
>or "Are you available now?"
>
>To the first question, maybe try "If I can conclude my existing situation
>within a range that works for you, can I have the job?"
This has worked for me very recently, but I was being sincere when I
informed the interviewer that the time between the end of my current
contract, and the time that the interviewer needed a tech writer, would work
out perfectly.
>OTOH, you might phrase it with "What do I have to show you that will allow
>us to make a deal? This could start a new series of questions that will
>help make the other person that much closer to giving it to you.
I'll have to think about this one. To me, this gets very close to a used
car salesman asking, "What do I have to do to get you into this car?"
>Studies have been done by sales and marketing and over and over the biggest
>reason given for not awarding a sale or contract during a presentation is
>"He didn't ask for it." I kid you not.
To me, an interview is a formal situation. Obviously I'm interested in and
want the job else I wouldn't be there in the first place. I feel that if I
do a good job *during* the interview of showing how I would benefit the
company, then asking for the job at the end is overkill. I could be wrong,
but I will rethink my interviewing strategies.
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