CANDIDATE RESOURCES

Let Them Know You Want The Job

I recall the President of one of Houston's most successful independent oil companies telling me about one of my candidates he had just interviewed. The company had given my executive search firm an assignment to find a geologist. He told me he was very impressed with my applicant and had spent several hours with her waiting for her to ask for the job, but she never did. He then very candidly explained to me that he would never offer anyone a position with his firm who did not want it badly enough to ask for it. I could not help agreeing with him, completely.

Surprisingly, when the applicant returned to my office for her debriefing, she told me that she wanted the position in the worst way. Luckily, we were able to save that opportunity for her by sending an email to the employer in which she made a point of declaring how much she wanted to work for this company. He phoned her the following day with an attractive offer, which she accepted on the spot. To my best knowledge she still works for that firm.

Many employers feel the same way. They want you to ask for the job. They want to know that you are enthusiastic about their company. Sales managers have this to say about sales applicants asking for the job in the interview. "If they won't ask for the job in their first interview, they won't ask for the order in their sales calls."

I cannot overemphasize the importance of your asking for the job in the first interview. Regardless of how you feel the interview has gone--whether the interviewer mentions a delay in the hiring process or someone else you must meet, even if you have doubts of your own--make absolutely certain the interviewer knows you want the job! Why ask for a position you are sure you want? Because you do want the offer!

The Full Story
Remember, you will not hear the full story until the employer formally offers the opportunity to you. After he lays out the duties, responsibilities, title, salary, benefits, bonus plan, promotion and review schedule, you might very well decide that you want the opportunity. The fact remains that you will never hear the full story until the position is formally offered to you, and in order to stay in complete control, you must ask for the opportunity yourself before the company will offer it to you.

This is one way many employers evaluate your aggressiveness. More important to you, this is how you can make something happen, now. Don't get mealy-mouthed. Have a definite starting date in mind and close the offer. You might say:

• Jim, I am very impressed with your company and I want to go to work for you. I could start work Monday morning. Is that agreeable with you?
• Sue, I have spent a lot of time researching your company and I like what I have heard. I'm ready to work for you. When do I start?
• Dick, you may need to give this some thought but I like what I see and I have made my decision now or should I call back this afternoon?

Sounds too strong? What have you got to lose? Use your own words but do not leave an interview without asking for the job. Believe me, this is the most important advice that I can give, employers want you to be
aggressive enough to ask for the job in no uncertain terms.

The First Interviewer
Your first interviewer will become your first and most important "sale" within the company. You will meet the various other people in the company's hiring hierarchy as you return for more interviews and your initial interviewer will probably remain your central contact throughout the process. The very fact that you have been invited back for additional meetings indicates they are interested and that your first interviewer (your first sale) is now on your side.

Work with your first interviewer and do not be afraid to seek his guidance through the remainder of the hiring procedure. Ask him the names and titles of each person you will be required to meet as well as some background information on each individual. Memorize these names. As you meet with various people up the chain of command, ask each for additional brochures and printed material so that you may be better prepared for the next meeting.

Be sure to indicate a strong desire for the job to each person you meet throughout the entire interview process with each company. When those people you have met get their heads together, you want to be certain they all know you want to work for their company. Often, employers will hire someone with less experience over another applicant with better credentials because he showed more aggressiveness, more interest, and a much stronger desire for the position than the candidate with all the credentials.

Do not fear committing yourself to a position you might not want. Once you have stated your desire for the opportunity, the employer will still have to offer you a package that you will accept, and you must, in fact, accept the offer before any kind of commitment is solidified. If the employer's offer is unsatisfactory, you may negotiate further, think about it, or simply turn the offer down. Even though you have told the employer that you want the opportunity, you still remain in complete control. You will hear the company's best offer before giving your final answer.

The Follow-Up
If your appointment was arranged by an agency or search firm, you should immediately see or call your counselor after the interviews for debriefing. Your interview techniques will be reviewed and the counselor will want to contact the employer and review the interview while it is still fresh in everyone's mind. By reviewing quickly the counselor may clear up any misunderstandings before they become obstacles or problems. Your counselor will want to speak with you first so that he will be prepared for whatever the employer says. Here is our chance to learn the answers to all those questions you remembered just after leaving the interview. The counselor is trying to help you, so be courteous enough not to delay or forget calling him with results of your interview.

Whether you are using a counselor or not, be sure to make a follow-up phone call of your own to the employer within a few hours after the interview or first thing the next morning. If you finish your interview before lunch, call back around four in the afternoon. If yours was an afternoon interview, call the interviewer between 8:30 and 9:30 the following morning. Your follow-up call could go like this:

Jim, this is Mary I wanted to personally thank you for spending so much of your time with me (when) and to tell you that I really want this opportunity. Can you give me your decision now or is there someone else I need to see? May I see them tomorrow or would Friday be a better day for them?

Follow-up your interview quickly for the same reasons a counselor would. Use the opportunity to ask any questions that may still be on your mind about the company, department or position. This may be your only opportunity to clear up any misunderstandings before they fester and become an insurmountable problem or obstacle to your being offered the position. It has happened much more often that I care to admit.

Remember, the follow-up phone call is better than a letter because it is faster, more personal and allows for discussion. A letter may take several days to more than a week to reach the interviewer, depending upon the mail service and size of the corporation. As has happened frequently before, the employer could offer the position to someone else before hearing your own strong desire for the job.

The follow-up call is nothing more than a simple courtesy call thanking the interviewer for his time and restating your strong interest in the opportunity. If the interviewer met with a large number of applicants your call will remind him of you. The very worst that can happen is that the interviewer will have to search through that stack of applications and resumes on his desk to make a note of your call. Your follow-up phone call will have the effect of lifting you out of the crowd for additional recognition.

Tragically, most applicants do not take this very important step in the interview procedure. The interviewer indicates he will be meeting more applicants over the remainder of the week (or month, sometimes) and advises the applicant to wait until he gets a call from the employer. The poor, misguided applicant then waits, and waits, and waits--sometimes for weeks before finally getting up the nerve to call. By then, the interviewer has no idea to whom he is speaking because the position has been filled for weeks. Believe me, this is not uncommon.