After researching, applying, and navigating your way through an interview at your dream company, you have one last opportunity to sew up the interview session to convince your hiring manager you are exactly what they are looking for. Here’s how to do it.
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You answered the hard questions, but you are not across the finish line yet
The arduous interview process tests every technical and social proficiency of you as the candidate to determine your potential to hiring managers across every sector and function. You could do everything right from giving a firm handshake to demonstrating the technical know-how for the job, but it could all be for none if you fail to successfully close your interview.
“Establishing a plan moving forward, clearing up any ambiguities or omitted factoids throughout the interview, and reinforcing yourself as the perfect candidate give hiring managers a comprehensive conclusion and a plan moving forward.” Says Alyssa Reinhard, CSS PSG Regional Recruiting Director.
Practicing key elements and actions of closing your interview shows your interviewer that you mean business in turning this hypothetical relationship concrete. Here are the interview conclusion points to hit to ensure the best possible chance of landing that dream offer.
Ask clarifying questions
Ask all questions about the company, role, and fit that were not addressed in the meat of the interview. Ask about where they sit in competition, how they build culture internally, where you will need to grow in the first few months of employment, and more. Asking these questions will also give you another chance to highlight your proficiencies as they apply to the role and beyond.
Do make sure to have prior knowledge about the company to eliminate obvious questions, as studies show that 47% of candidates fail job interviews because they did not do enough research on the company they interviewed for.
Reaffirm your passion for the role
Having the skills to get the job done is only half the battle in most employment scenarios, and the factor separating the top from the bottom candidates is passion. Express your interest and enthusiasm for the market, the specific company you are interviewing for, and the work you will be conducting for said company. Passion aligns with happiness, and studies show that happy employees are 12% more productive, so flash a genuine smile and show excitement for the position.
Summarize your applicable skillset
Odds are you probably dove into the applicable skills you have for the role in question in the interview but reiterating them only reaffirms your competency and reinforces your tool kit to managers. Summarizing your skills at the end of the interview will leave no question about your abilities. The triple “yes” method that a salesperson uses to begin a call with a prospective client psychologically warms them up to the initial conversation, and you can use this same tactic to hammer your skills home as you conclude with your interviewer.
Express the desire to learn where you are deficient
No candidates are a complete 100% check-for-check match with every skill on a job requisition, so be open about what you don’t know. This for one exudes an air of honesty that your interviewer will appreciate, and two will allow you to express a desire to learn and grow within the company to add even more value.
Frame how your hire will meet the company’s direct needs
Take your applied skillsets that you have summarized and try to build a hypothetical case study around a current business initiative (that you should ask about during your interview) that you could immediately contribute to. This will paint a clear picture of how you will apply your skill to a current organizational need which, to use a journalistic term, “localizes” your actions with your interviewer.
A real-life scenario is ever the more effective as studies show that online job interviews have increased by 49% since 2011. Although you may not be sitting down in person with your interviewer, you can set a convincing scene for them with a realistic hypothetical.
Understand where you are in comparison to your competition
Asking about your competition not only gives you more information on where you stand but expresses your own self-awareness to your potential employer. It tells them you want to know your own deficiencies in comparison to your peers, so you know where to focus growth.
Solidify next steps
You successfully completed the interview, you gave context to how you will add value, you asked about what competition looks like, and you clarified all lingering questions the interviewer may have forgotten. Here is the grand finale of the close. This cannot be stressed enough; make sure you map out next steps with your interviewer. This does not mean you should stop at “what are the next steps?” This means asking for a timeline for the next decision to be made, who will be involved in the decision, and what to expect or prepare for in subsequent interviews. Like the rest of these guidelines, this helps you and the company you are interviewing for. It gives you as much ammunition as possible to structure your own next steps in the process and shows your interviewer you know how to close and that you pay attention to the minute details involved in the process. Attention to detail is a precious skill you will be able to market for the rest of your career.
Finish with direct, polite gratitude and enthusiasm for the agreed-upon next steps
This should go without saying, but express the utmost gratitude for the time that the interviewer has taken to understand your skillsets, motivations, proficiencies, deficiencies, and potential cultural fit with the company you are interviewing for. Maintain open and attentive body language; studies show that 65% of managers would not consider someone who fails to make eye contact and 33% of employers say fidgeting is a common deterrent among candidates they reject. Open body language, present eye contact, and solid physical positioning express attention and confidence.
Partner with CSS PSG to land your dream role or to find your perfect employee
To successfully navigate the interview process as an employee or to attract the most competent talent through the recruitment phase and beyond, partner with the staffing experts at CSS PSG to take the next big steps in your career and hiring. Specializing in human resources, accounting and finance, office support, and call center support, CSS PSG has been a staffing industry leader for almost 20 years with stellar client reviews. Connect with CSS PSG today to meet your accelerating winter and spring hiring needs!