Make Your Last Impression Count!!
Everyone knows that first
impressions count. There have been countless articles on
how to ‘Dress to impress’, and how to make sure the
first five minutes of your interview are geared towards
creating the perfect ‘First Impression’. But what about
last impressions? Is saying goodbye less important that
saying hello? When the interview is over, and you
jump up from you chair declaring that you’re ‘Glad
that’s over, as I’m desperate to head off down the pub
to catch the game’, or ‘I’m happy the interview is
finished as I’ve had loads of interviews this week, and
I’ve got to be up for another big assessment tomorrow’.
Does this somehow, pass the
interviewer by? Does it pale into insignificance because
you have your best suit on, flashed your pearly whites
when you entered the room, and crushed the interviewers
hand with your ‘Cast-iron’ handshake?
I don’t think so.
Despite views to the contrary,
closing the interview is just as important as the
interview itself, this is the last impression the
interviewer will have of you, and so it needs to be a
good one! Here are a few tips as to how you should close
an interview. Starting with how to close an interview to
a job you are interested in…
If you want the position…
After the interview has finished,
if you like what you have heard about the company, and
are still interested in the position, then thank the
interviewer for their time, and ask them what the ‘next
stage’ is. If they are confident about you and have the
authority, they may well invite you back for another
interview there and then. If it is your second or final
interview, or they do not have the authority to make the
decision there and then they will use the ‘I’ll be in
touch line’. If they do this, DO NOT LEAVE THE
INTERVIEW ROOM! Ask them this;
‘How
well do you think I match up to the position?’
This is a forward and ‘pushy’
question, but it will give you a very good idea of
whether you are likely to hear from them again or not.
The question forces them to reveal exactly what they
think of you, and depending on what they say, you can
either put the position behind you and move on to the
next suitable position, or start considering whether you
really want this position if you think you may be
successful. If they reply that they ‘Still have
other candidates to see’ and you are desperate to know
if you’re in with a chance, then push them one more time
by asking this;
‘Do
you have any reservations about my ability to fulfil the
role?’
This is a very direct question,
which will nearly always be met with a direct answer –
be prepared for an ‘honest’ response, and get ready to
calmly overcome their objections by stressing ways
around the issues they are concerned about.
Great, but what if I’m not sure
whether I still want the position?
If you are having second thoughts
about the position…
Quite often a candidate will attend
an interview bursting with enthusiasm for the role, and
high hopes for what it will entail. Unfortunately, many
candidates find themselves doubting whether they want
the role at all after their first interview. Maybe the
salary was lower than expected, the role was less
‘exciting’ than was expected, maybe the offices were
grotty and difficult to get to, or the interviewer was
plain rude and/or unprofessional. All these issues can
really disrupt your plans for the position you had
sought after. If you do find yourself having
second thoughts it is likely other candidates will be
thinking the same thing. If the company is finding it
hard to recruit employees they can be quite pushy in
getting a candidate into the position – they recruit
quickly, and usually before the candidates have had a
chance to properly think the offer through. As a result, you will tend to find
that the interviews that you have second thoughts about
will be the interviews where the interviewer will be
keen to appoint you into the position. If, halfway
through an interview you think the position may not be
for you – don’t panic! Handle the interview as normal,
ask the relevant questions, and find out if the
interviewer is keen on you.
If this is the case, you may be in
a better placed position to negotiate certain aspects of
the job role that you are uncomfortable with. If you are invited back to a second
interview, or offered a position, the company will
usually ask you if you are interested. Now is your
chance to explain that you are interested in the role,
but you are concerned at; the low salary, unsociable
hours, lack of training etc. Once you have explained
this, wait for the recruiters response. If they are
genuinely interested in hiring you for you, and not
because you are the first person that has said ‘yes’
then they will try and find a way of compromising on the
issues that concern you. If they laugh or ‘mock’ you for
raising your concerns, and make no effort to compromise
or discuss them further, make your excuses and leave!
It is worth mentioning, that the
only things you can change about the role are the
material factors; salary, commission, hours, training,
benefits etc, saying you don’t like your future boss, or
you can’t hack the travel to the office will end your
chances of any role with the company because they cannot
be changed, so think very carefully about whether you
can actually change the things you are unhappy about or
not before entering negotiations!
Closing the Interview – Do’s and Don’ts
-
Do –
Exit the room in the same manner you entered it –
Shake the interviewers hand, smile, and politely
thank them for their time.
-
Do –
Remain professional and composed until you have left
the building – Don’t display excitement or
disappointment, remain calm and polite.
-
Don’t – Indulge in
post-interview small talk if you can help it. If you
have conducted a good interview, the interviewer
will be trying to catch you ‘Off Guard’ to see if
you really are as good as you seem. If an
interviewer starts making conversation with you,
politely thank them for their time, make your
excuses and leave.
Sales Jobs One has been designed to make
searching for your next new job in sales as
quick and simple as possible. Our site uses the
latest technology and we offer some very helpful
and useful resources. For example we give you
advice on Interview Techniques and you can even
use our CV builder to
create a
FREE CV. As the internet
continues to expand and develop and is now
considered by most as an effective tool to find
pretty much whatever information you need. Most
of the UK now has access to the internet as
Broadband continues to be rolled out and the
super highway has never been quicker. We foresee
that eventually most of the major UK employers
will use the internet as an alternative to print
advertising in their quest to find new staff and
employees. Sales Jobs One will continue to
play a big part in bringing together candidates
and Employers on a nationwide basis. Please make
use of the sales industry information we
provide. Some of the articles and documents may
well help on the way to securing a new interview
or job. Sales Jobs One covers jobs specifically
in the sales and marketing industries so your
sales job searching is made simple. You can also
find Sales related jobs in several other
industries where they may have a Sales
requirement, for example:
Sales
Jobs
One wants you to find that perfect new sales and
marketing job and we hope that you find the
information provided by our site helpful. Many
of the jobs advertised on the site change on a
weekly basis, new ones are added and old ones
filled so if you cant find that special job
today please check back again soon. The jobs
advertised on this site are continually updated
and at one point or another we have had every
conceivable type of sales job you can imagine
advertised in pretty much every area of the
United Kingdom. We would also recommend
these other specific industries which also carry
sales and marketing related vacancies and they
may be of use to you in your job hunting:
