Interviewing for a job is a challenging task. If you’ve done things the right way and thought in advance about how to talk about your qualifications, researched the company, practiced answering difficult questions with a friend, dressed to match the company culture, and arrived promptly, you may already feel pretty confident by the time you shake hands with the interviewer. After you’ve answered the questions, demonstrated your industry and company knowledge, shown you are a good fit for their team, and made the connection with everyone in the room, you may feel you’re on the homestretch to landing the job.
But there’s one last thing you can do to seal the deal before you walk out the door. And it will really set you apart from other candidates. It’s a technique called closing the interview.
In most scenarios, at the end of an interview, if things have gone well, the interviewer will ask you if you have any questions. There are many good ones to choose from. And, even if you think you know everything about the job and the people sitting before you, you should still ask a few questions, because doing so demonstrates your interest in the position as well as your enthusiasm and curiosity to know more.
But if things have gone well and you have connected with the interviewers, there’s one question that should be your final choice for the meeting. It’s a closing question, and it puts you in control, demonstrates your self-confidence, and is a memorable final impression to make.
“At this point, what would keep you from hiring me?”
Most interviewers will be honest with you, and at the very least, you will get some good feedback on how you’ve presented yourself. At the best, the interviewer’s answer to this question will stick in their mind and solidify you as a top choice. Asking this question may be one of the most challenging things you’ve ever done, but having the confidence to close an interview is one of the best ways to stand apart from a sea of applicants and demonstrate that you know you are right for the job.
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