Well, you are almost there; the interview is nearly coming to end and your still alive. Everything right from the salary, what’s expected from you in the job, the job benefits and the openings within the company have all now been explained to you. You’ve wowed him with your impressive college education and perfect 4.0 GPA and you even presented an impressive spreadsheet that only a refined accountant could pull off showing you have the knowledge of the best accounting software and services.
He’s taken a deep breath and said, “OK…so that’s it. That is the information I need to tell you about. Would you like to ask me anything? Irrespective of the fact, he’s gone through the job with you in great depth and even explained all the software used, you still need to have a question ready when he asks. Saying ‘no’, I don’t have any at all just would not look good, so for no other reason than to end the interview appropriately, have something in hand to leave a lasting impression. The conventional ‘Thank you for taking the time out to see me and I look forward to hearing from you’ is the best way to end your time with the interviewer.
Think about this: :
Interviewer: OK. Well, the job specification has been discussed, so has the hours of work and earnings. I have told you what the job is all about and what we would expect from you if you got the job – do you need to ask me anything?
You: Yes, I do have a question for you. You stated earlier that you have the most recent business accounting Software. Is that by any chance version 6? I am only asking this because during my final year in college I was a member of the focus group for that version.
Interviewer: I know ‘yes’, the release I am talking about came out recently. Did you mean that one?
You: That’s right, it is the one that has the up-do-date information on tax return and shows all the latest and most recent IRS tax codes.
Believe it or not, what you have just done, is very sneakily reminded him that you are trained on all these programs along with making a very important closing statement. The interviews ending will now be well-mannered and sociable.
At this moment, you may both be taking the last few moments, which can sometimes in an interview, be uncomfortable, simply just shaking hands; as you leave him with the thoughts of how good you would be at the job. That great big star for the personnel department to see has already been put in the corner of your CV; that’s before you have even left the building!
The conversation, more so towards the end can tend to flag a bit, so keep it interesting and make that final question count. Your objective is to end that interview on a strong note, so even if you see something on his wall, that might mean you went to the same University, then bring this into the conversation, or take every opportunity of reminding him how qualified you are. Believe it or not, that has earned as many job offerings as anything else. Employers want those employees who are confident and who can assert themselves. Make it happen for you, as you are the only one who can!
Also, why not back up your closing statement and send a courteous ’thank you’ letter. The other thing you could do is, if you did manage to find out during the interview that you went to the same University then use your alma on the stationary.
