Before you leave the interview…

Don’t forget to ask one critical question

There is job-search story that concerns a candidate for a high-placed corporate position. His recruiter was certain that his client was the perfect fit for what the company wanted.

His faith was validated when the candidate breezed through his first two or three interviews. All that remained was a meeting with the CEO.

The candidate nailed the interview, but didn’t

They determined that the candidate and CEO would play golf for the interview. As they traversed the course, they talked about the job, the direction of the company, the candidate’s background, experience and so on. Everything seemed to be moving in the right direction.

Imagine the recruiter’s surprise when there was no offer forthcoming from the company. What could have gone wrong? Was he wrong and the candidate was not as good a match as he believed?

He followed up with the CEO to ask what the problem was. The CEO was very straightforward and forthcoming. He said that their golf game was great. Their conversations were right on the money. The CEO admitted that the candidate was very impressive. So why was there no offer on the table?

The CEO stated that following the golf game and a brief chat, the candidate left (apparently feeling that he was a shoe-in.) According to the CEO, the reason that they didn’t make the candidate an offer was that he never asked for the job.

Apparently he assumed that because he was such a strong candidate and such a perfect fit for the position, he felt he didn’t need to lower himself by asking for the job. He was wrong.

You can’t expect the HR person or hiring manager to read your mind. If you’re truly interested in the position, don’t be shy about asking for the job – or at least stating in no uncertain terms that you are interested in the company and would greatly appreciate having the opportunity to work there.

After all, employers want to feel wanted too.

More tips.