Ask for the job? Yes? No? or Maybe?

A tip you hear from a lot of recruiters is that at the end of the interview you should “Ask for the job!” You know, when the person interviewing you says “Any questions for me?” you say stuff like: “ Do you think I’m a good fit for this job?”, “Are there any concerns with my background relative to this role?”, “What would keep you from hiring me?” there are a million of them but you get the idea...ask for the job.

The real question I have...is this a good idea? Should you “ask for the job”?

Honestly, it depends. Sometimes I like it and think it’s great. Other times, it’s obnoxious and totally out of line. I think “asking for the job” is a great tool to have in your interview toolbox but not something you want to do with every interview. If things are clearly going well, it’s great. You’ve killed it with the hiring manager and you ask for it....boom! you’ve got the job. Interviewing for a sales or recruiting role....again, feeling it.....rocking it....boom! you’ve got the job.

BUT! Wait a minute!! Interviewing for an engineering job and you ask the recruiter...um, I don’t know and won’t know until I talk the folks who did the technical evaluation. Interview going terrible (hopefully you realize it) and you ask.....um, you’re obnoxious. True story - I interviewed a person one who had a lie on their resume. Obviously didn’t like the answer and ended the interview in about 15 minutes (it was supposed to last an hour). This person then “asked for the job”....I was shocked. Horrified even. And responded “um, no, I don’t think you’re a fit, not at all.” Not the answer this person was looking for to say the least. So, you’ve got to be careful if you’re going to be aggressive and ask for the job...you might not get the answer you’re expecting.

So, like all things interviewing you have to use your judgement and if things are going well (and you are talking to the final decision maker) I don’t see any harm in asking for the job. But if you aren’t sure or you’re not talking to the final hiring manager....let it slide and follow up a few days later for feedback.

Enjoy the week and happy hunting!

You can find this original post at www.jeffreytmoore.com

Comment by Paul S. Gumbinner on September 2, 2011 at 10:18am: Nice post, Jeffrey. I tell candidates who are clearly on a final interview that they should ask for the job. I also tell them that during the previous interviews, especially those with HR, that they should express interest (if, indeed, they are) and ask for next steps without being obnoxiously aggressive. As you well know, some candidates have a way of doing that which puts the interviewer on the defensive, which they should never do. Your points are excellent - at each step in the process, showing a bit of discretion is a very good thing. Thanks for your point of view.

Comment by Mark Bregman on September 2, 2011 at 10:31am: I disagree. A candidate should always ask for the job, in both positive ways (Do you feel my background fits?), AND. negative (What concerns do you have...).
As your own examples point out, the candidate has nothing to lose. If they haven't been doing well, and perhaps they don't realize that, they can't make it worse, only better. If they have been doing well, they can surface the hidden objection, and model the behavior the employer would want them to exhibit on the job - in any managerial position - going for closure.

Comment by Paul S. Gumbinner on September 2, 2011 at 10:38am: Mark: I disagree with you. If a candidate asks an interviewers things like, "What concerns do you have?" or "Do you feel my background fits?" he or she is putting the interviewer on the spot. No one likes to be pushed. I certainly don't like it when someone forces me into a corner. It is perfectly acceptable to let the interviewer know that you are interested in a job, but is unacceptable to force them to tell you why you do not fit. Candidates almost always think highly of themselves and cannot conceive of why they might not be right. I recently was looking for someone with current global experience. I met a candidate who had been referred to me for the spot. Unfortunately, his global experience was ten years ago in an unrelated field (and, these days, we all know that ten years is an eternity). When I told him that his experience was not recent enough, he started to argue and try to convince me how good he was. I told him that he was wonderful but not for my client. What he succeeded in doing was to turn me off completely because he backed me in a corner.

Comment by jeffreytmoore on September 2, 2011 at 10:48am: Good comments guys, I think it really is a discretion call by the candidate. I agree with @Mark that asking is good and can get closure but like @Paul says it can put some people on the defensive. Very tough issue.....I think at the end of the day, a candidate should "ask" some of their interviewers...but not all of them.

Comment by pam claughton on September 2, 2011 at 11:09am: I generally advise candidates to close along these lines, but only if they are genuinely interested, "I'm even more interested in this position after speaking with you, from my perspective it seems like an ideal fit. Is there anything else in my background that I can further explain?"

It works extremely well, because you are expressing interest, without making anyone feel uncomfortable or on the spot and by asking if there's anything else you can further explain, it's highly effective because it gives the interview a chance to ask something they may have forgotten or to further clarify something or if they are interested, they may just explain then what the next step is. It's worked very well over the years and is a professional and effective way to indicate interest, and sometimes move the process along without ruffling any feathers.

Comment by jeffreytmoore on September 2, 2011 at 12:10pm: Good point Pam, I think the genuine interest part of this is HUGE!

Comment by Mark Bregman on September 2, 2011 at 12:51pm: The situations I'm referring to are when an executive level candidate who has been both fully vetted and fully informed is sitting with an employer for a job they absolutely fit (the end result of a good retained search), and they are demonstrating the kind of proactive behavior the employer would want them to have once they are on board. I must say that in 27 years in recruiting, and 15 years of giving this specific instruction to candidates, I have never seen it backfire. Have I had a few clients call a few candidates arrogant or pushy? A handful, but that trait was seen throughout the interview, not just from this one tactic.

Comment by Valentino Martinez on September 4, 2011 at 12:45pm: If you don't ask for the job it will be interpreted as this candidate is not interested in the opportunity or/and the employer.

If the interview(s) confirms for you, the job candidate, that this would be the worst place for you to work--don't ask for the job--simply and politely moon-walk way.

Also, asking questions of an employer regarding your fit, etc., should not be interpreted as being pushy. It simply means you have concerns. Gainfully employed passive candidates will always interview the employer to assess if a career move is in their best interest. A defensive employer sounds like one with something to hide. Unless you're accusing them of something--they should take job/company related questions as part of the dance. In fact, most would be unimpressed if no questions were posed—the more business and fit-related the better.