How to Close Your Interview and Get the Job

If you are searching for a job in any kind of sales and you want an edge in your job interview, here it is: know how to close the interview. Closing the interview requires that you stop focusing so completely on your own performance and ask questions that help you discover the needs of your customer/hiring manager. Develop the skills to know when to close, what to say, and how to deal with objections or non-answers.

The most important thing to remember about closing is to do it. No sales manager is going to hire someone who can't navigate a closing process. If you can't close on something as important as your job, which is in your own direct self-interest, how are you going to be able to close a sale for the company?

How do you close? The most direct way is to ask for the job: "I appreciate your time today, and I am so excited about what I have learned about this job. Based on our discussion, I see this job as the perfect opportunity. Do you see me as a productive member of this team?" If that's not your style, go for the Assumptive Close. Assume they want to hire you and say something like, "What's the next step?" Or, "What will my training be like?"

One of the most important reasons to take this step is to uncover any objections they have to hiring you. Get them out into the open so you can deal with them NOW, while you still have a chance to speak up in your own defense. If they have a specific concern about your background, you can ask, for instance, if they've ever hired anyone with similar experience, or, what are the qualifications of the team's best salesperson? Maybe they have the same qualifications as you, and then you can uncover the "real" reason. Or maybe they'll rethink their position.

Remember, you are pushing for an answer now. That may feel uncomfortable for you, but it's better to get an answer you can deal with while you have the opportunity. If you push and the answer is "no," ask why. I've had candidates get a "no" and once they found out why, dealt with the objection and wound up with the job.

Knowing how to close will not only help you in interviews, but also (obviously) in sales processes, project management, and any negotiations. It's a skill that will benefit you not only in your career, but in your life.