Career Advice Career Advice

How to Slam Dunk an Interview: Closing Statement

5 Steps to landing a Great Job

Special to CareerPath® by Dewey Sadka
This article is fourth in a five-part series

All employers use certain practices to select their no. 1 candidate. Why not slam dunk your interview by learning how to win approval and be selected? You can practice on your own or create a role-play scenario: interviewer vs. jobseeker. It may sound a bit goofy--the idea of talking to a mirror or embarrassing yourself in front of a friend or relative--but it's worth your time. Follow these five steps; it may very well mean hearing a "yes" instead of a "no!"

Step 5: Closing statement--Be powerful, always close!

This step is vital. Show your interviewer, with your close, that you're professional. If you forget to close, chances are you lost.

  • Ask for their card (If you don't already have it), then stand up and say, "Thank you for your time."
  • Make a plan to follow up: "I find your company very exciting/something of real interest to me/my dream career. I'll touch base with you next Tuesday." (Then call or email them on Tuesday, right when they get to work.)
  • Send a hand-written thank you note that same day. It might make no difference, but it might make all the difference.

How to critique yourself/others: Did you sound like you really wanted to work? Did you look the interviewer in the eye and give them a solid handshake?

So, you know all the steps! Now prove you want the job. Show them you have willpower and discipline. Be forthright. Maximize your interview and networking hirability.

  • The faster you follow-up, the better the chances that they'll remember you. So email them right back!
  • Follow-up with the interviewer right when they get to work. Studies have proven more positive decisions are made in the early morning (Zahl, September 2011). It also shows you'll be a punctual employee. (Ask the front desk for their hours of operation.)
  • Don't stop with one follow-up either. Eighty percent of all sales are completed on the fifth follow-up or subsequent follow-up calls (Hornor, January 2001).


Author Dewey Sadka has been an employer in the US for over 25 years. He sold one of the nation's largest staffing companies, Temp Force to the global company Randstad. Currently as the career coach for AARP and CareerPath.com, he creates career path clarity with his Color Career Indicator 4.0–now the world's most accurate. Check out his advanced technological assessment and counseling support program at www.deweycolorsystem.com.


References:
Zahl, David. (September 6, 2011). Part of the Machine Itself: Steven Pinker on Willpower. Retrieved October 24, 2011 from http://www.mbird.com/2011/09/part-of-the-machine-itself-steven-pinker-on-willpower/.
Hornor, Jody. (January, 2001). Effective Follow-up Will Make Your Sales Soar. Retrieved October 24, 2011 from http://www.canadaone.com/ezine/jan01/follow-up_technique.html.