Powerful Phrases for Successful Interviews

by Tony Beshara

  If you hear this kind of thing—and it’s likely you will—you have to use this power phrase:

  Mr. or Ms._______________, it is obvious that your opinion means something, or I wouldn’t be interviewing with you. From what I understand you are highly respected in the organization. Do I have your support? Are you going to tell Mr. or Ms. _______________ to hire me?”

  This is a phenomenally powerful phrase. It is aggressive, direct, and to the point. The interviewing authority may very well try to beg off by saying something like, “Well, it really isn’t my decision.” If you hear something like this, you need to use this power phrase:

  I understand your position, but it’s important for me to know that I have your support and your vote. I’m sure the hiring authority will ask your opinion, and I need to know I have your support.”

  I can’t emphasize enough how important it is for you to use this line of questioning. I also can’t tell you, unfortunately, how many candidates over the years, to whom I have taught these power phrases, can’t quite bring themselves to use them. Because they fear rejection, they don’t use them and give me the namby-pamby excuse, “Well, it just didn’t seem appropriate.” Or something like, “It just didn’t seem like the right time to say that.” What this tells me is they didn’t have the courage to ask the cold, hard question: “Are you going to hire me?”

  The higher up the management chain you interview, the more this kind of respectful bluntness will be appreciated. Decision makers love it when candidates use these kinds of qualifying phrases. In fact, don’t be surprised if the interviewing authority smiles and says something like, “You are the only candidate I’ve interviewed so far that has asked me these questions. I appreciate your courage.”

  Even if you don’t get the answer of, “Yes, I will support you,” you will definitely be remembered by the interviewing authority. This kind of courage is the kind of thing that decisive hiring managers really appreciate. And they don’t hear it very often.

  Don’t forget to write thank-you e-mails to these interviewing authorities in the same way you did with the initial interviewing authorities. Reiterate why you were a great candidate and a few reasons as to why they want to hire you. Be specific; don’t write something vague like this: “I am a qualified candidate. This is an excellent opportunity for both your firm as well as myself. I would do a great job. I would appreciate your vote and your support.”

  Many people get to a second, third, or fourth interview and think that since they have gotten this far, they have a lock on the job offer. They relax in their intensity, alter their presentation, and basically quit selling, thinking it’s a done deal. This is a terrible mistake!

  At each succeeding interview, you should present yourself in exactly the same manner as you did with the initial interview. If your system is working, don’t mess with it. You should only alter your technique based on what the immediate interviewer might tell you about the next interviewer.

  If the initial and subsequent interviewing authorities make suggestions about your presentation, make sure you alter your presentation to incorporate their ideas. Keep in mind that if interviewing authorities promote you to the next stage of the interviewing process, they have at least stated that you might be a viable candidate. If you ask the right questions as I have suggested, you’ll not only get their support, but you will get their input and suggestions on how you might be able to interview successfully up the ladder.

  Once you have completed each subsequent interview, follow up with e-mails, letters, and phone calls, if appropriate. I would not recommend calling an interviewing authority whose job is to simply “gut check” or provide another opinion in the interviewing process unless you bonded with him really well. You do want to phone the actual hiring authority and ask him or her about the decision. The more aggressive and assertive you are about selling yourself and closing on being the candidate who should be hired, the better off you are. You can be pushy, assertive, and confident without being obnoxious. Follow your gut, but don’t be afraid you will lose the opportunity because you are too aggressive.

  CHAPTER 8

  Powerful Phrases for Specific Professions and Positions

  In this chapter I will discuss questions that would be asked for specific positions or professions in interviewing situations. (The job titles and/or descriptions are presented in alphabetical order to make them easier to find.) Naturally, you will have at your command the ability to discuss the specialized aspects of your field. The powerful phrases here are designed to apply to a broad range of questions in a particular discipline or role within a company.

  ACCOUNTANT

  Q. What makes you a good accountant?

  My work is accurate, on time, and I interface well with other departments by appreciating what they do and their particular challenges and promoting the idea of “I’m here to help. What can I do to make your life easier?”

  ADMINISTRATIVE PERSONNEL

  Q. What do you consider your administrative strengths?

  Punctuality . . . also I’m always at work. I hardly ever miss a day . . . I work fast and accurately and can take on responsibility beyond the scope of my job.

  ADVERTISING

  Q. Describe the most successful advertising campaign you designed (or worked on) and the one that was the least successful . . . and why wasn’t it successful?

  The most significant one—and it’s easy to remember big wins—is a $1 million project we did eighteen months ago that directly led to one of the company’s most successful product launches.

  The biggest flop was something I was involved in five years ago. It flopped because of two major assumptions we made that turned out to be very wrong. I sure learned from that . . . lessons that are indelibly imprinted in my mind. I never take nor allow my team to take anything for granted—especially assumptions.

  ARCHITECT

  Q. Have you recently worked on a building of this scope?

  Yes. I am a registered architect, NCARB-certified and LEED AP with fifteen years’ experience at two firms involved in aviation (or healthcare, education, and so forth) projects with the title of senior project manager. I just finished a building very similar to the one you want to construct looking at this set of drawings. We brought it in six weeks early and under budget by $1.2 million.

  ARCHITECTUAL DRAFTER

  Q. We have interviewed a number of good drafters, what makes you different?

  I am an AutoCAD guru with twelve years’ experience. I’m working now with the new 3D version of Autodesk 3D 2013 and Revit.

  ATTORNEY

  Q. What distinguishes you from other trial attorneys you’ve seen in the courtroom?

  I’m a tough, tenacious, and really smart litigator with a proven track record of receiving outstanding verdicts on behalf of my clients.

  While I am recognized as being able to think quickly on my feet in high-pressure trial environments, I feel that my greatest strengths lie in my ability to create winning trial strategies, and to then meticulously plan, prepare, and execute them.

  AUDITOR

  Q. What do you think the most important skills are for an auditor?

  To be well organized, and I have previous work papers to prove that I am . . . concise written skills, the ability to meet deadlines, attention to detail, good business acumen, and, most important, the ability to communicate with other businesspeople in terms they understand.

  BANK PRESIDENT

  Q. What do you feel makes a good president?”

  First and foremost would be integrity and character. Obviously, qualifications and experience would be second. I think just as important is work ethic. In today’s society, especially with the younger generation, the work ethic is a little lacking. These are the three qualities I feel make a good president. You have to lead the team and lead by example.

  BOOKKEEPER

  Q. What, in your opinion, makes the difference between a good bookkeeper and an excellent one?

  I don’
t see my position as a job. I see my job as a career. I take personal responsibility as well as pride in what I do, even in the most mundane aspects of the job. I have found that the excellent bookkeepers I’ve interacted with all perform the same way.

  BUSINESS ANALYST

  Q. What’s the most difficult challenge ahead for today’s business analyst? And how does your background prepare you for it?

  Business analysts must evaluate and synthesize information provided by a large number of people who interact with the business, such as customers, staff, IT professionals, and executives. We also work to facilitate communication between organizational units.

  Then describe what you feel is the hardest thing to deal with and how you have handled this challenge in your career as a business analyst.

  The biggest challenge facing most business analysts today is the rapid expansion and contraction of business organizations. I’ve experienced two companies that downsized and one very big merger. My ability to get all the departments to communicate and understand what’s going on got me a promotion and the best performance review in the department.

  CHEMIST

  Q. What are the three most important attributes of a chemist?

  Curiosity, concentration on detail, and being able to work independently without a lot of supervision.

  CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER (CFO)

  Q. What are the three most important skills that a CFO needs to possess?

  A successful CFO must be a good strategist and have a clear, articulate understanding of how finance fits the mission of the company. A CFO must be a good translator/interpreter and communicate to everybody in the company a financial strategy in terms they all understand, and the CFO must be a leader . . . articulate and charismatic enough for people to follow.

  CHIEF INFORMATION OFFICER (CIO)

  Q. What is the biggest failing of most CIOs?

  The biggest failing that most CIOs have is the inability to not only communicate and build relationships with the rest of the C-suite, but have an open door and dialogue with the other departments. So often, the IT department seems to be out on an island by itself.

  COLLECTIONS MANAGER

  Q. What is the biggest mistake you’ve learned from in managing the collections department?

  The biggest mistake I’ve seen collections departments make is to not have very specific, clear policies that everybody knows and practices. I found that when we insist on a specific system and follow it, collections go up and even those that owe money appreciate our system.

  CONSTRUCTION MANAGEMENT

  Q. What is your typical management process for a construction job?

  I receive approved building plans, reach out to subconsultants for bids, value engineer bids, establish contract, begin trades in standard construction fashion, describe points of inspection with the subs, review and approve pay apps, set up product warranties, turn over the project to the operations for final inspection, correct any items discovered by the operations team, and move on to the next project.

  CONTROLLER

  Q. What makes a good controller?

  A good controller is a person who understands the financial aspects of the company to the last detail and can clearly explain them to every department in the company, so those departments see his or her role as supporting and facilitating their mission.

  CORPORATE RECRUITER

  Q. What would be your most immediate contribution to the company, if you were hired?

  I produce quality candidates quickly based on the needs of the hiring authorities. I use a number of recruiting tools, Boolean searches, personal contacts, LinkedIn, and, fortunately, I have a phenomenal database of contacts. After that, I work really, really hard and really fast.

  CREATIVE ARTS

  Q. How do you sustain creativity?

  Earlier in my career, I learned good habits from as many creative people as I could . . . reading, listening, studying, and absorbing every aspect of what creative people do. Now, I find that little things, like the mood I’m in, the people who are around me, and intrinsic motivation to be creative, keep me in a creative mood.

  CREDIT MANAGER

  Q. What is the greatest mistake you’ve made as a credit manager?

  In my very first job as a credit manager, I had been promoted into the position when my boss retired . . . the two owners were brothers, and one of them operated with very little regard for credit policies. I guess I felt intimidated by him. One of his better customers got far behind in paying us. I wasn’t insistent enough in letting the brothers know how far behind the customer had gotten . . . almost $100,000.

  Always end by explaining what you learned from the mistake:

  We ended up getting paid, but if I would have intervened sooner with strong policies, we wouldn’t have run into the problem. I learned then to make very clear policies and get everyone’s buy-in.

  CUSTOMER SERVICE

  Q. Give us an example of your success in customer service.

  In my last two positions, I was always given the most difficult customers . . . the ones that were threatening lawsuits. I have a tremendous amount of natural empathy, as well as great training in dealing with customer issues. I pride myself on being technically competent and communicate a tremendous degree of understanding. I’m also very efficient and seem to be able to deal with more customer issues than most. I truly love my job.

  EDITOR

  Q. What are the attributes of a great editor?

  Clarity, intellectual courage, a healthy ego but not an inflated one, a mastery of the English language, a realization that my job is to help writers look good, and, as important as anything, having the people skills to not bruise the authors’ egos while helping their writing become more clear.

  ENGINEER

  Q. How would you rate yourself compared to other engineers?

  I would compare myself very highly. I have a unique ability to see things from an engineering point of view, but also to be able to communicate well with nontechnical and business professionals.

  ENTRY LEVEL POSITION

  Q. How do we know that you’ll be a hard worker and that you will be successful here?

  I’ve been successful at everything I’ve ever done since I was fourteen. I was very successful in high school. Then I was very successful in college. I worked hard in high school and college, and got involved in a lot of social and leadership roles. I’m confident that I will be successful here.

  ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEER

  Q. What were the biggest challenges in your last position as an environmental engineer?

  The reason I am a good environmental engineer is that I integrate science and engineering to improve the natural environment and, more important, I am able to communicate that with the nontechnical people in the companies I have been with.

  Once you’ve explained why you’re good at what you do, discuss the challenges and how you’ve handled them.

  Environmental engineering is often looked at as a compliance department, making people do what they don’t want to do to comply with laws and so on. I am great at getting nontechnical people to understand how the contribution of environmental engineering is actually good for their business.

  FINANCIAL ANALYST

  Q. What is the difference between a good financial analyst and an exceptional one?

  A good financial analyst will be able to collect and analyze all of the data pertinent to the project. An exceptional financial analyst offers opinions and strategies based on the philosophical foundation of the organization they are working for.

  GRAPHIC DESIGN

  Q. What makes a great graphic designer?

  A lot of what a great graphic designer produces is subject to artistic interpretation. The great graphic designers are great artists, have great skills with composition and tools and software, and they understand business and marketing; they can visualize a great outcome. And they have a great work ethic.

  HOTEL MANAGEMENT

  Q. If we w
ere to hire you, what would be the first few things that you would do?

  The very first thing I would do is to quietly, in a low-key way, meet with all of the staff. I want to find out what’s going on with the property, and the people who are actually interacting with the guests will know that best.

  After I get a thorough assessment through the people working there, I would analyze the P&L of the property.

  Doing those two things will give me a good foundation and a good start. I want to make this kind of assessments before I recommend any changes.

  HUMAN RESOURCES

  Q. What do you believe is the role of the HR department in relation to the mission, vision, and strategies of the business?

  The HR department needs to be integral in manpower planning; managing the hiring and termination process; handling wage, salary, and benefits assessments; and overseeing the administration of performance appraisals, record keeping and compliance, employee welfare and motivation, labor relations, and employment policies.