The Most Important Part of the Job Interview (That You're Probably Forgetting)

Jen Hubley Luckwaldt

If you're at all interested in getting a given job, you prepare thoroughly ahead of time, researching the company and position, doing practice interview questions, even choosing your interview outfit with special care. But there's one thing you probably aren't doing, and it might be costing you the job: odds are, you probably haven't given a thought about how to close the interview.

And we do mean "close," in the Glengarry Glen Ross sense of the word -- sort of.

"There always seems to be a big debate on whether or not a candidate should try to 'close the sale' at the end of a job interview," writes Lisa Quast at Forbes. "My answer is 'Yes' -- but you need to close the interview with class."

In other words, you can't ask outright, "So, did I get the job?" Nor should you pressure the hiring manager to tell you the precise time, down to the hour, when you can expect to hear from them. Instead, use your "closer" to find out if there's anything lacking, so far, in their picture of you as a candidate.

For example, Quast suggests asking something like ...  Find out the recommendation and read the rest of the article