Sales Strategy
The Only Interview Question You Need to Know | March 01, 2017 (0 comments)
Merrick, NY—It’s rare when there’s an interview question, as noted in this Inc.com article, that applies to both the interviewer and interviewee. It’s even more rare when it’s really the only question you need to ask or need to be ready to answer.
It’s surprising how simple it is.
“What did you do to prepare for this interview?”
There, that’s it.
Think about it from the interviewer side. If you are hiring, likely you want someone who did some prep. Exactly what prep your candidate has done will likely tell you what you want know about him or her.
No prep? Maybe that works if your candidate is working in the industry and is at the top of their game. Too much prep? No problem unless it’s to cover up an overall lack of knowledge or experience. Hopefully you’ll find that they did just the right amount.
Think about it from the interviewee side. You find out you have an interview. Now, likely you don’t know this may be one of the questions, however, you just as likely are prepping for the interview so that you have all the information you need to land the job. Did you find out more about the company? Did you review your selling techniques? Did you secret shop the store or company to learn more about it first hand? There are all sorts of prep you might have done and your reasoning behind it tells your interviewer a lot about you.
It’s amazing how simple this question is, and yet how complex it can be. A candidate’s resume covers past work experience and qualifications, so adding the question about prep really helps to round out an interview.
Need more interview resources? The Centurion has featured many articles from industry veteran and author Peter Smith. Some especially relevant ones about this subject are:
How to Find, Identify and Hire the Right Retail Sales Talent to Grow Your Revenue
When You Find Yourself Awash in Resumes, How To Cull The Best