close the sale

Small Schools, Big Jobs – Close the Sale 2009

1 | P a g e J o h n M a s c i - S m a l l S c h o o l s B i g J o b s . c o m



The interview is often the most dreaded part of the job hunt because so many people

feel like they have such little control and don’t know what to expect. However, what most don’t

realize is that they can remove many of the uncertainties that come along with this anxiety

inducing experience with a little time and effort. Interviews can take many different shapes

depending on the field and employer, but the bottom line is that there’s are three key areas that

lead to success in job interviews, preparedness, focus, and enthusiasm. The most challenging

step is setting yourself up for the interview. The previous guide put your foot in the door, now

you just need to reinforce that positive image in person.

During the months pending and following my graduation, I attended over 14 interviews

of various forms. These often tedious processes ranged from brief phone interviews to the

lengthy in person interviews, worst being a grueling 6.5 hour long gauntlet. I could not begin to

succeed and secure offers until I prepared myself almost to excess and conveyed my unbridled

enthusiasm for their company and the position that was on the table. I initially struggled with

my interviews, walking out of them without seeing any excitement or interest from the

employers – mostly because I hadn’t left a lasting positive impression with them. I was under

prepared and under enthusiastic – and forgotten once I walked out the door.

Section 1

Be Prepared

How do you prepare for an interview when you don’t know what to expect? One of the

most basic solutions is to just ask. Ask someone who interviewed at the same company, ask

someone who interviewed at a similar company, ask the HR person on the phone who’s setting

up the interview, and even ask Google. Pursuing as many avenues as possible to figure out what

you’re in for will make you feel the most comfortable because you have less of a chance to be

caught off guard. When I was interviewing with one of the companies who gave me my second

largest offer, I had made it so far simply because I did my homework. Prior to the in office

interview, I went through three phone interviews with their hiring agent. After setting up the

last interview, he asked if I had any questions. I had been asked this before by other companies,

but I never asked anything about what to expect during the next phase – he gave it to me



straight out, described the entire process and what was involved – everything from the format

to the questions they would be asking.

The same company was one I had discovered through a friend who had gone through

the interview process and accepted an offer from them. I spoke with him throughout the stages

of his interview and hiring process, not because I planned to apply there, but because the more

I knew about how it went, the more I could be prepared if those same situations came out in my

own experiences. If you’re still struggling, and can’t find any information, pick a larger company

in the same sector and do a Google search for their interviews questions or simply search for

interview questions related to your field. Study these questions until you can answer them in

your sleep.

Knowing the answers is important, but it’s just as important to present yourself as

someone they can visualize as filling the role. Anyone familiar with the popular subset of home

improvement shows filling the HGTV timeslots may have come across the myriad of ‘house

flipping’ and quick home sales programs. The typical format is that a couple has a house for sale

but struggles to close any offers or can’t reach the price they’re interested in. HGTV comes to

the rescue and spends a few thousand dollars sprucing up the lawn, painting a few doors, and

tidying the place up. Why waste money on a house you’re going to sell? These cheap and quick

changes often yield massive increases in property value and interest from speculative buyers.

Why does $1000 in cleaning yield $10,000-$30,000 more in the price? Any buyer would have

realized they could save that massive sum of money by paying someone to do the work once

they bought the house – right? Wrong. There’s a psychological issue most people fall victim to

where if something doesn’t meet their expectations initially – they’re unable to visualize

anything else. So in HGTV’s case, the buyers really can’t see themselves living in some dirty

home – but they’ll gladly open up their checkbooks to put them into a neat home.

The same concept applies to job interviews. Someone who shows up wearing

professional attire and sporting a neatly bound portfolio full of crisp résumés is letting the

employer know that they take the interview seriously, act professional, and would fit in with the

office culture. Sure you’re not going to be carrying around résumés when you start your job, but

the other factor to consider is that you’re being compared to the other applicants on a fairly



superficial level, anything to hold yourself above the competition is worth taking advantage of.

The rule of thumb for interview dress is typically to dress like your boss. Do the ‘higher ups’

wear suits? Wear a suit. Are they dressed more casually? mimic the style. I was told an odd but

effective method for determining interview dress – go on a stake out. Seriously. A few days

before the interview, drive to the office around starting time and see what people wear. Dress

can play a major role in the interview process. I consulted several professors regarding dress for

an interview, knowing that the employees were ‘business casual’ type of people I asked my

professors what to wear. They unanimously agreed to go with a suit since that’s what the

managers would be wearing in this role. I showed up to the interview and the first thing the

interviewer told me was ‘wow, you know I really respect that you wore a suit here. Everyone

else we interviewed was much more casual – I’m glad to see someone is taking this seriously’.

Nobody wore suits to work, but it was just a demonstration of respect.

In addition to being familiar with the interview process, being familiar with the company

itself is crucial. On nearly every interview I encountered, I was casually asked ‘so I’m sure you

know what we do here’ or ‘do you know what kind of work we do?’ – a ‘yes’ is not the correct

answer and repeating the ‘About Us’ section from their website isn’t the correct answer. Aim to

describe what you know, and follow it up with how it applies to you positively.

Interviewer: So you’re familiar with the company?

Interviewee: Yes, you’re a trade publication focused on New York night life. I had actually modeled an article I

wrote for our campus paper after the one you did on the club scene last spring.

Interviewer: What do you know about our firm?

Interviewee: I’ve been following you as you’ve appeared recently in the paper for your new release of XYZ Product,

you have a long running history of success with new technologies. I had a professor who worked for a competitor of

yours prior to teaching, he’s the one who sparked my initial interest in this industry.

Focus on being positive and informed, without groveling or sucking up. As will be

discussed later, positivity in all responses is crucial. It goes back to the old sales mantra, ‘people

buy from people they like’. Even if the interviewer acknowledges that you don’t have all the

credentials, they’ll likely be working with you on a regular basis and everyone wants to work

with people they like.

Honesty is truly the best policy when it comes to the interview. For subjective questions,



be honest and positive. For concrete questions, if you can’t answer it but it sounds familiar

something along the lines of ‘That sounds familiar, maybe I’ve heard of it in a different context?’

can edge the interviewer to rephrase the question. Regularly the people interviewing aren’t

professionals at this, they’re simply people you’ll be working with. They’ll forget that you might

not know all the same terminology. So rather than quickly brush the question aside, ask for a

clarification. If you know you don’t know the answer, explain how you’d find the answer if it was

in a real world situation. ‘I don’t know’ is rarely an acceptable response – be honest if you don’t

know the answer, nobody knows all the answers so offer up the solution to how you would

figure out the answer if you had resources available. While interview questions vary based on

job, there’s always a few fall back questions that are asked regardless of industry and it’s

important to have answers prepared. When considering answers to the questions, be sure to

answer them regarding your professional life as opposed to your personal life.

Take a look at the following two classic interview questions and suggested patterns for

answering them.

‘What can you tell me about yourself?’

This question can easily be taken in the wrong direction by describing personal hobbies

and interests. The real question being asked is ‘What is it about you that makes you the

candidate for this job?’ This means focus on:

• Academic background applying to the position

• Work experience which is relevant to your duties on the job

• Personal challenges which you feel have prepared yourself for the position

• Mention what you’ve accomplished in order to supplement your résumé in the

previous section

o Online blog about your field

o Industry certifications

o Affiliations with industry or organizations, etc

o Articles published to the web

You’ve already put the work in to boost your résumé, there’s nothing better than really

capturing the interviewer’s interest with something outside of what other candidates are



describing. While others are talking about their hobbies, you’ll be talking about how last week

you attended a local organizations meeting on a hot topic and were able to contribute with your

specialized knowledge. It’s okay to admit that it’s something you’ve been doing just since

graduation. One of the original reasons I had for coming up with some industry related

activities was to create dialog during interviews because I had been asked so many times before:

‘You’ve been out of school for a couple months, what have you been doing?’

The answer I was originally giving after graduation was ‘Well, just applying to jobs…it’s

time consuming’. This was a pretty poor answer because it was generic. I noticed a significant

difference in interviewer reaction when I responded with ‘Well, it’s been different not having

classes anymore. After graduation I joined up with a local user group in the city to keep up on

new information in my field. It’s been really cool to be a part of a group with such a diverse

background. A lot of the members have been in the industry for years, some very bright guys.

They really appreciate having some of the young blood in the group like myself because

everyone offers a different perspective, especially when we work on a project and run into

issues.’ You’re guaranteed an inquisitive response from the interviewer about what you’ve

learned, and you can honestly describe the agenda from a meeting you’ve attended, a seminar

you attended, a webcast you participated in, or even a book you’ve read.

Having something interesting to talk about will be sure to leave an impression on the

interviewer. It’s a known statistic that 85% of verbal content is forgotten within an hour of the

interview. What does this mean? The interviewer probably won’t remember exactly what you

said to them, but they will remember that you were the only candidate who wasn’t just catching

up with friends. It’s the impression that you give the interviewer that counts, not the actual

content. Do you best to convey to the interviewer that you’re a highly motivated person who

can get things done on their own and seeks out opportunity, rather than lackadaisically waits for

it to approach them.

Inevitably you’ll also be asked these interview classics:

‘What are your weaknesses?’



This may sound like a question you’d try to avoid – but it’s easy to turn this around and

impress an interviewer, so it should be welcomed if you hear it and are prepared. A hilarious clip

from “The Office” was when Michael was going through his interview process and tried to flip

his ‘weaknesses’ into strengths – his method isn’t suggested, but the goal is to turn your

weaknesses into a way to demonstrate your positive traits.

Michael: Why don't I tell you what my greatest weaknesses are?

I work too hard. I care too much. And sometimes I can be too invested in my job.

David: Okay. And your strengths?

Michael: Well, my weaknesses are actually... strengths.

Most people either struggle to answer this question or ignore the amazing opportunity it

presents to let you really impress the interviewer with your ability to confront challenges.

Everyone has weaknesses; it’s how they’re handled that makes the difference. Acknowledge a

weakness that you have, whether it’s listening skills, verbal skills, or procrastination – be upfront

about it. Immediately after you state the weakness, jump into how you helped to address that

weakness. You haven’t done anything to address it?? Some attempt needs to be made to

address it at some point in your life and now is a great time. Go to the library and get a book,

see if a professor can just give you advice, or grab an audio book and listen to it. After explaining

what you did to address it, make mention of the improvement you’ve noticed in yourself.



The dialog will go something like this:

Interviewer: So what are you weaknesses?

You: Well, to be honest in college I was always a procrastinator, waiting until the last minute to finish

projects or study. It started to negatively affect me, so I actually got a couple CDs online that coached me on new

tips to improve my habits and my advisors set me up with a coach at the on campus study center. I’ve been keeping

to-do lists now with concrete deadlines, by just tackling projects in small pieces at a time, I’ve been able to stay on

track. It helped me a lot as I finished up my finals, I did better than ever and even after graduation I’ve noticed that

handling all my responsibilities has been much more manageable.

Interviewer: So is it still a weakness?

You: It’s something that I’m always working on improving, but by addressing it I’ve found some good ways

to stay on track and keep up with a demanding schedule so I know it won’t be an issue anymore.

Still having trouble coming up with a weakness or don’t feel like listening to CDs for

help? All college graduates share the same weakness, their lack of real world experience. No

matter what internship you’ve had, the rest of your future coworkers have been in the business

for years and are used to the pace and lifestyle it brings. Be honest with the interviewer and tell

them you’re weakness is your lack of real world experience. Tell them you either addressed it by

working an internship or by getting involved with the industry in other ways. If you’ve setup the

blog as shown in the video sets included with this, you can use that as a way to say that you try

to stay up to date with industry happenings and culture. As long as you follow up your weakness

with how you’ve improved upon it and use a concrete example, you’ll be able to impress the

interviewer.

Aside from being prepared for the questions and answers expected in an interview, one

should always be prepared with the proper documentation. Bring about 5 copies of your

résumé so you’ll be able to hand one to each person you get a chance to talk with. Often times

the employees aren’t prepared with your résumé beforehand and it’s helpful to read it while

talking with you, only having one copy with you at the interview may not be enough. Contact

some professors and previous employers to be references prior to the interview and bring a

copy of their contact information and a one sentence line describing their relationship to you,

it’s nice to be able to offer this at the end of the interview. In a situation where multiple

candidates are being considered, it’s easy for them to lean to the person whose references they

can actually reach promptly. The last piece I brought with me on interviews was something I

hadn’t previously been advised to bring but proved effective.



Advisors had told me that employers would eventually ask to see transcripts, and this

turned out to be true, however I felt like my transcript wasn’t the type of thing that would help

me in an interview. It was peppered with C, C-, and even a D from earlier in my academic career.

No matter how well I did the last two years of school, I felt like the first two were scars on my

transcript. So rather than present them with a transcript, I created a course list to bring to

interviews. It was essentially just a list of courses I had taken with a couple of tweaks. I ordered

them with the courses most relevant to the job, a used the school’s course catalog to get

descriptions of each class – sometimes shortening or modifying the description to highlight

aspects of the curriculum that were important to the job. I left off a couple courses that had no

relation to the job and ones I knew I wouldn’t feel comfortable talking about during an

interview because I wasn’t competent enough. I started bringing this to interviews and

presenting it when a conversation about coursework came up or if they told me they would

need a copy of my school transcript. After giving them my custom ‘transcript’ or course sheet, I

was never asked for an ‘official transcript’. It was a good concise way to give the employer

enough information and some background on my education without being forced to hand over

a list of grades. Granted in some situations they may still need that full transcript, but it’s human

nature to take the path of least resistance – if we’ve already handed them over something that’s

80% of what they wanted, it might not be worth the hassles or follow up to get their hands on

the ‘official’ transcript. Regardless, if they DO request the official transcript, it was probably

inevitable anyways – but there’s no harm in hoping that a custom course list will be satisfactory

if you’re attempting to shroud your grades.

Use these tips to present yourself confidently and professionally to the interviewers, but

in order to give yourself the extra push over the edge you’ll need to show you’re enthusiastic

about filling this role.



Section 2

Get Enthusiastic

How you treat the interview is interpreted as how you’ll treat the job. Are you prepared,

eager, and inquisitive? Or are you passive, disconnected, and just exploring your options? The

year 2009 is a hallmark year for students entering the job market, it’s one of the record setting

years for competition among applicants. For employers, this is fantastic news if they’re hiring,

the applicant pool is large and they have their pick of the litter. They can be as discerning as

they want and brush aside any candidate in favor the next one in line with better credentials.

This is bad news for anyone who’s sitting back passively and waiting for a job to fall into their

laps. Overcoming the pitfalls of yourself as a candidate is something that’s already addressed,

but it’s pointless if it can’t be conveyed to the employer.

What if you were to be told that the best job hunting advice would come from a

homeless person? Author Adam Shepherd of Scratch Beginnings set out to prove that anyone

can overcome adversity by attempting to start a life fresh with nothing more than $25 and

determination. In his journey he acted as a homeless person and strived to get a job, move up

the ranks, and set his life on track. One of the biggest challenges he faced was actually

becoming employed, he quickly discovered that most employers aren’t quick to hire homeless

people. This is similar to the current economic situation, studies have shown that students from

the top 25 schools in the country are least affected by the economic downturn and

unemployment. When employers come across a candidate that’s less than perfect it’s your job

to sell them on the fact that you’re the best candidate for the position.

While in the homeless shelter, Adam met a fellow resident, Phil Coleman, who was a

‘voluntary homeless man’ – he was intelligent, worked all kinds of jobs from electrician to

handyman, and never struggled to get calls back from employers or get the jobs that he wanted.



Adam asked him what his secret was and here’s an excerpt from the book where he gets

that advice from Phil:

….I had filled out ten applications and a profile online, and I wasn’t getting any response.

“So, hold up a second. Let me get this straight,” he said. “You mean to tell me that you live

at a homeless shelter, and you have put out over ten applications, and you still don’t have a

job? What the hell is that all about? Imagine that. That is just craziness, kid.” He was not

hiding the sarcasm in his voice.

“Man, y’all are some dumb muthas.” He began to address the table as a whole, anyone

who would listen. “I mean straight dumb asses. How do you think this works? Employers

call the number you put in that application and when Harold answer ‘Crisis Ministries’

they get real excited that they get to hire a homeless dude? Shit man, y’all some dumb

muthas.” Choosing that guy to relay my employment woes to was looking like a big

mistake. But no quite.

“Listen, y’all muthas gotta change your whole way of thinking. This ain’t no fuckin’ game.

Shit. This is real life. You gotta go down to these mangers and be like, ‘Look here,

homeboy. You need me. I’m the best worker you’re gonna find, so hire me or not.’ …”

He had a solid point. Sure, guys were getting hired through the Career Services

Department at Crisis Ministries, but I couldn’t imagine that many guys were receiving

calls at the shelter for applications that they had filled out throughout the city.

Yep, crazy Phil Coleman, a guy that most people ignored, had the secret. Be assertive.

That’s it. Make the manager see it as a mistake not to hire you.

When employers are looking through a stack of 300 résumés for one entry level position

why are they going to hire you? If you don’t have the best credentials, what makes you the best

candidate for the job? Make yourself be passionate about the position and be assertive about

pursuing it. Adam also makes it clear that this isn’t a numbers game – it doesn’t matter how

many applications you fill out. If you aren’t assertive about each and everyone, it’s wasted time

and effort. There’s no point in filling out as many applications as possible in hopes that one

clicks. Focus your efforts on a narrow focus instead of a broad focus.

I had a chance to interview Adam regarding the lesson he learned and if it was

something he had applied to his life after writing the book. He told me that it was something

that not only got him a job while writing the book, but was his secret to success in trying to

promote the book.



“After writing the book I contacted dozens of media outlets to try to get some airtime. When nothing

worked, I took Phil’s advice again. Instead of just sending out a letter, I called them up and said ‘Hey, this is Adam

Shepherd and I’ve got the best damn story you’re going to hear, you have to give me a chance’ and it worked. I got

on the Today show and newspapers across the country.”- Adam Shepherd

It’s a universal trait that leads to success, especially in job interviews. You’re not trying to

sell the employer on the fact that you’re the most qualified; you’re trying to sell them on the

fact that you’re the best person for the position. You’re motivated to go out there and try things,

improve yourself, and this is how you’ll perform at the job as well.

Gordon Gekko in “Wall Street”

“This is the kid who calls me 59 days in a row, wants to be a player. Outta be a picture of you in the dictionary under

persistence, kid.”

I previously mentioned that once I was given the best job offer and I took it, it was the

third different job at the company I had applied for. My professors in college always told us ‘if

you get rejected, move on – there’s not point in working some place that isn’t the right match

for you. When I got to my new job 3,000 miles away from home, I found out that the majority of

the staff had the same stories to tell. Nobody was successful the first time around, but the fact

that they tried again showed their enthusiasm for the position and the employers respected

that perseverance and recognized it as a positive character trait.

Positivity can be the biggest player in leaving a lasting impact on your interviewers. Try

to close the interview with a positive note and reinforcing your enthusiasm to start the job.

When they ask ‘do you have any questions?’ always be ready with something to say.



A good closing question is always:

“What is it that you enjoy most about this job?” – it’s an easy question that will let them leave

the interview feeling good not only about you, but about themselves. Not only that, it will give

you some extra insight into the job as well. It’s important to never forget that you’re

interviewing them as well, if the job doesn’t seem like a good match – it may not be worth

accepting.

And always close the interview with “What’s the next step in the process? When should I

expect to hear back from you?” This shows the enthusiasm for the position and the eagerness

to get started.

Now with the interview behind you, the last step is the follow up. Throughout the

interview, request a business card from each person you meet. It’s the easiest way to keep track

of everyone’s name without worrying about spelling or remembering it. Use this information to

write a follow up email or hand written letter within 24 hours of the interview. Something to

physically remind them that you appreciate their consideration and to just do one more push to

guarantee they remember you.

After seeing how important it is to be properly prepared and obligate to a proper follow

up on each interview, you can see there’s a level of commitment required with each job you

apply to. For reasons like this, the methods of applying to jobs in mass and those who brag

about submitting hundreds of résumés without hearing a response are obviously flawed. Keep a

narrow focus and ensure that you’re prepared and enthusiastic, once that’s done – the

interview should no longer be anything to fear.

close the sale

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