Q. Can you help me out with a column you wrote some time ago that mentioned an unusually hard-sell approach at the close of a job interview. I’ve misplaced that clip. Can you repeat it? — J.O.S.
A. I’m not sure this is the one you meant, but four years ago I mentioned an unusual tactic suggested by recruiting superstar Jack Marshall in a trade journal, The Fordyce Letter. Here it is:
At the end of the selection interview, when the hiring manager asks if you have any last questions, you respond, “Well, let’s say that you offer me the position and I accept. What can I do when I start here to relieve your immediate workload?”
The hiring manager is likely to think, “I haven’t even hired this candidate yet, and he’s already starting to solve my problems. That’s a new one on me.”
The reason this close works so well, Marshall said, is that most candidates are busy asking questions about pay, vacation, benefits, training and advancement opportunities. Even when there’s no match, Marshall said, the hiring managers are so impressed with this candidate close that they make referrals to other companies.
Q. I am reaching out to you because I don’t know where else to turn. I am l9, female, and have one year’s college credits from a community college. I don’t feel like my life is going anywhere good. What would you do in my shoes? — J.S.
A. I don’t know if I’d join the military, but I’d certainly read this terrific new book by a woman who did: “Zero to Breakthrough: The 7-Step, Battle-Tested Method for Accomplishing Goals that Matter,” by Vernice “FlyGirl ” Armour (Gotham/Penguin).
As the cover text says: “Vernice’s book will definitely get you out of your funk and into your groove.” I think she’s an ideal self-help messenger for Gen Y, the best I’ve ever seen, judging from a recent appearance on CNN. Armour walks her talk. After joining the Marines, she became a decorated naval aviator, flying an attack helicopter during two tours in Iraq. Look her up on her website, verniceamour.com.
Another motivational approach to getting what you want in the future is articulated by educational psychologist Russell Bishop; browse for “Personal Transformation: What’s Holding You Back in Life?”
