Questions That Ask You to Walk a Mile in Your
Interviewer’s Cole Haans Sometimes, the hiring gods are with you. You walk into an interview, looking exactly like the type of
person that “belongs” at the company, and your interviewer also happens to be in a supremely good
mood that day. A great first impression is made in an instant. When this is the case, your interviewer
may ask you, in so many words, to put yourself in his shoes, and convince him to hire you. If you are
lucky enough to find yourself in this situation, first, relax, and then, resolve to knock your
interviewer’s socks off. Nothing’s going to stop you from landing this job!
1. If you were hiring someone for this position, what qualities would you look for?
A. I would look for three main talents, Alex:
1. The ability to solve problems;
2. The ability to nurture strong working relationships; and
3. The ability to close deals.
A candidate who possesses all three qualities would make the ideal associate new business
director.
Let me tell you a little bit about my background. I “grew up” on the account side, and for seven
years, helped companies like Revlon and Stoli Vodka solve big problems—such as how to position
themselves in an increasingly fractured, competitive environment. Revlon, which for years had been
the number one cosmetics company, was nervously watching its market share erode. Stoli was in a
similar situation, due to Absolut’s strong presence in the marketplace. I helped Stoli launch some new
flavored vodkas, and the company soon regained valuable market share. Stoli rewarded me by
offering me a job working on new product development. And I switched over to the marketing side
for the next two years.
In marketing, having good people skills was mandatory. I had to beg vendors and suppliers for
more shelf space. I had to chat up bar, restaurant, and hotel owners, and convince them to prominently
display our vodkas.
I also wined, dined, and played golf with CEOs, CFOs, and owners of all different types of
companies. So I know that I will be extremely resourceful when it comes to attracting new business to
your company.
What Interviewers Want
Interviewers are only human. Before they will commit to a long-term relationship with you (by
getting you on staff and giving you health insurance), they want to know what’s in it for them.
Here are the top three things interviewers look for:
1. Problem-solving skills. Bring up case examples that prove you know how to solve problems.
2. Good people skills. The ability to foster good working relationships is a vital business skill.
Discuss situations where you worked well with others, or where bosses entrusted you with more
responsibility, based on your past performance.
3. Closure skills. The ability to get things done. Mention those times when your good judgment
or ingenuity helped you close a deal.
While you certainly can’t be “all things to all interviewers,” it may help to identify one or two
qualities that you possess from each of the lists that follow. When you are asked questions about
your skills, try to focus your responses to demonstrate that you have these qualities.
Problem-solving skills People skills Closure skills
1. clear thinking 1. flexible 1. good judgment
2. logic 2. agreeable 2. excellent follow
through
3. creativity 3. good
listener 3. energy/passion
4. ability to synthesize facts, compare &
contrast, draw conclusions 4. articulate
4. resourceful, good
at breaking through
insurmountable
blocks
5. generate solutions that are profitable because
they meet a current need, identify a new need, or
are so fresh, they are irresistible
5. team
player
5. pattern of personal
achievement
6. originality; the ability to think outside the box
6.
charismatic/
inspirational/
motivational
6. results orientation
7. trustworthy
2. What would you like me to know about you that’s not on your resume?
A. Well, Pat, I have the right mix of interpersonal and work-related skills to be a successful
commercial real estate agent. A lot of people think that being a good saleswoman is simply a matter
of being outgoing. But this is only part of the equation. You also need to be able to solve real
problems for companies.
What if the space that you’re showing isn’t in the ideal neighborhood? You’ve got to persuade your
prospect that the value of the property will overcome the inherent drawbacks of the location. What if
the commercial space doesn’t have as many windows as the company’s current property? You have to
help your client envision a different way to carve out the space, if only to muffle the complaints of the
top executives. You need to be able to think, not just in terms of square footage, but also in terms of
“profit per foot” for the company in question.
Above all, it’s critical to seal the deal. For the past four years, I was among the top five closers at
a large, commercial real estate company.
Why This Technique Works?
1. You tackle problems with ingenuity.
2. You’ve proved that selling space goes way beyond price per square foot. The least the company
can do is “give you some space” with a nice window office, where you can prominently display
your fancy new business cards.
3. Let’s say that I offer you a job. Please tell me how the company will benefit.
A. I am an expert on LED and rotational signage. I have been selling huge, LED signs to stadiums
for the past five years. This has involved not only a great deal of technical expertise, in terms of
understanding the technology that goes into our product, but also the ability to compare and contrast
our offering to others that are less expensive to implement and maintain.
I’ve had to convince large groups of people, who are not technically inclined, to spend the money
for a quality product. I always promise them tremendous service on both the front and back end, and
then follow through. As a result, my clients have been very pleased with my performance.
Your company will benefit from my expertise on three counts: 1) I will train your sales staff how to
close on deals more quickly and profitably, 2) I will share my extensive contact base with your
company, and 3) I will reorganize your service department to be more “hands on.” Then, your
customers will give your company those glowing referrals that will lead to even more new business.
Why This Technique Works?
1. You’re the expert on rotational signage.
2. You’ve promised your interviewer new business if he will simply sign you on.
4. Why should I hire you?
A. Well, Martin, as we’ve been discussing, your company’s website could probably benefit from a
complete overhaul. For a first website, it’s not bad…It covers all of the pertinent information that you
want your customers to know about your business. But I agree with your own assessment, and feel that your website could be more inspired. You need some technical help with links, and I know how to come up with the key words and phrases that will bring a lot more web traffic to your site.
I think that a more creative flash opening, along with some music and graphics will keep customers
on your site longer. It would be helpful to have something there that was continually updated in real
time, perhaps some company news, or even games that would reward people for learning more about
your services.
I’ve created twenty websites for all different companies, and one of them is in a similar line of
business. I’d love to show you that website, so that you can get an idea of what’s possible for your
company. Can we hop onto your laptop right now?
Inside Information
Men seem to think that the “Why should I hire you?” question is challenging, and something of a
blow to their egos, whereas the identical query seems to bounce off of most women without
leaving irreparable damage. This suggests that there is something in the tone of the question that
men intuit. Perhaps men sense a certain edginess about it, almost as if the interviewer were
asking, “What makes you think that you’re good enough to hire?”
5. You go to a store and give a $10 bill to the clerk to pay for a $9 item. When you get home,
you realize that you received $20 in change. Do you go back to the store, or do you keep the
money?
A. You go back and return $19, explaining their error to them.
Questions about ethics are being asked during interviews with increasing frequency.
Why raise any doubts about your morality? With the recent scandals that have occurred
at some of the world’s most prestigious accounting firms, don’t even joke about keeping
Interviewer’s Cole Haans Sometimes, the hiring gods are with you. You walk into an interview, looking exactly like the type of
person that “belongs” at the company, and your interviewer also happens to be in a supremely good
mood that day. A great first impression is made in an instant. When this is the case, your interviewer
may ask you, in so many words, to put yourself in his shoes, and convince him to hire you. If you are
lucky enough to find yourself in this situation, first, relax, and then, resolve to knock your
interviewer’s socks off. Nothing’s going to stop you from landing this job!
1. If you were hiring someone for this position, what qualities would you look for?
A. I would look for three main talents, Alex:
1. The ability to solve problems;
2. The ability to nurture strong working relationships; and
3. The ability to close deals.
A candidate who possesses all three qualities would make the ideal associate new business
director.
Let me tell you a little bit about my background. I “grew up” on the account side, and for seven
years, helped companies like Revlon and Stoli Vodka solve big problems—such as how to position
themselves in an increasingly fractured, competitive environment. Revlon, which for years had been
the number one cosmetics company, was nervously watching its market share erode. Stoli was in a
similar situation, due to Absolut’s strong presence in the marketplace. I helped Stoli launch some new
flavored vodkas, and the company soon regained valuable market share. Stoli rewarded me by
offering me a job working on new product development. And I switched over to the marketing side
for the next two years.
In marketing, having good people skills was mandatory. I had to beg vendors and suppliers for
more shelf space. I had to chat up bar, restaurant, and hotel owners, and convince them to prominently
display our vodkas.
I also wined, dined, and played golf with CEOs, CFOs, and owners of all different types of
companies. So I know that I will be extremely resourceful when it comes to attracting new business to
your company.
What Interviewers Want
Interviewers are only human. Before they will commit to a long-term relationship with you (by
getting you on staff and giving you health insurance), they want to know what’s in it for them.
Here are the top three things interviewers look for:
1. Problem-solving skills. Bring up case examples that prove you know how to solve problems.
2. Good people skills. The ability to foster good working relationships is a vital business skill.
Discuss situations where you worked well with others, or where bosses entrusted you with more
responsibility, based on your past performance.
3. Closure skills. The ability to get things done. Mention those times when your good judgment
or ingenuity helped you close a deal.
While you certainly can’t be “all things to all interviewers,” it may help to identify one or two
qualities that you possess from each of the lists that follow. When you are asked questions about
your skills, try to focus your responses to demonstrate that you have these qualities.
Problem-solving skills People skills Closure skills
1. clear thinking 1. flexible 1. good judgment
2. logic 2. agreeable 2. excellent follow
through
3. creativity 3. good
listener 3. energy/passion
4. ability to synthesize facts, compare &
contrast, draw conclusions 4. articulate
4. resourceful, good
at breaking through
insurmountable
blocks
5. generate solutions that are profitable because
they meet a current need, identify a new need, or
are so fresh, they are irresistible
5. team
player
5. pattern of personal
achievement
6. originality; the ability to think outside the box
6.
charismatic/
inspirational/
motivational
6. results orientation
7. trustworthy
2. What would you like me to know about you that’s not on your resume?
A. Well, Pat, I have the right mix of interpersonal and work-related skills to be a successful
commercial real estate agent. A lot of people think that being a good saleswoman is simply a matter
of being outgoing. But this is only part of the equation. You also need to be able to solve real
problems for companies.
What if the space that you’re showing isn’t in the ideal neighborhood? You’ve got to persuade your
prospect that the value of the property will overcome the inherent drawbacks of the location. What if
the commercial space doesn’t have as many windows as the company’s current property? You have to
help your client envision a different way to carve out the space, if only to muffle the complaints of the
top executives. You need to be able to think, not just in terms of square footage, but also in terms of
“profit per foot” for the company in question.
Above all, it’s critical to seal the deal. For the past four years, I was among the top five closers at
a large, commercial real estate company.
Why This Technique Works?
1. You tackle problems with ingenuity.
2. You’ve proved that selling space goes way beyond price per square foot. The least the company
can do is “give you some space” with a nice window office, where you can prominently display
your fancy new business cards.
3. Let’s say that I offer you a job. Please tell me how the company will benefit.
A. I am an expert on LED and rotational signage. I have been selling huge, LED signs to stadiums
for the past five years. This has involved not only a great deal of technical expertise, in terms of
understanding the technology that goes into our product, but also the ability to compare and contrast
our offering to others that are less expensive to implement and maintain.
I’ve had to convince large groups of people, who are not technically inclined, to spend the money
for a quality product. I always promise them tremendous service on both the front and back end, and
then follow through. As a result, my clients have been very pleased with my performance.
Your company will benefit from my expertise on three counts: 1) I will train your sales staff how to
close on deals more quickly and profitably, 2) I will share my extensive contact base with your
company, and 3) I will reorganize your service department to be more “hands on.” Then, your
customers will give your company those glowing referrals that will lead to even more new business.
Why This Technique Works?
1. You’re the expert on rotational signage.
2. You’ve promised your interviewer new business if he will simply sign you on.
4. Why should I hire you?
A. Well, Martin, as we’ve been discussing, your company’s website could probably benefit from a
complete overhaul. For a first website, it’s not bad…It covers all of the pertinent information that you
want your customers to know about your business. But I agree with your own assessment, and feel that your website could be more inspired. You need some technical help with links, and I know how to come up with the key words and phrases that will bring a lot more web traffic to your site.
I think that a more creative flash opening, along with some music and graphics will keep customers
on your site longer. It would be helpful to have something there that was continually updated in real
time, perhaps some company news, or even games that would reward people for learning more about
your services.
I’ve created twenty websites for all different companies, and one of them is in a similar line of
business. I’d love to show you that website, so that you can get an idea of what’s possible for your
company. Can we hop onto your laptop right now?
Inside Information
Men seem to think that the “Why should I hire you?” question is challenging, and something of a
blow to their egos, whereas the identical query seems to bounce off of most women without
leaving irreparable damage. This suggests that there is something in the tone of the question that
men intuit. Perhaps men sense a certain edginess about it, almost as if the interviewer were
asking, “What makes you think that you’re good enough to hire?”
5. You go to a store and give a $10 bill to the clerk to pay for a $9 item. When you get home,
you realize that you received $20 in change. Do you go back to the store, or do you keep the
money?
A. You go back and return $19, explaining their error to them.
Questions about ethics are being asked during interviews with increasing frequency.
Why raise any doubts about your morality? With the recent scandals that have occurred
at some of the world’s most prestigious accounting firms, don’t even joke about keeping
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