An Interview Between The Reader and the Author

Author: Thank you for opening the book. Did you have any trouble finding it?

Reader: No, the directions you gave me were great. The book was right there in the Career Section, just where you said it would be.

Author: That’s great. Well, I appreciate your interest in my book. Please make yourself comfortable. Can I get you a cup of coffee?

Reader: Thank you, no. Maybe later.

Author: As you know, we will be talking to you about buying this book. This book gives you a powerful approach to job interviewing by teaching you to ask questions that put the candidate in the best light possible. By asking the right questions you can quickly demonstrate the unique value proposition you alone offer and highlight why you can immediately ease the business pain of the company you are interviewing with.

Reader: A problem-solution approach. Sounds promising. Do you mind if I take notes?

Author: Not at all. Now, we hope to use this exchange to get to know each other better. Maybe you can start by telling me about how you expect this book to advance your career objectives.

Reader: In my job interviews, I want to be ready to ask questions of such intelligence and elegance that they knock the interviewer’s socks off and immediately set me apart as a force to be reckoned with.

Author: I like the way you put that.

Reader: I want my questions to reinforce the reality that I am conspicuously the best person for the job and then to ask for the job in a way that the interviewer will want to endorse my application and recommend making me the strongest offer possible.

Author: This book will certainly help you do that. At this point, allow me to describe the book to you in terms of its content and how I structured it to help you make an immediately favorable impression at job interviews. In this way, you will have the information you need to make a determination about whether purchasing this book will advance your career objectives. Our book buying philosophy here at McGraw-Hill is that either a book buying decision is a good two-way fit, or it’s not a fit at all. How does that sound?

Reader: It sounds great. May I ask a question?

Author: Yes, of course.

Reader: You asked me about my requirements. What are your requirements?

Author: My requirements are simple. Do you have $15.95?

Reader: Yes.

Author: You’ve satisfied my requirements.

Reader: $15.95? Is that all? I would have thought a book of this earth-shaking value would cost a lot more.

Author: I appreciate the flattery, but this book is not about sucking up. Sweet talk is not going to advance your career. Questions framed with intelligence and presented strategically will. So let me give you a quick description of what the book offers.

The book has three sections. Part I discusses the rules for asking the best questions. Chapter 1, “Why you have to question,” reviews why it is imperative to have questions and offers some guidelines for asking questions in the strongest way possible. Chapter 2, “Questions you should never initiate,” tells you what subject areas to avoid asking. Chapters 3, “When to question,” 4, “Do your homework,” and 5, “Do you mind if I take notes?” deal with the issues of timing, research, and note taking, respectively.

Part II lists most of the 201 best questions promised in the title. These are the questions that you will use to form the basis of the questions you ask in your next job interview. Some questions are most appropriate for different types of interview situations. Chapters 6, “Questions for headhunters, recruiters, and staffing agencies,” 7, “Questions for human resources,” and 8, “Questions for hiring managers,” list the questions that each of these groups will find particularly meaningful.

I hope you find Part III especially useful. It deals with the most common job interview scenarios and recommends killer questions for each. For example, Chapter 9, “Exploring questions,” looks at questions that demonstrate your interest in the job and the company. Chapter 10, “Defensive questions,” helps protect you from taking the wrong job. Chapter 11, “Feedback questions,” focuses on questions that allow the interviewer to identify objections so you can deal with them. Chapter 12, “Bid for action questions,” suggests phrasings so you can actually ask for the job, an important step that most candidates miss.

Reader: I especially appreciate the questions in Chapter 13, “Questions for superstars.” Do candidates really ask such in-your-face questions?

Author: Some do. It’s a question of how confident you are as a candidate. Chapter 14, “You got an offer. Congratulations!” deals with the happy outcome that you have received an offer and you want the job. Naturally you have many questions. Chapter 15, “You blew the interview. Now what?” looks at the near certainty that at least some of your applications will be rejected. Don’t lose heart. There is still hope, if not for another shot at the company then at least a powerful learning opportunity.

So that’s how the book is laid out. Any other questions?

Reader: Yes, from what you have just told me, I’m pretty sure that this book is pretty much what I need. So can I buy it, read it, and get back to you with any remaining questions?

Author: Absolutely. Email me at jkador@jkador.com. I welcome your questions and I wish you the best in your job search.

John Kador
Geneva, IL
January 2002

201 Best Questions to Ask On Your Interview is published by McGraw-Hill.

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