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And so it goes. A similar dialogue could happen in any industry. By using these diagnostic questions, the job hunter is inferring that she has a good grasp of the Web services model and the real threat that it poses to a traditional desktop software vendor. In this example, the questioning technique served to establish the immediate credibility of the job hunter with the prospective employer. Question based selling has the potential to transform an ordinary interrogative interview into a business discussion, allowing the job hunter to expand the scope of the questions and initiate a relationship with the employer.

Applying this technique to your job hunt will help to uncover the employer’s needs that your skills, experience, and talents address in a natural uncontrived manner.

Other Examples of Lead-In/Follow-Up Questions

Marketing Communication

Job hunter: May I ask you a question?

Prospective employer: Yes, if you make it quick.

Job hunter: How many trade shows are you planning on attending in the next 12 months?

Prospective employer: Currently, we are planning to attend 6 events, with perhaps another 2 to 3 events being considered.

Job hunter: Do you have defined specific goals for these events in terms of how many new leads are to be collected, prospective customers to be met, and/or major announcements to be made? How do you quantify your ROI for participating at these events?

Prospective employer: Uum . . . well, we usually look at the number of new customers that we sign up in the 8 to 12 months following the event.

Job hunter: Do you build a communication plan for each event, which would outline deliverables and timelines tied to communication with existing/prospective customers, as well as media representatives and key opinion leaders? [You may be surprised to learn most companies don’t have such a plan in place.]

Web Site Design

Job hunter: May I ask you a question?

Prospective employer: Most certainly. What’s on your mind?

Job hunter: I noted on your web site that quite a few of your customers are in the public sector.

Prospective employer: That is correct.

Job hunter: Have these customers inquired about meeting compliance with the new accessibility standards as outlined in standards like W3C A, W3C AA, and U.S. Section 508?

Prospective employer: As a matter of fact, more and more organizations are inquiring about this.

Job hunter: What are you advising your customer to do in terms of migrating to such compliant web sites?

The bottom line is this: If you have any in-depth knowledge of a subject that would enable you to contribute to an organization’s success, you should be able to phrase 10 to 15 questions that would undoubtedly position you as an expert. Of course, make sure that you can answer these questions; otherwise it could get quite awkward if the prospective employer turns the table and questions you.

Better still, be ready to give concrete examples of how you could apply your knowledge in response to these diagnostic questions. Be smart about it. Make sure that you have a signed contract before answering too many questions. You have knowledge that prospective employers want to make use of, but that knowledge should not be offered for free.

GUERRILLA INTELLIGENCE

Are You Outstanding?

Matt Massey

To be outstanding is tough and it’s not for the faint of heart. We connect every day with people who are uninspired and unmotivated. Individuals who are either too lazy or too whatever to challenge themselves to be better by setting standards for themselves that help them rise above the crowd. My recommendation is THROW OUT THE STATUS QUO.

Now, think of your last 3 job interviews—what did you do to put yourself above your competitors? What did you do to make the customer, prospect, or interviewer want to work with you? How did you engage them? Did you make a positive lasting impression? If you relied on the status quo, odds are