Ask Open Ended Question

1. Ask Open-Ended Questions??

Closed-ended questions can be answered yes or no, and begin with

words such as “does,” “did,” “has,”  “would,” and “is.” Open-ended questions—which usually begin with “how,” “when,” and “who”—create opportunities

for a conversation and a much richer exchange of information.

This is a closed-ended question:

For Example:

Employee: Does the company have a child-care center on-site?

INTERVIEWER: Yes.

Here is an open-ended question:

Employee: How does the company support working parents?

INTERVIEWER: Let me show you a brochure about our award-winning

day-care center located right here in the building. Working Woman recently

rated it one of the top ten corporate day-care centers in the

United States . . .

“Why” questions also start open-ended questions, but they often

come off as too challenging in a job interview.

2. Keep It Short

Nothing is as disconcerting as a candidate spewing out a long, complicated

question only to have the interviewer look confused and say, “I’m

sorry. I don’t understand your question.” Restrict every question to one

point. Resist mouthfuls like this:

I know that international sales are important, so how much of the company’s

revenues are derived from overseas, is that percentage growing,

declining, or stable, do international tariffs present difficulties, and how

will currency fluctuations impact the mix?

No interviewer should be expected to take on such a complicated question.

If you really think a conversation about these points is in your interest,

indicate your interest in the issue and then break the question into

separate queries.

3. Don’t Interrupt

Wait for the interviewer to finish the question. In other words, listen.

Many candidates get anxious or impatient and jump in before the interviewer is finished asking the question. Sometimes they want to show off

and demonstrate that they “get it.”

Don’t do it. The risks of flubbing outweigh any points you may get

for appearing swift. To combat the tendency to interrupt, make sure

the interviewer is really finished with each question. It’s a good idea

to pause three seconds before answering. If you can, use the time to

think about what you want to say. In your mind’s eye, repeat the question

to yourself. Consider repeating it to the interviewer. See if you really

have it. If not, ask the interviewer to repeat the question. Even if

you can’t make productive use of the three seconds, the pause will

make you look thoughtful. The pause will also protect you from answering

an incomplete question. For example, one candidate reported

the following exchange:

For Example:

HIRING MANAGER: I see by your résumé that you’ve had six systems

analyst jobs in six years . . .

CANDIDATE [interrupting]: . . . And you want me to explain the job hopping,

right?

HIRING MANAGER: Actually, I was going to ask what’s one new skill

you took away from each job. But since you mentioned job hopping,

I am concerned about your ability to stick with one employer for

more than year.

Oops. Better to wait for the full question.

How much better it would have been for the above candidate if the exchange

had gone this way:

HIRING MANAGER: I see by your résumé that you’ve had six systems

analyst jobs in six years. Can you mention one specific skill you took

away from each experience?

CANDIDATE: You’re asking what’s one important skill I added to my

portfolio from each of the jobs I’ve held, is that right?

HIRING MANAGER: Exactly.

CANDIDATE: Fair question. Let’s take my jobs in order. At Netcom, I

learned how to implement an enterprise network management strategy.

Then at 4Com, I worked with client-side Java programming.

believe you mentioned Java as one of the hot buttons for this job.

After that, I finally got my hands on . . .

4. Getting to Yes

James Joyce, the author of Ulysses, went out of his way to end his epic

novel with a big “Yes,” the most affirming word in the English language.

He knew that ending the novel with “Yes” would let readers exit the

novel with a positive frame of mind.

Your goal in the job interview is also to end the interview on an affirmation.

In fact, the more yes’s and statements of agreement you can

generate, the better off you will be. Why? People, including job interviewers,

really prefer being agreeable. Few people enjoy saying no. Who

needs arguments? The best way to avoid arguments is to say yes.

If the job interview features wave after wave of yes’s, think how much

easier it will be for the interviewer to say yes to that last question,

whether it’s asked explicitly or implicitly:

I think I’ve demonstrated I’m qualified for this job. I’d very much like

to join the team. Can we come to an agreement?

In tactical terms, that means framing your interview questions so the answers

you want or expect will be positive. Here’s an example of an exchange

between a candidate and an interviewer to demonstrate the

power of yes.

For Example

CANDIDATE: I have long been impressed by Acme Widgets. It’s been the

leader in pneumatic widgets for over 50 years, right?

INTERVIEWER: (proudly) Yes!

CANDIDATE: I noticed in the current annual report that the company sets

aside $50 million, or 2.5 percent of revenues, for research and development.

That’s more than all of your competitors, isn’t it?

INTERVIEWER:Yes. We lead the industry in allocation of R&D by revenue.

CANDIDATE: As the market for widgets gets more commoditized, we

will have to differentiate the product, right? What specifically is the

company doing to preserve the market share it has gained over the

years?

As the interviewer answers the question, note the subtle messages the

candidate is sending. The candidate ends each question with “right?”

which invites the interviewer to answer with “yes.” Of course, the candidate

must be on sure ground. The candidate certainly wants to avoid

any possibility that the interview will answer, “No, that’s not quite

right.” Good research makes such questioning possible.

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