Interview technique ... Would you do this?

I came across this video on LinkedIn today about "closing" during a job interview, making that final sales pitch to sell yourself to an employer.

http://www.linkedin.com/news?viewArticle=&articleID=962044255&gid=1885602&type=member&item=83688309&articleURL=http%3A%2F%2Fcareerconfidential%2Ecom%2Fdont-make-this-critical-interview-mistake-listen-to-this%2F&urlhash=Ymjo&trk=group_most_popular-0-b-shrttl&goback=%2Egdr_*2_*2%2Emyg

The crux of the short video is that at the end of the interview, rather than just thanking the employer for their time, leaving and hoping for the best, you should say something to effect of, "I can see myself thriving in this role and I'm really excited for that opportunity. Can you see me thriving in this role? Is there any way we can move me on to the next step and set up a meeting for next week?"

Essentially, it's taking your last moments in front of the employer to make a final push and try to get them to commit to bringing you back for the next round of interviews or whatever.

I'm curious as to everyone's take on this. Does this sound like something that would work? Is it bold and the act of a motivated go-getter, or is it pushy? I could see an employer taking it either way.

 

If I'm presented with an interview closing like that, my first thought will be that this person will always be trying to push his/her agenda on me.

 

It seems pushy. There is nothing wrong with showing confidence, but an interviewee needs to realize an employer usually interviews several candidates. When all of them use the technique mentioned, how effective can it be?

 

I think the first sentence is fine and it should stop there. The last two? Not so much.

 

Exactly. The rest would probably hurt his/her chances with me.

 

I think the argument that she makes is that most candidates would NOT do that. She presents it as bold, something that, frankly, takes some balls and she seems to believe it will set you apart from the other candidates.

The way she says it strikes me as overly pushy, almost like car or insurance salesman saying, "Let's go draw up the paperwork" when you haven't agreed to a deal. But I think I like the concept, if not the execution.

 

I would never be that pushy.

I am hoping that I never have to interview for another job ever again. Nothing sucks the life out of me more than looking for work.

 

I am not sure how much this would work. Most interviewing seems to be done by an HR person and a hiring manager, except for for real front line positions I don't think single interviewing happens very much (at least corporately).

As there is usually a discussion post interview on whether to advance a person I don't see how this works. Sure it is a differentiator but if you can't make an impact prior to this gimmick I am not sure it would help.

 

How many jobs have a "next round" of interviews where "another meeting" could take place?

You either get the call with a job offer . . . or you don't.

 

I couldn't disagree with this more. The majority of jobs I've gotten had more than one interview. When I was in a position to hire, I often, though not always, had more than one round.

At one position I'm seeking right now, I interviewed with one person whose job it was to weed out candidates and bring a list of three or four top candidates to the company president so he doesn't waste his time interviewing people who won't be a good fit.

I'd say it's fairly common.

I think the bolded part is spot on. I don't think I'd ever push the way she did in the video, but I think making a closing pitch beyond, "Thanks for your time," is a good idea.

Part of it depends on what kind of position you're applying for as well. If you're interviewing to be an investigative reporter, maybe being pushy isn't such a bad thing. If you're interviewing for the copy desk, it can definitely be a negative.

As I noted earlier, the way she phrases it sounds almost like a used car salesman using high-pressure tactics. Maybe that works on one person in 50, and that might be enough for someone who only needs to sell a few expensive cars per month, but when it comes to job interviews, I think you'd like a much higher success rate than that.