Gary Will's WORKSEARCH:
Selling Yourself To An Employer
Chapter 13: (continued)
Anticipating employers' concerns
From the book How to Prepare for an Employment Interview.
Get the entire book by e-mail in Microsoft Word format for US$10.
This book shows you how to sell yourself in an employment interview.
[Chapter 13: continued from here
] Acknowledgement is a way to show the interviewer in a non-threatening way that you heard and appreciate their concern, and to allow them to correct any misunderstandings you may have about it. The key is not to get defensive, argumentative, or dismissive over the interviewer's concerns.
The simplest way to acknowledge a concern is to say it back to the interviewer. You usually won't want just to repeat their words. It is often to your advantage to interpret what the interviewer said and determine what it really is that they don't think you would be able to achieve in the position.
For example, let's say the interviewer is concerned that you don't have the degree they were expecting. You wouldn't want to say back to the interviewer, "Yes, I can see how you'd prefer to have someone with a degree in [whatever]." This is acknowledgement, but it does nothing to help you. Instead you could say something like "Yes, I can certainly understand your concern that the person you hire have the right training. What do you expect that someone with this degree might be able to accomplish that others might have some problems with?"
Once you're aware of the concern, and have acknowledged it, you want to try to show how you can still achieve the objectives they've set for the position.
Unfortunately, sometimes you won't be able to do this. Not all concerns can be answered or compensated for. But that's always your goal.
FOCUS ON WHAT YOU CAN DO, NOT WHAT YOU CAN'T DO. Bring their attention back to the value you offer and the contribution you can make to their organization.
If the problem is a lack of experience...[continued here]
Read the entire book online or