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Let’s face it. Most job interviews are torture. Never knowing what the person sitting across from really wants to hear. Being judged on just a few short minutes of actual interaction. It can be brutal.
Now though, thanks to career experts Katharine S. Brooks and Lynn Taylor, we CAN actually know what the interviewer wants to hear if we ask just one very important question…
“Who succeeds in this position?”
Alternatively you can also ask, “How would you define success for this position?”
So WHY is this question so important in a job interview?
Here’s what they had to say to Business Insider about it…
“This question gives you ‘insider information’ about the position and the interviewer’s perspective on the organization,” says Brooks, the executive director of Vanderbilt University’s Center for Student Professional Development. “This is the type of information you can’t find easily on the internet.”
Taylor, a national workplace expert and the author of “Tame Your Terrible Office Tyrant: How to Manage Childish Boss Behavior and Thrive in Your Job,” says that as the hiring manager answers this question, they will provide insight on how your career goals align with the company’s priorities.
“Their response will likely elicit such invaluable input as specific skills they seek (you’ll pick up a lot more nuances than what’s included in a written job listing); the real priorities for the job (you’ll know this because of emphasis and time spent on each); an inside perspective of what it takes to secure the position (they’re in effect telling you specifically how to sell yourself according to their needs); and their culture, work ethic expectations, and style,” she says.
That, right there, is actually pretty brilliant.
Not only will that question help you steer the interview in a positive direction it will also come in handy should you happen to actually land the job.
Because, as Taylor says, “If you accept the position, you’ll always know whether you’re following the mission.”
Genius.
H/T Business Insider; Job interview image by Shutterstock