The Hidden Step
www.necouncil.org/the
hidden
step
You cannot possibly get an offer on the phone. Even if you
could, you probably would not want to. Job offers worth
entertaining are usually proposed after the appointment
(interview) and are best constructed in-person. And to get
to the appointment, one must successfully answer the ques-
tions asked during the phone interview.
During the phone interview, you can either answer the
questions in a manner that satisfes curiosity, or raises it.
In both instances, you are answering the questions. Yet the
frst approach is totally ineffective and moves you away
from the appointment. The second gets the appointment
every time.
Preparation Step Eight
Raise the curiosity, not satisfy it
8
preparation steps
Consider the following example.
Suppose you are a buyer for a bottling company and are shopping for bottles look-
ing for the best price. You fnd the lowest price as 0.90 cents per bottle. You want
to shop two more companies before making a decision. You call the frst company
and ask the salesperson:
YOU: “How much are your water bottles?”
THE FIRST SALESPERSON: “$2.90 per bottle.”
You thank him or her and hang up the phone. Obviously the price is too high and
you have all the information you need. Since the salesperson did not identify your
needs frst, the response was a shot in the dark. Unfortunately, it was way off and
at the same time your curiosity was satisfed. The salesperson lost you as a client.
You call the second company and ask the next salesperson the same question:
YOU: “How much are your water bottles?”
The salesperson thanks you for the call and responds with: