It’s been over an hour of you pouring out your work experience (and your heart) to a potential employer and then the hiring manager asks if you have any last questions before wrapping up the interview. We’ve all been here and it throws us all off our game. Don’t let it.
Even though this is meant to be a formality and a way to end the conversation without simply showing you the door, it’s also an opportunity. Whether they intentionally do this or not, it’s one last chance to make a lasting final impression on your interviewer.
In a short article posted on Medium, Marshall Darr points out that this final remark is truly a moment to “add value to the conversation” before you both leave the interview. It will make a great impression if you do manage to pull it off because so many other candidates, having already asked what they feel like are too many questions throughout the interview, will simply shrug off this last opportunity at the end.
He also adds in this article that if you play your cards right, it could turn a completely lost cause into getting your foot in the front door. According to Darr, wrap things up by asking this question:
“Actually yeah, I was wondering what your best moment so far at [Company Name] was?”
See how this little nugget of cleverly masked, innocent curiosity could play out? It can give you great insight on your interviewer’s values, the company and just how well you might fit in with a position in their firm. Stop and think about this for a second, there is no higher note to end on than when your interviewer starts talking about their fondest memory of the company. This is a feeling that they will now subconsciously associate with you as a future employee prospect.
Aside from this being a great plus for you, it also gives you an idea of what your future co-workers value, the company culture and how they cultivate their team members. Now, if your interviewer seems to struggle coming up with a meaningful memory, it might be time to see this as a red flag for you to keep in mind should a job offer come along later.
When you find yourself hard-pressed with something to say during those awkward moments before the door closes, ask this question. Who knows, it might help!