This is where you need to pay attention!
The interview went well. You talked the interviewer through your career and your successes, and you discussed the business model in question. You skilfully brought in the knowledge and experience that hit exactly the points where your potential new role most needs transformation.
You talked about personal things too; you even felt a real rapport developing. The package is right. You’re ready to move. You agree on next steps if the decision-makers give you the green light.
Or: all previous interviews went well. There’s strong interest in you. Now you have the final conversation with the chair of the supervisory board or the founder of the holding company.
Then comes this harmless question. It doesn’t even have to be a deliberate trap or a hidden test.
1. When you’re asked whether you have any other questions, make sure you really haven’t missed anything about the business model. Surprise your interviewers (if you haven’t already done so during the interview) with specific points you’ve noticed or researched yourself.
Never leave this final question unanswered. It can be a killer!
2. I’m not a fan of template answers. But one answer that always works is a counter-question: “Let’s imagine we reach an agreement. What progress would need to be visible after, say, a year for you to be sure you’d hired the right person?”
This answer has a lot going for it. It gives you a blueprint of what’s actually expected of you, which isn’t a given. It shows the interviewer that you think in terms of delivery. And it shows that you’ve thought deeply about the role, well beyond the interview marathon.
What’s your experience with questions like this, as a candidate or as a decision-maker?
Who else has (as I did when I was younger) walked straight into a trap in an interview without noticing?
