The “Fatal Flaw” question
TRAPS: If an
interviewer has read your resume carefully, he may try to zero in on a “fatal
flaw” of your candidacy, perhaps that you don’t have a college degree…you’ve
been out of the job market for some time…you never earned your CPA, etc.A fatal flaw question can be deadly, but usually only if you respond by being overly defensive.
BEST ANSWERS: As every master salesperson knows, you will encounter objections (whether stated or merely thought) in every sale. They’re part and parcel of the buyer’s anxiety. The key is not to exacerbate the buyer’s anxiety but diminish it. Here’s how…
Whenever you come up against a fatal flaw question:
1.
Be
completely honest, open and straightforward about admitting the
shortcoming. (Showing you have nothing
to hide diminishes the buyer’s anxiety.)
2.
Do
not apologize or try to explain it
away. You know that this supposed flaw
is nothing to be concerned about, and this is the attitude you want your
interviewer to adopt as well.
3.
Add
that as desirable as such a qualification might be, its lack has made you work
all the harder throughout your career and has not prevented you from compiling
an outstanding tack record of achievements.
You might even give examples of how, through a relentless commitment to
excellence, you have consistently outperformed those who do have this
qualification.
Of course,
the ultimate way to handle “fatal flaw” questions is to prevent them from arising in the first place. You will do that by following the master
strategy described in Question 1, i.e., uncovering the employers needs and them
matching your qualifications to those needs.Once you’ve gotten the employer to start talking about his most urgently-felt wants and goals for the position, and then help him see in step-by-step fashion how perfectly your background and achievements match up with those needs, you’re going to have one very enthusiastic interviewer on your hands, one who is no longer looking for “fatal flaws”.
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