TRAPS: If aninterviewer has read your resume carefully, he may try to zero in on a “fatalflaw” of your candidacy, perhaps that you don’t have a college degree…you’vebeen out of the job market for some time…you never earned your CPA, etc.
A fatal flawquestion can be deadly, but usually only if you respond by being overlydefensive.
BEST ANSWERS: As every master salesperson knows, you willencounter objections (whether stated or merely thought) in every sale. They’re part and parcel of the buyer’sanxiety. The key is not to exacerbatethe buyer’s anxiety but diminish it. Here’s how…
Whenever youcome up against a fatal flaw question:
1. Becompletely honest, open and straightforward about admitting theshortcoming. (Showing you have nothingto hide diminishes the buyer’s anxiety.)
2. Donot apologize or try to explain it away. You know that this supposed flaw is nothing to be concerned about, andthis is the attitude you want your interviewer to adopt as well.
3. Addthat as desirable as such a qualification might be, its lack has made you workall the harder throughout your career and has not prevented you from compilingan outstanding tack record of achievements. You might even give examples of how, through a relentless commitment toexcellence, you have consistently outperformed those who do have thisqualification.
Of course,the ultimate way to handle “fatal flaw” questions is to prevent them from arisingin the first place. You will do that byfollowing the master strategy described in Question 1, i.e., uncovering theemployers needs and them matching your qualifications to those needs.
Once you’vegotten the employer to start talking about his most urgently-felt wants andgoals for the position, and then help him see in step-by-step fashion howperfectly your background and achievements match up with those needs, you’regoing to have one very enthusiastic interviewer on your hands, one who is nolonger looking for “fatal flaws”.