Richard Bolles, the ultimate guru of the job search by virtue of his perennially best-selling What Color is Your Parachute? writes: "There is a simple thing any job-hunter can do at the end of a hiring interview that will greatly increase your chances of being offered the job. And that simple thing is: at the end of the interview, ask for the job. It doesn't seem to matter how you ask for the job. That is to say, the actual words don't seem to matter. It can be something simple, like: 'Can you offer me this job?'" Read more: Bolles goes on to explain the psychology of asking and how he came across this approach.

The Interview Coach, Carole Martin, who is to interviewing what Bolles is to the overall job search, offers a strategy for responding to the interview question, "When have you been most motivated?" Writing at HR.com (no-cost registration may be required), Martin says this question is "about knowing what you want." She suggests an exercise for getting at the answer: "Begin by making a list of the tasks at your last job -- the tasks that you were particularly proud of, or were energized by. In other words, 'when your job turned you on.'" Martin says to continue the exercise for all past jobs. Then: "Take this list of motivating experiences and script an answer to the question, 'What motivates you?' Scripting answers prepares you and also makes you sound more confident."

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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