Handling objections

Employer objections usually take the form of ‘I like you but . . .’
statements. For example, ‘I like you, but my main concern is that
most of your experience lies in retail which is not relevant to our
needs.’ You will encounter objections most often when going for
promotions or jobs in different vocations or industries. Whilst there
is no one correct way to deal with objections (they all need to be
dealt with confidently and convincingly), there is a three-step method
that you may find useful:
1. Agree with the objection: ‘Yes that’s correct. Most of my
experience does lie in retail.’ Agreeing tends to soften the inter-
viewer. Disagreeing will probably make you sound unreasonable,
if not desperate.
2. State why you think the objection does not represent a prob-
lem: ‘I’d like to point out that in retail most of the work I’ve
been doing is directly relevant to this job. Even though the
industry is not the same the skills are. For example, the skills
required in delivering high levels of customer service and
resolving customer complaints are the same as those you require.’
3. Affirm that the difference is not a problem and finish on a pos-
itive note: ‘In fact I see bringing in a fresh perspective to your
business as an advantage. I believe I can introduce new ideas
that will drive your business forward.’