Interview questions we should ask

Posted: April 15, 2015 | Categories: Self-Improvement

Have you ever seen a situation where someone enthusiastically accepts a job offer, then discovered later that it wasn’t the working environment they had envisioned. Unfortunately, I find this happens far too often.  The result is frustration and the feeling that we are not where we need to be.  The question is, how do we find out what is behind the curtain?  The answer:  Ask good questions.  Here some examples of questions you can ask that can give you that “backstage pass”.  They are from a recent article in Business Insider and were constructed by Natasha Burton:

Question #1:  What are your expectations for this role?  This means, know exactly what we are getting to.  It keeps us away from saying, “Boy, if I had only known…”

Question #2:  What personalities flourish here?  Watch facial expressions and body language on this one.  They could tell you far more than words.

Question #3:  What personal or professional development opportunities exist?  If we have goals of advancing, we will need to be in a business where that can happen.  If I were asking this questions, I probably would pay more attention to the excitement displayed in the answer.

Question #4:  What is the typical career path for this position?  The best companies should have a well-defined map.  The others are more “by gosh and by golly”.

Question #5:  What is the company culture like?  Ask this question word for word and then be quiet and listen.  Just listen.

Question #6:  Do you have a bonus program?  

Question #7:  Why do you like working here?  If they don’t, it will show.

Question #8:  What values are important for company?  You will learn how they base their decisions.

Question #9:  What do you think are the top 5 assets of this company?

Question #10:  Where will I sit?  (Huh?)  Yes.  I know people who work in a windowless basement.  For many, this could affect their attitude.

Most important:  Ask these questions after you have built good rapport and trust.  Also, remember the old saying, “A coward dies a thousand deaths, but a hero only one”.  We are better off asking these questions that setting ourselves up for months of misery.

 

 

 

 

 

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