Five Questions You Should Always Ask On An Interview
By Judi Perkins
An interview is a two-way street. It’s never a good
idea to go in without prepared questions and you should be
able to easily come up with 15 - 20 first-interview questions to
ask.
But these five - in some form - should always
be asked. Not only will they help you to ascertain if the job for
which you are interviewing meets the criterion of your perfect job,
but the answers, when put together, will give you a fairly accurate
picture of what's going on behind the interview.
- WHAT PRIORITIES WILL NEED TO BE ADDRESSED IMMEDIATELY?: A title alone tells you nothing. The job description won't reveal much either, except whether or not you're capable of doing what's required functionally on a daily basis. For the same reason that you put your accomplishments on your resume - and not just the job description - here, too, you want to get a sense of the individuality of this job in this company.
Was everything left running smoothly? Is it picking up and
continuing normal daily functions? Is there damage control to
be done? If so, is there a time line for the repair, and is it
achievable considering your capabilities? Is it realistic
regardless of who holds the position?
This will begin to clue you in about both the supervisor and
the previous employee. If you’ve already been provided with
some detail, the answer should track with what you learned
earlier.
- HOW LONG WAS THE PREVIOUS PERSON HERE?
If that person was there an oddly short time, you also want to
know how long the person before that was
there. And you’d be wise to ask under what circumstances they
each left.
If the job is in disarray, and the last two people were there
a short period of time and were fired, you don't need to ask any
other questions. Exit gracefully and then run! Because before long,
you, too, will be terminated for not achieving whatever it is they
want done - regardless of if the stated time frame sounded
realistic or not.
- TELL ME ABOUT YOUR MANAGEMENT STYLE. HOW DO YOU BRING OUT THE BEST IN YOUR EMPLOYEES?: Is he a micro manager? Is he an information hound that must be kept informed? Does he help you if you have trouble? Do any mentoring? Or is he a berating, derogatory, jerk?
Obviously he's not going to come right out and tell you he's a
micro manager! Instead he might say, "I like to keep a very close
watch on what's going on in my department," or "I visit with each
member of my department on a daily basis to make sure they're
staying on track," or something similar.
You'll find that the person will be fairly straightforward in
sharing their management style with you. What you want to pay
attention to is how they word it.
Perkins, page 2
- WHAT TYPES OF PEOPLE TEND TO EXCEL HERE?: Workaholics? Ones who are self-motivated and manage themselves well? People who work well in teams or committees?
This tells you something about the pervasive culture in the
company or department. Generally speaking, companies - or
departments - tend to be made up of similar types of people that
are in harmony with the company culture and philosophy.
An entrepreneurial person won't function well in a committee
environment. People who are accustomed to thinking for
themselves will find themselves chafing in a company that has a
more dictatorial style. Those who perform better when they're
told what to do will be adrift in a company that requires its
employees to think for themselves.
- HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN HERE? WHY DO YOU STAY?: The answer will give you an indication as to the health of the department or company. It will also give you additional insight into your potential boss, his management style, and what type of people excel there.
These are informational questions, not challenges. Be
genuinely interested in the answer, because you're gaining valuable
information that has to do with your future. Match what
you’ve learned with what you are looking for.
Pay attention to the interviewer's body language and facial
expressions. Is he relaxed? Does he fill in some of the spaces?
Does he speak TO you - or AT you? These, too, are valuable cues,
and you'll need to piece them together with the verbal information
you received.
Your perfect job might land in your lap by grace and good
fortune. But more likely, you'll need to look for it. It's there -
but to recognize it, you'll need to know what it
doesn't look like, as well as what it
does.
