Job interviews are often viewed as a one-sided
experience. This should not be the
case. A job interview is an opportunity
for the job candidate to learn as much as possible about not only the specific
job they are interviewing for but also about other important factors about the
company or organizations with which they are interviewing. While some of the questions recommended for
the candidate may seem to be common sense, there are a number of job candidates
who are either too nervous, shy or afraid to raise these critical questions.
What is the work environment? This question, while broad, can cover
everything from the formality of an office to the physical layout of the work
space. Depending on while both of these
areas are important, the former one is of great interest to manner younger job
candidates while the latter one is of more interest to more senior job seekers.
What are the opportunities for development? This question gets to the issue of how much the
company or organization values their people.
Specifically, the response should address formal training and
development programs including opportunities for academic and professional
coursework. Those interested in
professional degrees or on-going education must clearly follow-up on the
response to the question if it does not address those areas. An additional area of inquiry is the
selection process for future executives and other leaders. What is the process and how does it work.
How much travel is anticipated and what type? Some people crave travel. Other people hate travel. The job candidate needs to know up front how
much travel is anticipated and what kind.
Some businesses put travel in percentages: 25%, 50%, 75%? What kind of travel? Is it local?
Cross country?
International? Will it require
being away over weekend? Unless you are
committed to working 7x24, these questions are very important.
What is the policy toward telecommuting? Speaking of working 7x25, it is important to
ask about the home office policy. This
may be very important or not important to the candidate at present, but it is
something that should be known up front.
Whether due to a personal situation or bad weather, everyone wants to
work from home occasionally. And it is
essential to know about front about the potential employer’s policy toward home
office work.
What is the opportunity for advancement in this position and
what is the career track? While fewer if
any companies or organizations guarantee careers or any kind of job security,
most do surprisingly have career maps for each of the jobs in the company or
organization. Often but not always,
these are tied to the organization chart.
Is the next step from the job a lateral position? If so, what?
Is it a promotion? If so, what
are the responsibilities? Do these
require relocation? If so, what are the
possibilities? These questions are not
out of line. It is appropriate to think
3-5 years ahead while interview for the first or next position.
What are the expected work hours? Again, this may seem like a naïve question
but it is an important one. When does
the work day start? When does the work
day end? Is there overtime pay for
anything over that? What about
weekends? If so, how often? One more time…unless you are willing to work
7X24 for your base pay it is critical to ask these questions during the
interview.
What are the benefits with the position? This should be an up front question not an
after accepting the job question.
Benefits whether extensive or meager are part of the total compensation
package (salary, bonus, any other incentives such as stock or options and all
benefits). What is included? What does the employee have to
contribute? When do they start? Which are included and which are
optional? Which are most used by
employees? Least used and why? This is one more case where the questions are
either not asked or asked AFTER the job offer has been made.
What is the cash compensation? While more and more hiring managers and human
resources managers get this question out of the way up front, it is a critical
question. This encompasses base bay,
bonus and other incentives excluding benefits.
Related questions include: what are raises based on and how often? What is a typical raise? Does everyone get a raise? What are bonuses based on? Did everyone get a bonus last year? If not, why?
Are options available for this position?
While these questions sometimes are answered up front, they should be
the last questions discussed once the others are out of the way. They are important, but they may not be the
most important questions for most job candidates.
Finally, get the phone number and e-mail addresses of each
of the people who interview you. If you
do not get to ask all of these questions during the interview process, you need
to follow-up with them to get the answers.
A follow-up call or e-mail is often as important as the follow-up thank
you letter or e-mail which is mandatory for all candidates.
Job interviews can be fun and they can be terrifying. They are an opportunity for the company or
organization to see if the candidate is a fit for their open position. But equally important, it is an opportunity
for the job candidate to find out if the company or organization is a fit for
their goals, attitudes and life-style.
George F. Franks, III is the President and Principal Consultant with Franks Consulting Group, a career, business and nonprofit consulting service. Visit Franks Consulting Group on the web at:
Contact George at franksconsultinggroup@gmail.com
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