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Asking the Right Questions to a Future Employer?
coronaride asks: "One of the things that always seems to leave me stumped in a job interview is the dreaded 'Do you have any questions for us?' question. I was always taught that while it's great to have the answers, almost equally important is to ask the right questions. When interviewing for a development position, what are some good questions to ask? For you employers, how much weight, if any, do you put on this open-ended question? A few obvious things come to mind regarding benefits, atmosphere, development style, etc., but I'm curious to see others' opinions on not only what is expected, but what is appropriate as well."
And say Who's the slut
"Eve of Destruction", it's not just for old hippies anymore...
What about: "Can I go now?"
One thing you may not want to ask is: "Is there any advancement?" or something similar. While in some cases this may show thay you are eager to learn and work hard, some of the employers may not like this for the following two reasons:
1) They don't want you to steal their job.
2) They need to fill a specific position and want to hire somebody that will be satisfied with working in that position for the next 15 years.
Religion for nerds. Stuff that really matters
Now that I'm on the other side of the table, I find myself asking candidates if they have any questions.
The primary reason is simply because I just want to make sure I answered any question the guy might have... Sometimes, the candidate's technical skills might be right, but there are other non-skill aspects to a job that makes it right for the person. Work hours, flexibility, friendliness, dress code, etc. So if there are aspects that matter, you should ask.
If you ask questions that are relevant to the company, it also shows that you've been paying attention, and that you're not just looking for a paycheck...
I like it when the interviewee asks me questions, because it shows me what they're interested in. This may be good or bad for the interviewee, but it's useful as a tool. Eg, given two similar candidates, I'd be much more likely to hire the one who asked, "What problems have you had with your architecture?" than one who asked, "What hours are expected?", because of what they intimate about the mindset of the interviewee.
Of course, I'd probably be more likely to hire the one who asked what hours are expected vs the one who asked no questions at all, since at least the one asking questions is expressing interest in making sure that the position is compatible.
Good questions, IMHO, to ask are ones that indicate an interest in the company or the position.
"What is your favourite aspect of working for $company?". Usually pretty revealing, unless the company hires external interviewers...
YEARS ago when I worked retail while I was in college I managed a software store and was interviewing people for seasonal part time help. I had just finished interviewing a new applicant I asked him "do you have any questions for me". His reponse was "Will my hours be flexible, because I have to take my wife to meet with her parole officer on Tuesday's....".
;)
That was almost as good as the guy who came in asked for a application then asked who the hiring manager was, I replied "I am", he replied "No who really is the hiring mananger", I just pointed to my nametag which said "manager" and said "No I really am". Sort of surprised he never came back with the application
After living through the dot-com era, I always ask about the business - how their financials are, what kind of funding they have, how the company is run, and so forth, as well as questions about what they really do to make a living. Meaning - that except for some rare cases like Google, people don't really give a shit about computers - they are just the best solution to their problems, but not something they get particularly excited about. Show an interest in how you and your skills can help their business. Ask about what makes the company tick. Ask about how the company got started. At worst, you'll learn something interesting, and most likely, you'll make a good impression by conveying the message that you have broader interests than just the geeky side of things.
http://www.welton.it/davidw/
1. I always ask if the position is newly created or replacing a departed employee and, if so, what was the reason for their leaving.
2. I also will always ask what are their top 3 priorities for the next 6 months and what my role would be in realizing them.
Answers to these two questions are extremely helpful in finding out if you should accept an employment offer.
It's simple: I demand prosecution for torture.
Why is this position available?
Is this a new position? How long has this position existed?
How many people have held this position in the last two years?
Who would be my supervisor? To whom would I report?
Whom will I supervise?
With whom will I be working most closely?
What do you like about working for this company?
What are the current plans for expansion or cutbacks?
What kind of turnover rate does the company have?
How financially sound is this company?
What projects and assignments will I be working on?
What happened to the person that held this position before? Was he promoted or fired?
What is this company's culture? (Ex: Is it rigid and formal or relaxed and flexible?)
What are the current problems facing the company (or my department)?
What do you like the most about working for this company? The least?
What is the philosophy of the company?
What do you consider to be the company's strengths and weaknesses?
What are the company's long and short term goals?
Describe the work environment.
What attracted you (the interviewer) to this organization?
Why do you enjoy working for this company?
Describe the typical responsibilities of the position.
What are the most challenging aspects of the position?
Describe the opportunities for training and professional development.
Will I receive any formal training?
What is the company's promotional policy?
Are there opportunities for advancement within the organization?
When can I expect to hear from you?
Good questions, IMHO, to ask are ones that indicate an interest in the company or the position.
I interview a fair number of people at the company I work for. I always ask the applicant if they have any questions. If they don't, I'm usually not too excited about having them work for me. When I'm talking one-on-one with them, I'm trying to figure out their level of enthusiasm and interest in my company and the position I'm offering. Their resume and technical presentation already tell me about their intelligence level so I don't spend too much time asking them technical questions one-on-one. But all the smarts in the world doesn't do me much good if the person isn't interested in the work that I'd be giving them. The world is full of geniuses that don't amount to anything because they don't put forth any effort. I don't want them working for me.
I also want to see that they are starting to seriously visualize themselves working here. I want to know that they've done their homework and have some knowledge about type of work we do here. So I'd like to see them ask some questions about our technical work but also some questions about benefits, company culture, and other things that make me think that they are imagining themselves working here and staying for many years.
I just gave a talk to some students at the local university here about getting a job and the on-site interview. I told them to think about it as a first date. I realize the concept of a "date" may be a bit foreign to slashdotters so let me elaborate. You want to emphasize your good attributes but stay a bit humble. You also want to show interest without appearing desparate. You wouldn't go to a date and just sit there saying nothing. Similarly, you wouldn't want to monopolize the conversation. There should be an interplay and back-and-forth. You don't have to make the interview your best buddy, but when you leave the room you want s/he to not only respect your technical abilities but also desire to have you as a member of their team.
If you cannot think of some good questions to ask prior to the interview, then you should seriously question whether you are truly interested in the company. A little bit of brainstorming is necessary, but you shouldn't have to strain to come up with questions. If so, then your questions are merely for show and a keen interviewer will see right through them (much like the infamous "My biggest failing is that I'm a workaholic" crap).
Good luck,GMD
watch this
See, that only works if the interviewer is a married man with a photo of his wife or daughter on his desk. If you get to the "Do you have any questions for me?" part of the interview and the hiring manager is a woman, you need to ask,
"Who let you out of the kitchen???"
[FYI - it's *FUNNY* people... stop being so PC, no one's being serious here! Geez - I'm a woman!]
If you already know you want to work at the place, ask questions like you already work there.
Questions similar to "What dress code will I need to follow?" can easily bump you up into the "you're hired" zone. When you ask questions like that, you are showing confidence AND you are acting like a fellow employee rather than a prospective one. (Salesmen will recognize this as "closing the sale/deal")
This can make or break you getting a job when there are many similarly qualified people competing with you.
Unless there isn't much serious competition for the job, DON'T ask questions like you are demanding things or expecting more than was offered very soon. Questions like "how long before new employees get an office?" or "how often are raises given out?" are very bad to ask if you really want the job. If the company gets the impression that the money they are offering is already bothering you, or that you're likely to bitch about your working environment, you're much less likely to get hired unless you don't have much competition.
This is not a dream, not a dream...we are transmitting from the year 1-9-9-9.
Funnily enough, not all of them are made up.
MMO Quests are like orgasms:
You may solo them, I prefer them in a group.
Geez - I'm a woman!
Hi.
Firstly come with two copies of your CV printed on crisp 100mg paper. give that over to the interviewers - more likely than not your recruitment agent will have completely bastardised yours. Make sure its fantastic if you do this.
Here is my list of question i keep to use:
Position in the company
1) What role do you see me performing in the company?
2) Is it a client facing role?
3) what would be typical projects i would be doing?
4) what sort of department size is it?
5) What scope would there be for me to lead a project now/ in the future(sort of relates to 1)?
What the company does
6) Which kind of projects are your bread and butter work?
7) Do you have any major project (i.e. high profile ) jobs on the go?
8) who are your main clients - do you get repeat buisness?
9) which areas of the local region/world do you operate in?
10)Which parts of the buisness are you hoping to expand further (a good
question, which they shouldn't waffle on)?
General training
11) will they support you in your X institution training?
12) will they support you in your future academic / part time learning (then ask about course fees and time off, don't get too awkard about this in the interview)?
I sort of used them as bullet points, you tend to find a lot of them get
answered as you go through the interview, they tend to ask themselves two
questions:
i) can you do the job (with a bit of additional training)
ii) will you fit into my team
all the rest are nice to haves
other useful tips are to take a couple of pens/pencils and a pad of paper,
i used to take a copy of all my questions to ask and obviously look down
the sheet, when they ask you..'so do you have any questions?'
As i said easy to use and it shows preparation (you did find out what the comapny does didn't you?)
GOOD LUCK.
Boing boing boing....
When I interview candidates, I generally talk most of the time - in fact, it's about an 80/20 ratio of my voice to theirs in the first interview.
Why? Because the questions you bring up tell me more about you than any questions I could ask you directly.
What questions are good questions? Ask me how I got my job. Ask me (as another poster mentioned) what I like best about the work environment. Ask me what, if anything, ticks me off on a day-to-day basis. Ask me about the team structure, who you'd be working with and what happened to the guy before you.
What not to ask me: During the first interview, I don't want to hear questions about our family-leave or maternity policies - I am hiring you to work, not to hire on then take a bunch of time off.
Neither do I want to hear about your upcoming wedding/vacation/spiritual retreat "that's been scheduled for several months and can't be moved." Got one of those? Then bring it up during negotiations when I've decided you're the right candidate and you have some leverage... because I can tell you right now, in the first interview, it's all about me: My company, my leverage, my needs being met.
If you're female, don't wear an engagement ring without a wedding band, because I will think "OK, she's likely getting married soon and that'll chew up months of productivity." If you're male, don't mention to me that you coach your kids' soccer team because I'll have the same productivity concerns.
Again: You can be more human in the second and subsequent interviews, but the first interview is a screen, and the only criteria really come down to: Are you engaged and inquisitive? Are you utterly focused on showing me the value you bring to the table? And are you of lower risk/liability than other applicants?
"It was a summer's tale: Just a boy, his Linux, and a head full of dreams..."
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I like:
"Based on my resume, my experience, and my interview; are there any concerns that I will not be the right person for the job?"
Gives you a chance to head off any concerns or possible misunderstandings. I have never used it (same company for several years), but my wife has with great results.
Jason
"FORMAT C:" - Kills bugs dead!