So you are going to interview for that great job you found – but what are the best questions to ask to determine if it’s a fit for you? You may only get to ask a couple, so make them count! This is a major opportunity to interview the interviewer. You want to take advantage of whatever chance you can to determine early on if this is the right company for you.
Interviewing is a way to not only have employers ask questions to see if you are the right fit for their company, but also vice versa. It is always important to ask yourself if you can see yourself working for the company you are interviewing for. Asking a variety of questions that really gives you good insight on if the job opportunity is going to be a good match is vital. This is easier said than done, so we have some tips for you.
CULTURE IS CRITICAL
Your skill set may be a match but what about culture? Ask questions that really give you a good sense about what people at that company are like. Ask about company outings, dress code, benefits and wellness. These types of details are extremely important to see if you would be a good match to the company.
You want to also already be clear about what YOU are looking for in culture. Do you value work life balance? Maybe a close knit culture is important to you. Work hard play hard may be up your alley. Perhaps a lot of structure, or a little structure is important. The point is that you have a good picture of what you value so you can compare what you hear.
Really honing in on what a person in the position you are interviewing for needs to address or do in the role in order to be successful are good questions to ask as well. Assuming you are talking to the direct hiring manager, find out what they expect a successful person in the role to accomplish. You will want to get in their head. Could you really do the job? Are their expectations realistic?
Below are three very good and important questions to ask during a interview that we read in an article called, “Three Interview Questions To Test If An Employer Is Right For You”.
1.) WHAT CHARACTER TRAITS DO PEOPLE DEMONSTRATE THAT SUCCEED IN THIS ROLE AND COMPANY?
A question like this really will give you insight on if this role is a good personality fit for you and if you will be capable of being successful by how your traits and habits are. You will know right away of those traits are describing you or not.
2.) WHAT ARE YOUR FAVORITE THINGS ABOUT WORKING AT THIS COMPANY?
Learning about why your interviewers like to work at the company you are interviewing for is a question that really determines the culture of the business. If you can gauge if they truly enjoy their job and work culture it will give you an idea of how everyone feels about the company. It is important to work somewhere that your co workers enjoy working at because it creates good relationships amongst each other. You can even ask what are some of the things they dislike about the company. It’s natural and healthy for there to be likes and dislikes. No company is perfect and you should never expect that. What they dislike will still be very insightful.
3.) WHAT CHALLENGES HAS YOUR TEAM FACED IN THE LAST YEAR? WHAT ARE YOUR TEAM’S GOALS FOR THE NEXT YEAR?
Asking a question in regards to what challenges the department or company you will work for gives you realistic goals that soon will be on your plate. Seeing what goals they are trying to accomplish will give you an overview of what your job will entail.
CONCLUSION
Asking the right questions at a job interview really will give you a good idea if it will be the right fit. Don’t take a job just because it looks good on your resume or because of money. We see way too many people get caught up in money and wanting to make a move try to get ahead. Chose a job that you will be a good fit for you both skill wise and personality.
You have to be smart about making a move, your resume needs to show stability. Our clients are constantly turning down resumes because people look like job hoppers. Often times those people left their jobs because they ended up not being a good cultural fit. This is understandable. But if they had done a better job of looking at this before accepting an offer, they wouldn’t be stuck in this sticky situation.
The last thing you want is to be stuck at a company because you didn’t do your due diligence. Or you have to jump from a couple jobs and now you look unstable. There is a lot of risk in not asking the right questions during your interview.
Make the most of your career and your life! Aldebaran Recruiting is here to coach our candidates throughout the entire recruitment process making sure our candidates and clients have the right fit.
