Wish I had had these questions to (especially about the manager's style) prior to my past interviews. In my experience it helps to especially gauge major corporation staff, because they drop you like a hot potato when you least expect it. Thank you so much for these terrific ideas!!
SWof TX8:48PM July 05, 2012
These are excellent suggestions for follow-up questions, and I plan to use one or more in future interviews.
Tomof CT8:12AM June 03, 2012
This is my 12th year w/my current employer. I was apart of a company merger. Needless to say that once the merger went through, the department I was working in was individually phased out and I became a displace employee. However, after 8 months, I returned to work and I now work in a department where unfortunately there is absolutely no room for growth/advancement. I even applied for other positions throughout the company in other states, just to have an opportunity of continuing to move up in the company and of course, no luck. I have been online everyday looking for another job, of course, not just any job, because obviously I dont want to just take any job. However, I have a interview today w/a company in an area that I have always been interested in working in and was never even giving an opportunity to work in w/my current employer. All this to say that I have always stunk at interviews and then someone suggested that I google interviewing tips. I now have some idea on how to answer the questions that I always find difficult or unsure how to answer. Hopefully, I can go in and nail my interview today. Thanks for the tips :)
Pamof IL8:38AM May 30, 2012
Great list of question. Thanks for helping me prepare!
SKof OH1:59PM October 18, 2011
Thank you so much for those questions, Alison. (Where were you when I needed them?) I needed your advice so desperately a few years back. No amount of Internet searching led to any substantive advice I could really use.
I was at the top of my skills with 38 years of experience when my boss retired. I was so naive, it took me two years to realize why I wasn't getting a job. (Registered with nine employment agencies; sent out over 1,000 resumes on my own.)
The main reason was obviously my age (which makes absolutely NO sense to me!). However, if I had just had some of your stellar advice - such as what questions to ask a prospective employer - maybe, just maybe, I could have landed a decent job despite my age (or maybe not...?).
I know different industries have different requirements, etc., so FYI, I am a former legal secretary. I may be wrong, but I think that industry is particularly difficult.
Long story short: I lost everything - my home, all my material possessions, etc. I ended up homeless and hungry. Now I'm living on social security, which is barely enough to keep myself alive. At least the experience has taught me humility and to be grateful for what I have.
Alison, please tell me: Why is maturity and experience, along with top skills, including excellent references, not valued anymore in our business society? Three HR people have told me that they were instructed not to hire anyone over 40. Does that comport with your knowledge of the hiring industry?
Thank you for any light you can shed on this subject. And thank you for being who you are. Your special brand of wisdom is so rare in the hiring industry. Take it from one who knows.
On a lighter note: I laughed out loud until my belly hurt over your article about things candidates have said to you. Thank you for that - I really needed it!
With respect and thanks,
Sarah Catherine
Sarah Catherineof CA8:46AM March 29, 2011
I'm a recent college graduate as a dental assistant and my instructors were constantly stressing how important it is to ask questions directed toward the potential employers. That being said, I always wondered what some of the best questions would be. I have taken notes on this article and plan to utilize this material for my next interview!!!
Elizabeth Raymanof KY2:30PM February 09, 2011
First, I can see that Alison has some good points where we can ask some if not all of the questions to the employer/interviewer to "feel each other out" and see what goals and targets that the employer and potiential employee can reach and hopefully gain the job.
However, I agree with the other 3 replies to ask this, when will this game stop? This game of cat-and-mouse between employers and prospectives that can either lead to misunderstanding when the questions are asked by prospective employees or be used by human resource managers and higher-ups as a smoke-screen to "go through the motions" when they may have who they want lined up, but do the interview to make a good showing, so-to-speak.
We need to get back to honesty from both parties. Employers need workers and people need jobs, not posturing or stupid games that can frustrate both sides, especially the job-seeker.
Mikeof PA10:54AM December 29, 2010
I need a job ....... why is that bad? Why do I have to pretend that I am being picky? I am not. I need a job ... period. No, I don;t care how they get along, or what the company atmosphere is like. I want and need to work, and right now, there are so few jobs, I will tolerate whatever I need to in order to feed my family.
I am sick of you all making it even more difficult than it needs to be - I need a job.
tonja leveeof MO5:26PM December 21, 2010
I think some of your answers to these questions are extremely pessimistic and cynical and I seriously doubt most hiring mangers are going to think with your mindset. So I guess it's a good thing you're not a hiring manager! It's easy to find flaws with someone's ideas, but I don't see you putting questions out there that are any better...
Jackof VA10:51AM August 20, 2010
I'm not a manager or a supervisor - just a job-seeker - but these are the reasons I sometimes hesitate to ask these questions. I never ask the questions I really want to ask, because whenever I do, I get vague answers that feel like the interviewer is lying to me, or the answers suggest the interviewer thinks I'm digging too deeply. I am quite realistic about what might be appropriate and what might not (for example, "How would you describe the culture here" versus "Is there a lot of infighting and underhandedness here?"), and so I don't think that these questions are unreasonable to ask. BUT, I do think that employers/interviewers are unwilling to answer them honestly, and alternatively, I think employers/interviewers could easily interpret them in a way that I didn't actually mean. Taking a cue from Aaron, if I ask, "Can you describe a typical day or week in this position?", I imagine the employer/interviewer response could be, "You mean you don't have a good idea already of how this is supposed to go?"
Perhaps I am paranoid, or maybe the people in my industry ARE highly adversarial. I just imagine that the interviewer suspects everything that I say to be either manipulative or designed to make me seem more qualified than I actually am - even though I never set out to do EITHER of those things! - and that it is then their job to wade through my answers and pick out what they think the kernels of truth are. Thus, asking questions like these does not always go the way I hope it does.
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SW of TX 8:48PM July 05, 2012
Tom of CT 8:12AM June 03, 2012
Pam of IL 8:38AM May 30, 2012
SK of OH 1:59PM October 18, 2011
Sarah Catherine of CA 8:46AM March 29, 2011
Elizabeth Rayman of KY 2:30PM February 09, 2011
Mike of PA 10:54AM December 29, 2010
tonja levee of MO 5:26PM December 21, 2010
Jack of VA 10:51AM August 20, 2010
Andrea of CO 12:38PM August 11, 2010