- Would you describe the duties of the job for me, please?
- Where and how does this job fit into the organization?
- What are the most important characteristics you are looking for in the person who holds this job? O What are the most important skills for success on this job?
- What would be the ideal experience for this job?
- Was the person holding this position promoted? To what?
- Is this a new position? If not, why are you looking for someone? How many people have been in this position in the last three (or more) years? If several, why so many?
- Are you satisfied with the performance of the department staff?
- What is the size of the personnel (engineering, accounting, planning, etc.) department?
- Will I have a staff? How large is this staff? Will I be allowed to hire and fire, or otherwise make changes in this staff?
- How much autonomy would I have to make decisions?
- What is your single greatest expectation of me in this job?
- Would you like to see this position expanded? Improved? How?
- What might a typical day be for me in this position?
- How do you think a person in this position should function?
- Where would you like to see the person in this position five or ten years from now?
- What is the company's philosophy about how a human resources (engineering, accounting, planning, purchasing, etc.) department should function?
- What is the biggest problem facing the department staff now?
- What unusual demands does the job have that I should know about? O Have there been outstanding results produced by people in this position? This department? This staff?
- What are my opportunities for growth from this position?
- May I have a copy of the company's annual report? May I see a copy of the company's policy manual?
- Are the company's personnel records on computer?
- What is the company's philosophy on training? Do you encourage and pay for learning within the company and within the personnel (engineering, accounting, etc.) department?
- What in-house training programs do you have?
- What is your policy on funding outside training and learning programs?
- Do you find membership in local or national organizations pertinent to this position?
- Does the company have written guidelines for expense reimbursement?
- What are your stated long-term and short-term goals? Do you have a written mission statement?
- Do you have a written business plan? Do you operate from a budget? Do your managers have an opportunity to contribute to the development of the budget, and do they know what budgetary amounts they control?
- Who will I report to?
- What kind of manager is the person I would report to?
- Would I be expected to consult with my manager every step of the way?
- Would my manager prefer to be kept informed as I go along?
- Would my manager expect me to make decisions and act upon them independently of him (or her)?
- Would my manager prefer to make the decisions himself (herself)? D To whom in the company does the job relate most importantly? Any unusual problems in these relationships?
- May I talk with the person who held this job? Other members of the staff?
- What is your concept of teamwork? Do you practice participatory management? If yes, discuss how you practice it.
- What salary range are you considering for this position?
- Would I have a secretary or administrative assistant?
- What financial assistance do you provide for relocation?
- What productivity aids will I have available to me? Does that include a personal computer? Where is it located?
- What type of financial incentives would I have in this position for top performance?
- (You are not in agreement with the dollar amount of the salary offered, but you like the position, and are definitely interested.) Could you provide a company car? A performance bonus? Membership in a local club? Extra life insurance? Stock options? Profit participation? Extra vacation time?
- (You would have to relocate.) Would the company provide assistance in selling my current home and buying a new one? Would you provide (or make arrangements for) a low-interest-rate loan to purchase this new home?
- Are you facing challenges in the area of waste/quality/scheduling/market share/motivation/public relations/customer service/maintenance, etc.?
- Have you thought about... (some strategy to solve the problem)? Are there substantial factors preventing this course of action?
- Are you considering the new... (machine/process/system/approach)?
- How is the current program going?
- Would this approach produce good results?
- What kind of employee relations program does the company have?
- What would be my role in employee relations?
- What is the biggest employee relations problem you are having right now?
- What are some of the typical ongoing employee relations problems you have?
- What kind of formal employee recognition policy do you have?
- What process does management have to meet with employees and exchange ideas on an informal basis?
- Does the company have a high turnover rate?
- What is the greatest reason for employee turnover?
- What are you doing to reduce turnover?
- Are you a union shop? In what classifications? Nationally? Which unions?
- What is the state of the relationship of the company with its unions?
- What is the process for dismissing a staffer?
- What resources are available for a staffer to respond to a reprimand or warning? A dismissal?
- What resources are available for a manager with the same problems as a staffer?
- What kind of psychological tests does the company give to job applicants and/or employees?
- Does the company give tests at all? Are they standard in all of the company offices?
- Does the company give polygraph tests? (These are illegal in many states.)