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It's Your Turn Now, Ask

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Any good employment interview consists of a dialogue rather than periods in which one party plays the role of inquisitor and the other merely responds. If the session takes on an aura of prosecuting attorney versus defendant, the interviewer either is unskilled or is attempting to conduct a stress interview. If an interview is to serve your needs as well as the interviewer's, it should be conversational, meaning roles should be exchanged whenever doing so will contribute to mutual understanding. Not only do you have a right to ask questions whenever they occur to you, you also have an actual obligation to yourself to do so. Your goal will be to ensure that you are answering the right question in the right way. It's much like the mother who launched into a discussion of the facts of life when her 5-year-old asked where he came from, only to find out afterward that the child merely wanted to know the name of the hospital in which he was born. Throughout each interview, the opportunities to ask questions will become evident to you. You need not wait until the interview ends to try to squeeze in the questions you need answered. However, no matter whether or not the opportunities are evident, there are certain questions that you will need answered in order to make an appropriate decision.

Your Questions

Review the questions that follow and develop a list that will help you get the information you need. Don't hesitate to type the most important questions on an index card and take the card to the interview with you.



About the Job
  • Is this position permanent or temporary?

  • Why is it vacant?

  • How long has it been vacant?

  • May I speak with the person who held it previously?

  • Do you have a job description I might see for this opening?

  • To whom would I report?

  • Would it be feasible for me to look around the department?

  • Might I talk with a few of the people with whom I would be working?

  • What aspect of this job is hardest to find a candidate for?

  • How many people would report to me?

  • How long has each person who would report to me been on the job?

  • How much would I be expected to travel?

  • What would you say the firm's major assets and liabilities are?
About the Future
  • How long did the former occupant hold this job?

  • How does the salary range compare with that of other members of the department?

  • Please describe your salary and advancements program.

  • Would a relocation be likely at any time?

  • What is the company's policy concerning promotion from within?

  • How are salary increases determined: merit, testing, length of service, or some other means?

  • How will you know when you have found the perfect candidate?

  • How soon after the interview will I know whether I am hired?
About Your Personal Needs and Interests

Please tell me the company's policy on benefits, pension plans, salary increases, promotions, hospitalization and insurance, stock sharing, company car, and memberships in trade or professional associations or unions. (Don't ask this all at once.) As you probably began to realize as you read through this list, some of the questions you will need answered probably do not appear on the list, but hopefully you have been inspired by it. Develop your own list, and have it ready.

Probes and Verbal Redirects

Let's consider the questions you may want to ask before you even attempt to answer questions similar to "Mommy, where did I come from?"—the kind that can lead you down the wrong path unless you are prepared.

You have every right to probe such questions, and a responsible interviewer will answer them for you rather than press you to attempt a reply. Again, attitude is everything, so respond to each vague or open-ended question with something such as this: "I can understand that you would need that information, so could you help me by clarifying...?" "Let me try to respond to that for you. Would you like me to focus on how my work might be affected by what you're asking, or something else?"

There are many ways one might reply to that: "Would you mind telling me how you would like me to respond?" "It would be hard to come up with an appropriate answer without knowing more about the specific situation you have in mind. Could you tell me about it?" These are just a sampling.

When you do respond, however, keep in mind that you are under no obligation to go down a path that is not of your own choosing. You can redirect a response toward an area that is more relevant to the task at hand.

For example, when you are asked something of a personal nature that seems irrelevant to the job, you might open with a probe question, listen carefully to the direction the interviewer wants you to take, address that area in general terms, and then branch off into something more relevant.

Let's say the interviewer is talking about appropriate attire on the job and suddenly asks: "What do you think about the skirt lengths coming into style this fall?" Your probe might be: "Perhaps Tm missing something here. How might that relate to this position?" If the interviewer responds with something such as: "Well, after all, we have a professional image to uphold," you might want to probe further by asking whether skirt length has something to do with professionalism and if so, how. Or you might go immediately to a verbal redirect and say something like this: "I agree. Professionalism is very important on the job. I’m sure you'll find [future pacing] that my wardrobe reflects the appropriate standards."

A General Rule

There are no guarantees that the probe technique will work in every situation in which you feel you need more information before you respond. It will, however, help keep this general rule in mind: Find out everything you need to know about the question and the interviewer's intention in asking it before you commit yourself to an answer. Don't hang yourself by answering too quickly or inappropriately. You have a right to receive the input you need before you reply. Caution: Use this technique sparingly—only when you need it. Overuse could turn your interviewer off.
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