A series of posts about interviews……. click here to read Interview Secrets #1

Questions to Ask Employers During an Interview

Interviews
Your amazing new and professionally written cover letter and resume have landed you an interview. Now what? After the excitement that you are even closer to getting your dream job settles you need to prepare for the interview.

Most people dislike interviews. For some going through an interview can be very overwhelming. People don’t like interviews because they can get tough questions that they may not know the answers to and they freeze up. But most of all, people just don’t like talking about themselves. As a recruiter I try to make candidates feel comfortable in an interview and make it more of a discussion rather than a firing squad of questions and answers. Interviews are really important and recruiters and hiring managers just want to know if you can cut it and if you can manage the job without causing more problems than the company can fix.

Tips
The most important thing to remember when preparing for an interview is that your resume stood out from other candidates. This means you have some skills and experiences that the company already likes and feels that you may be the perfect person for the job. The interview is just the next step to see if you understand the job you are applying for, if you are qualified for the job and if you can potentially get along with the team.

Be Yourself
Being a little nervous is normal and shows that you really want to do well and impress the managers. Dripping of sweat is not cool so try not being that nervous. Remember it’s just a few questions and not open heart surgery.

Know Your Resume
Be ready to discuss every detail of your past jobs. Think of things that you learned from each job experience. Sometimes the bad experiences taught us more than the good ones so don’t be afraid to talk about them.

Two-way Street
An interview is a two-way street. Ask questions. Typically, there will be an opportunity for you to ask questions at the end of the interview so always be prepared. Not having any questions shows that you are not prepared for the interview and maybe not taking the process seriously.

Have a least three to five questions ready. You may have more but there will be no time to go through all of them so make sure you prioritize the question. Do not ask questions that can be answered on the employer’s web site or in any information that was provided by the employer to you in advance. This would just show that you did not prepare for the interview and you are wasting the employer’s time. Never ask about salary and benefits unless the recruiter raised the subject first.

5 Good Questions to Ask

1. What are things your organization has done recently to show how it values its employees?
2. What are the day-to-day responsibilities of this job?
3. How and by whom will my performance be reviewed?
4. Do you have any questions or concerns about my ability to perform this job?
5. As my direct report in this position, what are the three top priorities you would first like to see accomplished?

5 Bad Questions to Ask

1. What is it that your company does?
2. Can I see the lunch room?
3. What are your psychiatric benefits?
4. How many warnings do you get before you are fired?
5. What does this company consider a good absenteeism record?

Relax
Remember to relax. Try to be confident and proud of your experiences and skills that you have learned. Remember that companies spend a lot of time and money recruiting candidates. They want people to be successful in the roles and should be ready to provide you with all the training you should need to be able to do the job. Also, if you have taken a job and realized it was a big mistake you can quit without giving any notice during the probationary period. The same goes with the employer, if you are not cutting it they can let you go during the probation period without having to give you a reason.

Top Do’s and Don’ts in an Interview

• Do put some time in your appearance
• Do look at the interviewer while interviewing
• Do ask questions
• Dont be late to an interview