As school comes to a close, many students are scrambling to find a summer internship or a full-time job position following graduation. Securing a job can be difficult and stressful. You may be pressured to find a job the second you throw your cap in the air, but please do yourself a favour and don’t settle for the first opportunity that comes your way.
Find out whether you’re the ideal fit for each company you interview for by asking the right questions. You also don’t want to wait until the end of the interview to ask all your questions. The goal here is to be perceptive and conversational. Not only will this demonstrate your interest, but it will also give you insight into what to expect out of the job position, the corporate culture and the organization’s role in your career development.
Here are the six key questions you need to ask in your next interview:
- What is your management style?
Do you prefer working independently or in teams? Are you comfortable working with a manager who frequently checks up on your job progress, or do you prefer having more space to breathe and work freely? Be attentive to which management styles drive your success. Some managers will use controlling and threatening tactics to motivate employees, while others will give their employees the creative license to execute new ideas and strategies.
- How do you evaluate performance?
Knowing which methods your potential employer uses to evaluate your job performance, such as sales or volume, and the available resources necessary to complete your objectives will give you insight into the obstacles you may face while on the job. Your interviewer’s response will hint at the organization’s corporate culture. If the performance objectives are rigid, perhaps you’d be dealing with a highly competitive work environment. If they are more lenient and oriented towards learning and development, then the company likely has a friendlier approach. Don’t shy away from following up their response with a question geared towards their corporate culture in order to help you paint a clearer picture.
The bottom line is this: Feeling as though you are evaluated fairly can reduce stress and motivate your desire to exceed expectations. Pay particular attention to the frequency of your evaluations and how you would be compensated for a job well done.
- What are the three main characteristic traits that you believe all employees at your organization share?
This question takes interviewers off guard since it is not often asked, yet provides critical information concerning the company’s overarching vision. After all, employees are the backbone of every organization. Their response will help you determine which type of personalities you would be dealing with if you were hired for the job. Take this question as an opportunity to demonstrate how you also possess similar qualities based on your past experience.
- What are the main challenges that your staff currently faces and how are they suited to overcome them?
This question allows you to recognize what challenges you may have to overcome as an employee, and provides you with the chance to demonstrate how you would be an asset to the team in such situations. Assert your ability to problem solve by sharing potential solutions for each challenge.
- What do you enjoy most about working at this organization?
This is the moment where your interviewer should attempt to sell the job position. Does their response excite you? Are they speaking with passion? Your reaction to their response should help you recognize whether this is an opportunity you truly wish to pursue.
- What are the next steps in this process?
You should be aware of when to expect a response, and whether there will be another round of interviews or a different method of evaluation involved in the process. Your inquiry will let your interviewer know that you’re enthusiastically awaiting a follow up.