you should be . . . and the more probing questions you should ask.
How long do you think the interview process for this job will take?
You know what I’m making and what I’d like to make. You know the kind of overall package I’m seeking. Do you foresee any problems with the company meeting my needs?
Would the recruiter send you on an interview with a company offering significantly less than he knows you require? Doubtful. But there’s no reason for you to wait to ask this question until after you’ve already gone through a series of interviews at the company . . . only to discover that, whoops!, he did just that.
Is the person with whom I’m interviewing the decision-maker? If she isn’t, who is?
Is the interviewer my potential boss?
If so, you won’t necessarily approach the interview itself any differently, but you will certainly spend more time gauging the chemistry between you and him.
What can you tell me about the culture of the company? Is there anything specific I should avoid doing or discussing?
This is information that is invaluable—a “heads up” that may put you head and shoulders above the candidates who inadvertently say or do the wrong thing.
Before you set up an interview for me, could I meet with some of the other people you’ve already placed at this company?
Not all recruiters will welcome this question or respond positively to it. It delays their ability to get you in the door, a delay that may conceivably cost you the job (and them a commission). So I would consider asking this question only if other answers have caused you to wonder whether you want to interview there at all.
How integral to the success of the company is the department I’d be joining?
A positive answer is especially important to the more ambitious among you. If the department is the vital hub of the whole operation, getting hired may thrust you into the middle of the action and greatly increase your chances to be seen, evaluated, appreciated, and promoted. On the other hand, a support department may be less pressured and less hectic . . . but less rewarding, too.
Is there anything else I need to know that would either doom my chances or help me ace the interview?
It’s the last question you should ask them. Give them one more chance to offer that magic elixir that will turn your interview experience into gold.
Why You Should Avoid Human Resources
Not many career books that will advise you to make a beeline for the Human Resources department of a company you’ve targeted. In fact, most, if not all, will tell you to avoid it like the plague if at all possible. What have these poor (formerly) personnel people done to generate such animosity?
Nothing, really. I’m sure many of them are very nice people who do their jobs very well. The problem is that their jobs have little to do with actually getting you a job. They are not seeking candidates to interview and hire; they are trying to maximize the number they can eliminate. They are the screeners, the people who sift the sands of the known employment universe to discard the unqualified, the overqualified, the underqualified, and the “mis-qualified.” They can say no. And they do. A lot. But they can’t say yes.
In addition to not being able to actually offer you anything more than coffee or tea (and maybe an IQ or drug test), the staffers in many Human Resources departments may have (surprisingly) little idea about what hiring managers really want in job applicants. The more technical or specialized the field, the truer this statement.
I know of a Human Resources Director who recommended a candidate for whom English was a second—and not very good —language for the top editorial post on a major association magazine. Another passed along a candidate who got 55 out of 100 on a spelling test for a proofreading position. Still another recommended someone for a Vice President of Finance position whose resume was filled with rather obvious and easily discovered
How long do you think the interview process for this job will take?
You know what I’m making and what I’d like to make. You know the kind of overall package I’m seeking. Do you foresee any problems with the company meeting my needs?
Would the recruiter send you on an interview with a company offering significantly less than he knows you require? Doubtful. But there’s no reason for you to wait to ask this question until after you’ve already gone through a series of interviews at the company . . . only to discover that, whoops!, he did just that.
Is the person with whom I’m interviewing the decision-maker? If she isn’t, who is?
Is the interviewer my potential boss?
If so, you won’t necessarily approach the interview itself any differently, but you will certainly spend more time gauging the chemistry between you and him.
What can you tell me about the culture of the company? Is there anything specific I should avoid doing or discussing?
This is information that is invaluable—a “heads up” that may put you head and shoulders above the candidates who inadvertently say or do the wrong thing.
Before you set up an interview for me, could I meet with some of the other people you’ve already placed at this company?
Not all recruiters will welcome this question or respond positively to it. It delays their ability to get you in the door, a delay that may conceivably cost you the job (and them a commission). So I would consider asking this question only if other answers have caused you to wonder whether you want to interview there at all.
How integral to the success of the company is the department I’d be joining?
A positive answer is especially important to the more ambitious among you. If the department is the vital hub of the whole operation, getting hired may thrust you into the middle of the action and greatly increase your chances to be seen, evaluated, appreciated, and promoted. On the other hand, a support department may be less pressured and less hectic . . . but less rewarding, too.
Is there anything else I need to know that would either doom my chances or help me ace the interview?
It’s the last question you should ask them. Give them one more chance to offer that magic elixir that will turn your interview experience into gold.
Why You Should Avoid Human Resources
Not many career books that will advise you to make a beeline for the Human Resources department of a company you’ve targeted. In fact, most, if not all, will tell you to avoid it like the plague if at all possible. What have these poor (formerly) personnel people done to generate such animosity?
Nothing, really. I’m sure many of them are very nice people who do their jobs very well. The problem is that their jobs have little to do with actually getting you a job. They are not seeking candidates to interview and hire; they are trying to maximize the number they can eliminate. They are the screeners, the people who sift the sands of the known employment universe to discard the unqualified, the overqualified, the underqualified, and the “mis-qualified.” They can say no. And they do. A lot. But they can’t say yes.
In addition to not being able to actually offer you anything more than coffee or tea (and maybe an IQ or drug test), the staffers in many Human Resources departments may have (surprisingly) little idea about what hiring managers really want in job applicants. The more technical or specialized the field, the truer this statement.
I know of a Human Resources Director who recommended a candidate for whom English was a second—and not very good —language for the top editorial post on a major association magazine. Another passed along a candidate who got 55 out of 100 on a spelling test for a proofreading position. Still another recommended someone for a Vice President of Finance position whose resume was filled with rather obvious and easily discovered
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