You’ve read the blogs that give you the top three questions to ask a prospective employer and hiring manager during an interview.
This advice usually says to avoid questions that make you look over-eager or too anxious to the point of being desperate. That’s reasonable. Employers and managers never like to hire desperate candidates.
You should ask a hiring manager questions that work toward two critical objectives.
The first objective is to solidify your interest and qualifications for the job. This first objective is to drive the employer’s decision to hire you based on your demonstrating alignment and fit with the company’s goals, management and culture.
The second objective is to give you an indication of your fit with the prospective hiring manager. This second objective will help you decide if you can be successful working for the hiring manager and drive your decision whether or not to accept the job, if offered.
The questions we suggest you ask follow this line of thinking:
- Describe your management style? You are looking for compatibility. Does he have hands-on, or hands-off style. Does that fit your own cognitive style of working?
- How do you give feedback to your employees? You are looking for a style that fits your needs to prosper and develop. Does the manager give negative feedback all the time, or does he/she provide encouragement that develops learning?
- Why is the position open at this time? It’s reasonable to ask why the person in the position is not there. Was it their failure? This sets up the next question.
- What do I need to do (differently) to be successful? You want to be sure you know the top three things you can do to satisfy your new manager and be successful early.
- What is your communication style? You want to learn if the new manager wants weekly written status reports, or more timely verbal updates. Or will your new manager want written communication followed up by formal meetings?
It’s best not to read these questions verbatim, but weave them into your interview during the course of the process.
Each of these questions helps make their decision and your decision, clear.
Remember, an interview is equally about you interviewing the company and its organization you will become a part of, as it is the employer interviewing you and evaluating your abilities to perform the job.
Barton Professional Placement Group puts significant effort into the screening and qualification process to match employers to candidates. At the same time, we coach our clients on interviewing methods and other human resource development concepts. Equally, we coach our candidates so they too may be successful in pursuing their career.
If you are a client in need of a search and placement firm that is aligned with your goals, call us today. If you are a job seeker, and we have an opening that fits your abilities, rest assured we will help you become successful. For Barton Professional Placement Group, successful positive outcomes for all is our goal. Helping both employers and candidates ask the right hiring manager questions or candidate questions is part of our process. Contact us today.
