The Interview
First published August 26, 2015
Oh, the job interview. The search for the ideal work combined with just the right benefits and an oh-so-perfect salary that finally leads to an in-person meeting. What we put ourselves through in order to stand out in the crowd. We tweak our resume to highlight the experience and accomplishments that match the job description. We craft a cover letter that shines a spotlight on our incredible abilities. We smile and say all the right things. We're friendly, but not too familiar.
And then come the questions designed to determine if we are the right fit. The interesting thing about this is that I often walked into interviews thinking that I had to answer all the questions correctly, and say 'yes' to whatever I was asked in order to "win". My goal was to beat out all the competition to obtain this highly coveted thing that is 'the job' - the one that will satisfy my professional thirst and pay all the bills.
What if instead, I put as much effort into discovering if the employer is the right fit for me? I'm not saying to make poor judgments if you are in desperate need of income. We have all had to take a job that wasn't necessarily our favorite thing to do just to make ends meet, and there is nothing wrong with that. In fact, we need to humble ourselves during times of struggle. We also have all had to start somewhere. It's called paying your dues, and most of us have to work our way up to what we want, often holding less than glamorous positions along the way.
I'm talking about that point in your career where you have some experience under your belt. The Rolodex (whether physical or virtual) is full, and you have tales of professional victories to share. I find myself in this place and I recently came to a realization about how I tackle job interviews.
As much as they are sizing me up, I need to be sizing them up, too. I will be receiving (hopefully) more pay and better benefits, and opportunities that energize. But, the employer is getting something too. They are getting my experience, my abilities, my unique perspective, drive, and more-than-occasional brilliant epiphany for their use. Let's start seeing the interview process as a two-way street. It's a potential relationship in which both parties have something to offer and something to gain.
It took many years for me to get to this point, and even though it was gradual, when I started thinking about interviews in these terms, my nervousness slowly went away. Instead of "will they like me?" or "Will I do ok?" I now say to myself, "Let's see what they have to say." Again, this is not meant to sound arrogant. It's just about knowing your worth and being confident in what you are bringing to the table.
One of the worst things you can do in an interview is let the potential employer ask all the questions and not have any of your own. Remember: two-way street. You want to learn as much about them, both the company as a whole, and the individuals you will be working with, as they want to learn about you.
Here are some questions I find helpful to ask:
What does a typical day look like? Don't let the salary or the office location five minutes from your house blind you to the fact that you will be doing certain tasks every day, or maybe no two days look alike. Is that something you can handle? Find out.
How long have you been here and what is it about your job that keeps you here? If the interviewers have been there a number of years, have positive things to say about the company, and describe a genuine satisfaction in their work, it's always a good sign - not just about the work you will be doing, but about the overall health of the company.
What is the staff turnover like? This seems like a strange question, but I never realized how important it was to know until I worked for a company whose staff turnover rate was three times the national average for a company its size - three times! To break it down, in the year and couple months I worked there, more than 400 people were hired, and were subsequently fired or walked out. That's a major problem, and is often an indicator of many other problems.