Do You Have Any Questions for Us?

I used to be puzzled at this point of an interview. Why would I have questions for the company? When can I start? But, over time (and with the counsel of those who have gone before me) I have realized just how important interviewee questions are in the interview process.

The Significance

The questions you ask tell a good deal about who you are, how you think and how much preparation you have done for the interview. The responses to the questions you ask help you gather information that you need to assess whether the role is a good fit for who you are and the unique abilities that you have to bring to the table.

The following is my long list of questions (at some points just topics to be converted into questions) that I have developed over the years. After sharing this list with a couple of my friends lately, I thought that I would share to a broader group. While I typically dwindle this list down to 3 or 4 depending on the interviewer and the stage in the process, I've found this list to be a good primer to get the thought process going.

I hope it will be of some help to those in my network who are out on the interview circuit. If you are not looking at an in-house role in the corporate and securities space, hopefully the concepts behind the questions are transferable!

The List

1. Reporting structure and size of legal department? Collegial and collaborate environment? Dress code??

2. How many internal candidates applied for this position? What groups were the internal candidates from? How long have they been with the company??

3. Why did the last person who had this job leave? How long did he have the role before leaving? What is she doing now? Who is covering the work until there is a backfill?

4. Who will be my primary internal clients? How long have they been with the company? Can I have a brief call with each of them if we move forward - how has legal support measured up to your expectations? What would you like to see done better? What do you think has been done well?

5. Working group size and work/schedule allocation for 34 act reports (drafting v reviewing; project management; outside counsel role)?

6. Earnings release/call process (working group, schedule) and general IR interfacing and support?

7. Shareholder/proxy advisor engagement-approach re guidance on disclosure?

8. Board and committee support staffing (board/committee book preparation and circulation; scheduling, communication) BoardVantage/Diligent?

9. Deal flow (domestic/cross-border); external v internal work allocation in EMEA, APAC?

11. Support/resources - PLI, PLC, west law?

12. Bar fees?

13. What financial printer? Scope of use. Internal v external counsel drive filings?

14. Outside counsel utilization and cost controls/accountability (budget management)?

15. NYSE portal ownership/compliance??

16. SOX controls interface with internal and external auditors?

17. Paralegal/secretarial support?

18. Visibility to c-suite?

19. Evaluation process?

20. Upward mobilization potential?

21. Travel?

22. Relo expenses?

23. How would you describe the company's culture?

24.How do you see this company evolving over the next five years?

25. How would the person in this role contribute to this vision?

26. What are the biggest challenges the company is facing right now?

27. How would I collaborate with my supervisor?

28. What are your expectations for this role during the first 30 to 60 days?

29. How do you evaluate success?

30.What is your timeline and what are the next steps?

Final Thoughts

While it is always good to have 3-4 questions that genuinely interest you after researching the role and the people who will be interviewing you, active listening and feeling out the situation are always better sources of truth for what questions should be asked. Never ask a question just to ask a question. If you don't have a genuine question based upon something that interests you, that is probably a good sign to land the plane and look elsewhere!

Would love to know questions that you have found helpful. Please share them in the comment section below.