The questions you should ask

It would be too easy for me to tell you what to look for in your next company and then not give you the proper tools to evaluate them. But I don’t like easy deals, so I am about to give you some powerful weapons for you to gain competitive advantage in your next job interview.

Did you know that most people don’t ask questions in an interview?

If this happens when I interview someone, I immediately think that such a person is either not particularly curious, not interested in the project or he/she is a real introvert!

I know this is not always true, but it’s still hard for me to believe that so many people don’t feel the need to better understand the company they want to be working on.

To prevent this from happening, I developed a set of questions related to the topics I discussed in the last article. The aim here is not to ask every question in every interview, some must be ask when appropriate, certain questions come up in conversation, and you can answer others with some research.

I recommend you wait until the end of the interview to do it.

I believe, there should always be room for the candidate to ask questions. If not, you should take initiative if and when you consider appropriate, although if the interviewer doesn’t take this approach, this isn’t a positive sign for you.

1. Corporate culture and work environment

Assess culture:

• What is the most common trait among your employees?
• How would describe your company culture?
• How does the company deal with failure/mistakes ?
• Is there any feedback process? Do you promote feedback internally?
• Are there moments of team building/fun at work?
• What is the company’s/my job’s schedule?
• Can I work remotely?
• What is the company’s dresscode?

These questions allow you to understand the flexibility of the company, its respect for the work-life balance of employees, the importance the company places on its employees and the company’s organization in general. There are questions that will be more relevant than others to some of you, depending on what you value the most. For example, I like to work in a more informal and relaxed work environment, but the companies that usually provide such an environment are startup companies that change very quickly. You could be different and you may prefer other types of work environments and choose a more formal and bigger company, as they usually have strong careers plans and offer a good management positions in the long-term, but they don’t usually allow you to have an accelerated career growth.

2. Good colleagues and colleagues that are good & 3. Managers, Supervisors and Mentors

• What is essential for someone to work well with you?
• What bothers you in the behavior of others?
• Why did you join this company?
• Can you tell me about your career?
• In your opinion, what could be improved in the company?
• Have you managed people before?
• Have you been promoted in the company?

As I mentioned before, working with people that have more experience and know-how than you will lead you to success quicker, as you will learn more and have more enriching experiences.

However, this will not happen if your colleagues are unable to teach you!

A team grows together and, therefore, you should also be able to help your colleagues as this is usually a sign of being in the same tune and ends up being a win-win-win for you, your colleagues and your company.

In competitive environments, this can be the exact opposite and, if you thrive in that type of culture, you need to learn to work both alone and alongside a team, because there are times when you all must work together and, in the end, a company consists of a group of people who should be fighting for the same goal. You should understand the professional experience of the people above you and see if you would like to move towards that direction and if there is someone above you that you would like to follow and have the same kind of career trajectory. Realize you will need to get along with the people interviewing you because it’s very likely you’ll be spending a lot of time with them!

4. Possibility of growth and learning

• Is there a performance evaluation? How is it done?
• Do you have a career plan? How is it structured?
• Are there training days in the company? Do you have a budget for that?
• What will I learn from this job?
• What do you think I can learn from my teammates?
• Do you think I can add value to the company? In what specific areas? *
• Will I have the chance to experience other areas? Will I need to travel?
• What defines success in this role?

This is really important if you want a career inside the company or in that specific industry. There are several types of training you can take, but not all of them will add value to you, so try to better understand how it all works. Finding a more practical training or one that teaches you good technical skill in your specialization (e.g: if you are a Java programmer and you can have certifications in more recent versions of Java) or soft-skills if they are in areas that you want to improve (e.g: Public speaking for a salesman).

Career plans and performance evaluations are usually connected. You should also see and understand the kind of projects and goals that are you going to be asked to accomplish.This is quite important because the complexity of the projects will reflect on the learnings and knowledge you will get!

It is also important to understand if you will travel, as for some that may be an advantage if they intend to pursue an international career or increasing their income, while for others it will be a disadvantage due to their own personal life.

5. Current moment in the company and financial stability

• What was this year’s turnover? How is the company in terms of profitability?
• What is your investment in innovation? And in Digital?
• How many people do you think you’ll be hiring this year?
• What is this year’s expected growth ?
• Will the company be approaching new markets? When?

These questions are designed to evaluate the financial stability of the company, especially if you are applying for a startup or for a small and medium-sized enterprise. For public companies, some of these questions may not make much sense, but you should pay close attention to their business plans and if they “like” to change their direction often. There are multinational companies who spend their lives changing their business strategy and, in most cases, this turns out to be disadvantageous for you.

If you realize that the company you want to be a part of is interested in betting on innovation, digital or other initiatives such as social responsibility, dividends or international careers, you can understand if such company fits your career goals and you can choose a better opportunity for you.

* I recommend this question if you are looking for your first job, otherwise you should be able to show the employer your real contribution, because you should have already gained a different perspective of the work.

Now you’ll have a lot of questions to ask in your next interview and you’ll get better at knowing the company you have in front of you.

I hope this helps you and, if you have any questions or comments, please leave your opinion below.

Share with all your friends who are looking for a job!