While the company is interviewing you, you should evaluate the opportunity from your perspective. After all, you must determine if you even want the job!
Ask questions – a lot of them. Here are some ideas:
- Will the opportunity fulfill your career motivations and goals? Let them know your motivations and don’t play “hard to get.”
- Can you work from home? Sometimes? All of the time? What are the expectations? What do others do?
- Could work-from-home policies change?
- What type of corporate culture do they have?
- What is turnover like?
- Why do people stay there a long time?
- Why do they leave?
- How long has the person you’re interviewing with been with the company? How did they get there? Has their career progressed? Why do they stay?
- What do employees like about working at the company?
- What don’t they like?
- Who are the company’s competitors?
- Why do customers choose your company? Why do others choose the competitor?
- Is the company growing? Shrinking? Why?
- Have there been any layoffs recently? Are any planned?
- Why is this position open? What is the problem that needs to be solved?
- Does the company consider and value a work-life balance?
- Will you have to work nights/weekends?
- How much travel will there be? Where to? Could that change?
- What are some successes that the company has had?
- What were some failures? What was changed to fix those?
- How long has current leadership been in place?
- Have there been any major changes in the company recently? What was the result?
- Are there any plans for major changes in the near future? Is the company being sold?
- Are there plans to relocate the company?
- Is the company for sale?
- What is the salary range? If you think it’s too low, the onus is on you to show why your value is higher. (Keep in mind that what a company wants to pay you may be anywhere in the salary range, and even outside of it. Don’t take it personally.)
Asking these questions will get you the information you need, you’ll keep the conversation flowing, and create some chemistry between yourself and the company’s team. When making the final call on whether the opportunity is a good fit, this is critical for all parties.