Interview Your Interviewer
- “What made others successful/unsuccessful in this position?” These questions give you insight into what the employer values in an employee—and what can get you fired.
- “Tell me about a typical workday in this position.” You’re looking for two things: whether the tasks involved are appealing to you and whether the list is so long that you’ll have to be at your desk until 8 p.m. every night.
- “What are the top priorities for the person in this position over the next year?” Again, this lets you evaluate whether you’re able to complete the projects/tasks involved and/or whether the position is evolving into something that isn’t as attractive.
- “What are some of the obstacles the company is facing right now?” This is a sneaky way of finding out if the company is about to go under—taking your new job with it. The truth is that every company faces challenges; it’s normal and to be expected. So if the interviewer can’t or won’t come up with anything specific, she’s probably hiding something. That could be a bigger problem than anything else she might say.
