Questions, Questions, Questions!

I have written several posts that highlight the importance of asking questions during the interview process. This piece from Fortune Magazine's Ask Annie column highlights key questions of a potential boss to judge fit with the organization.

I have always found that asking a variation on the "key attributes that the next candidate will bring to this job" is highly effective. First as the column notes you can hear what they are looking for in a slightly more informal way and judge if what they want matches with what you could bring. Second, not mentioned is that if you ask this near the end of the interview you can then recap some of the information you have presented to them during the interview of how you feel you would match those characteristics (assuming you still want to be considered for the job.) If you think that it would not be a good fit you can then work on crafting a respectful communication to send to the hiring manager after the interview detailing why you are removing your self from consideration.

Never underestimate the power this can bring to your networking! Most professions/industries are small. By this I mean that the people you know and who know you may easily know a person that will be interviewing you for your next job. By declining a spot earlier (if you truly feel you don't think you would enjoy the job or the company) you can create a positive image of yourself as a professional (i.e. you know when a job would not have worked and you are respecting their time and resources.) Therefore in the future if you are interviewing for or being considered for a position that you know you are qualified for and want... that person/company may ask some of their colleagues whom you possible interviewed with. They will be able to not only comment on how you presented yourself but be able to comment on your commitment to finding the right job fit for you.

What other questions do you find useful to ask a potential boss?

More things not to do in an interview.

I bring up this piece from AOL Jobs, not because the list is particularly unique. Rather I bring it up to first remind us that there might be things we are doing that could hurt our chances. It never hurts to have practice interview time with a job coach, counselor, or other HR expert. All states should have work force development office with these types of services, as well as the career services office from any college you may have attended.

My second reason for mentioning this specific list is that it highlights the one area I hope to be counseling/advising against:

Having no clue about the company you're interviewing with.

 In the world we live in, there is no excuse for going into an interview unprepared to talk about them and their business. The best candidates will also be able to tie that knowledge into their own experience and how they can be the best fit for the job they are interviewing for. In the posts labeled research tips I try to either highlight articles on the web that give good information about performing this type of research, or my own insights from four years at Purdue University working with students in the Krannert School of Management.

I think that the best place to start is the post I wrote about searching business news sources. That post also links back to two earlier posts for some more basics.

How do we define ourselves?

I have seen this theme recurring over the past few months, without a career how does one define themselves? Here is the latest piece from NPR contributor Scott Simon. As someone who was looking for work until very recently I can say from personal experience that I continued to think of myself as a librarian. In web communication and when networking I would explain that I was a librarian without a library.

It appears from this story that I am fortunate in that my current part-time position is still in the field for which I am trained. When this is not the case how does that effect one's feelings of self worth and mental well being?

Would it possible be better to begin shifting our focus to our other interests? Family, hobbies, activities?

Also how does this tie into the American trait of working too much, and not using the vacation time they have earned? In study after study Americans consistently (myself includes, when I earned vacation) don't take all the vacation time they earn at their full time jobs. Is this healthy?

I would love to hear what others think.