Before you go on your next interview, prepare the questions that you will ask your next potential employer.
Why Prepare Questions for My Next Employer?
First, let's begin by dispelling the myth that the purpose of the interview is for you to find a job, and for the employer to determine if you are qualified for the position. The purpose of the interview is more than that. It is an opportunity for the employer to try to find the individual with the best combination of talent, experience, skill and personality traits for the position. It is also an opportunity for you to determine if the position and the organization are best suited to utilize your unique blend of talent, experience, skill and character.
Let's begin with the assumption that you would like to be successful in your next position. You might measure success as personal satisfaction, an opportunity for advancement, a higher title, higher compensation, recognition or personal growth. It is important for you to know what you want from your next position and to determine if the potential employer has the ability to meet your requirements. What good would it do to take a job in which you could not be successful? It is far better to seek a position that will offer success and satisfaction for both you and the employer. It is inevitable that you will have greater success in a career that provides satisfaction and fulfillment. Rather than wait to look for satisfaction after you are in a position, begin by looking for that potential during the interview process.
Do you approach each interview with reluctance and nervous anticipation, waiting to see whether or not you get 'voted off the island'? Do you wonder if you will be the sole survivor? Do you approach the interview as if you were on the hot seat in "Who Wants to be a Millionaire", taking your chances that every question will bring you to the next level and hoping for the chance to call a lifeline as a reference? Do you approach the interview like it's "Deal or No Deal", knowing that you will walk away with something, but that you could walk away richer or wiser from the experience? Do you take the approach of the "Newlywed Game", asking questions and finding out how much you know about each other?
Preparing to interview the employer will demonstrate your own self-confidence and your commitment. These are important characteristics during the interview process. A few scripted questions will show that you took time to prepare. It shows that you are comfortable with your own talent and that you took time to study the employer. It will raise the quality of your discussion from an interrogation to a real conversation.
It is not about getting a job, it is about getting the right job for you.
Know Your Strengths
Before you can begin the search for the right job for you, you need to know your own strengths. Finding a position and a career that utilizes your strengths will bring satisfaction, accomplishment and success.
Your strengths are a unique combination of your talent, skill, knowledge, experience and character. Talent represents qualities and capabilities that you have naturally. Skill represents qualities that you have learned from study or experience. Knowledge is typically gained by education or experience. Experience is the application of your talent and skill over time. Character represents personality traits that may contribute to the emotional and relational application of your talent and skill in your career. Take some time to reflect and understand the things that you like to do and the things that you do well without much effort. You may think that just because something comes easily to you, or seems obvious to you, that it is that way for everyone else too. That is not the case. You have talents that you may not have discovered yet. An excellent guide for this voyage of self-discovery is the book, "Now, Discover Your Strengths", by Marcus Buckingham and Donald O. Clifton. This is an excellent way to prepare before hunting for your next career position, or to evaluate yourself in your current career.
Know Something About the Organization
Reserve a little time to study something about the organization, business or products before going on an interview. You might find some information on the organization web site, from news articles, or perhaps you know some people who work at the employer. You should research current events or announcements about the organization. It shows that you are interested and it will help you to ask meaningful questions.
Prepare a small list of three to five questions about the organization, the culture and the position. Your questions may be related to something that you learned about the organization, and your questions are an opportunity for you to evaluate the employer. Let the person interviewing you know that you are interested in evaluating the position to make sure that it is the right fit for both of you. You can illustrate what you are looking for by providing examples of previous successful positions or circumstances.
If the position is right for you, and if the potential employer recognizes that you have the right talent for the position, then you may be on the path to a mutually successful relationship. If either one of you believes that it is not the proper fit at the time, then consider yourself fortunate for avoiding a potential hazard and continue looking for that opportunity to spread your wings and fly.
Words of Wisdom
"The old maxim says that you can't see the picture when you are inside the frame. Well, you spend your whole life inside the frame of your strengths, so perhaps it is little wonder that after a while you become blind to them." - Marcus Buckingham and Donald O. Clifton, "Now, Discover Your Strengths"
""Most Americans do not know what their strengths are. When you ask them, they look at you with a blank stare, or they respond in terms of subject knowledge, which is the wrong answer." - Peter Drucker
"The keystone of high achievement and happiness is exercising your strengths, not correcting your weaknesses." - Martin E. P. Seligman, Professor of Psychology, University of Pennsylvania
John Mehrmann is a freelance writer and President of Executive Blueprints Inc., an organization devoted to improving business practices and developing human capital
About the Author
John Mehrmann is an author, speaker and industry expert with Executive Blueprints Inc. http://www.ExecutiveBlueprints.com
