Applicants need to ask right questions

By Dave Murphy
San Francisco Examiner

How can you go into a job interview, give all the right answers and still come out a loser?

Maybe you didn't ask the right questions.

Candidates who don't ask any insightful questions can come across as uninterested or self-absorbed, which is hardly what you're trying to convey to an interviewer. Besides, you should want to know the answers to certain questions merely for the sake of self--preservation.

Here are five questions you should get answered before accepting any job offer.

• What do people dislike most about working there?

The company might well be wonderful, but if all you hear are positives, you’re getting snowed. Nobody’s perfect.

• Why doesn’t the company ... ?

Think about one question you can ask the interviewer that shows that you’ve done your research and thought about how you could help the company. The more insightful the question, the better. Remember: This should be a question that shows you’ve done your research. If the answer to the question could be found easily by checking the company’s Web site, it’s the wrong question.

Also, be careful that the question doesn’t come across as arrogant, as if the company should have implemented some policy three years ago. You want to come across as sincerely interested, not smug.

Suppose you were going to work for a carmaker. “Is the company planning to add an SUV to its line?” might be a good sincere question. “Why doesn’t the company sell an SUV?” asks the same thing, but can come across as judgmental.

Does the company value diversity as much… or as little as you do? Again, this might be something you’ll find out about more through networking than through your formal interviews. If diversity is important, try to talk with high-ranking women and minorities to learn about the corporate culture. If you can’t find any, you might already have your answer. But even if there are high-ranking minorities and women, don’t just assume that the company values diversity.

In short, are people from different backgrounds encouraged to share ideas, or is everything run from the top down?

• Where will the company be 10 years from now?

You can land a job with a lot of companies, but don’t count on a career unless that company has a plan for the future. If no one can tell you how the company will be stronger 10 years from now, stop and think about whether you might be in a dead-end career. That doesn’t mean you should turn down the job, but don’t think it will last forever.

• Do you understand exactly what the company is offering?

In the era of stock options, this is a more crucial question than it used to be. How much extra value are those options adding? Do you get to keep them if you leave the company? What happens if the company gets sold instead of going public? Are you protected if the company runs out of cash?

Before you leave your current job for the new one, make sure you have the offer in writing. That provides at least a little protection from any misunderstandings.

Source: The Columbus Dispatch; Sunday, July 30, 2000