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SO WHY US?

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CHAPTER NINE

SO WHY US?

A

lthough many candidates ask questions as an inter-

view progresses—and you may or may not encour-

age such deviations from your formal or informal

“script”—it’s always a good idea to give all candidates the time

to do so. But I strongly urge you to prepare for the detailed

questions some candidates will be ready to hurl at you. You

may need to research your own company a bit (and think long

and hard about the job description) to prepare for the most

inquisitive candidates!

Q: Do you know much about our company?

What do you want to hear?

Believe it or not, many candidates think this is merely an

icebreaker and simply answer “no.” I wouldn’t consider this

an automatic reason to disqualify an otherwise sterling con-

tender. But I would wonder why someone seemingly so capti-

vated by my company and this job (as he’s told me, over and

over again) would admit to doing no pre-interview research,

which indicates to me a total lack of interest.

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170

Why would someone go into one of the most important

encounters of her life so thoroughly unprepared, and then

admit it?

A successful candidate should have done her homework

and take this wonderful opportunity to show you how much

homework she has done.

Personally, I would like to hear a few salient (and posi-

tive) facts about my company, followed, perhaps, by a ques-

tion that demonstrates real interest. For example:

“Boy, what a growth story Starter Up is! Didn’t I

read recently that you’ve had seven straight years of

double-digit growth?

“I read in your annual report that you’re plan-

ning to introduce a new line of products in the near

future. I jumped at the chance to apply here. Can you

tell me a little bit about this division and the position

you’re interviewing for?”

Green light

Any answer that demonstrates a candidate’s pre-

interview research. The more informed he is, the

more likely you really are at the top of his list of

potential employers.

A detailed answer that indicates the breadth of research,

from checking out your Internet site, to reading your annual

report and being familiar with your products and services.

Referring to a trade magazine article that mentions the com-

pany or, better yet, you, the interviewer, is a nice touch, don’t

you think?

STOP

GO

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SO WHY US?

Red light

A “no” answer followed by a dull stare.

Variations

f What do you know about the community (town,

city) in which we’re located?

f In which of our offices would you prefer to work?

f Would you have a problem traveling among a few

of our offices?

Following is my own list of questions a candidate should

have tried getting the answers to before the interview. Notice

that I said “tried.” Not all such information will be easily ob-

tainable, especially if you’re a small, privately held company.

So, as part of your preparation, presume that a good can-

didate will be asking you some of these questions:

Questions about your company

f What are the company’s leading products or ser-

vices? What products or services is it planning to

introduce in the near future?

f What are the company’s key markets and are

those markets growing?

f Will the company be entering any new markets

in the next couple of years? Which ones and via

what kind of distribution channel(s)?

f What growth rate are you currently anticipating?

Will this be accomplished internally or through

acquisitions?

STOP

STOP

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172

f Who owns the company?

f Please tell me about your own tenure with the

company.

f How many employees work for the organization?

In how many offices? In this office?

f Is the company planning to grow through its

acquisitions?

f What has been the company’s layoff history in

the last five years? Do you anticipate any cut-

backs in the near future and, if you do, how will

they impact my department or position?

f What major problems or challenges has the com-

pany recently faced? How were they addressed?

What results do you expect?

f What is the company’s share of each of its

markets?

f Which other companies serving those markets

pose a serious threat?

f Please tell me more about your training programs.

Do you offer reimbursement for job-related edu-

cation? Time off?

f What is your hiring philosophy?

f What are the company’s plans and prospects for

growth and expansion?

f What are the company’s goals in the next few

years?

f What do you like best about this company? Why?

f What is the company’s ranking within the indus-

try? Does this represent a change from where it

was a year or a few years ago?