Job Interviewing is a Two-Way Street

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Often when job interviewing you focus on getting across your qualifications in technical expertise. From talking with hundreds of executives actually doing the interviewing, this is what they tell me they are really interested in:
-Is he lazy?
-Does she have common sense?
-Does he have fire in the belly?
-Is she qualified?
-Is he lying?
-Will she fit in?
-Will he embarrass me?

While they are trying to figure that out about you, you should be trying to figure out about the company and the job:
-Is the company worth joining?
-Do they have good products or services?
-Do they have workable plans for the future?
-Will I have a qualified, competent boss?
-Will they support my growth and development?
-Will they reward my efforts?
-Will I be proud to work for them?

When you get home from the interview, debrief yourself on what you learned and what you still need to find out.

And ask yourself: Did people laugh and kid during your interview? Did people seem to like each other? Was there an air of secrecy or openness? Was anyone happily working late?

Remember, you are there to check them out as much as you let them check you out.

Picture of Debra Benton

Debra Benton

D.A. (Debra) Benton has been helping great individuals and organizations get even better for over 20 years. Just as exceptional athletes rely on excellent coaching to hone their skills, Debra's clients rely on her advice to advance their careers. She focuses on what is truly important to convert what you and your organization want to be from a vision into a reality. TopCEOCoaches.com ranks her in the World's Top 10 CEO Coaches noting she is the top female. And as conference keynote speaker she is routinely rated in the top 2%. Her client list reads like a “Who's Who” of executives in companies ranging from Microsoft, McDonald's, Kraft, American Express, Merrill Lynch, United Airlines, and PricewaterhouseCoopers to the Washington Beltway and U.S.Border Patrol. *She is the author of ten award-winning and best-selling business books including The Virtual Executive and CEO Material. She has written for the Harvard Business Review, Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg Businessweek, and Fast Company. She has been featured in USA Today, Fortune, The New York Times, and Time; she has appeared on Today Show, Good Morning America, CNN, and CBS with Diane Sawyer. To learn more Debra advising leaders, coaching, facilitating a workshop, or speaking: www.debrabenton.com

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