Make Sure You Understand the Company’s Personal Brand

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Last week I wrote about the questions you will likely get asked in an interview. This week I’m suggesting the questions that you could and should be asking in the interview:

• What kind of person do you want for this position?
• What’s important about the person you hire?
• How many people have held this position in the last two years?
• Would you describe a typical workday and the things I’d be doing?
• How does this job contribute to the company?
• Is this department a profit center for the company?
• Are sales up or down over the last year?
• Where can someone in this job be promoted to?
• How will success be measured in this position?
• How long do you think it will take until you make a decision?

While the interviewer is trying to find that out about you, you are trying to find out:

• 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?
• Will I make the money I want?

Make sure people answer your questions, just like you answer theirs. If they give you a vague, general response, ask, “Can you give me an example?” Concentrate more on listening and grasping what they’re saying than on thinking ahead to what you are going to say next.

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

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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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