Just imagine: you land THE job of your dreams at the end of the interview process. Yet, two weeks later, you’re kicking yourself: you regret your decision, because you feel out of place. Unfortunately, stories like this happen all too often!
If you’re like most candidates, to prepare for an interview, you’ll:
- reread the job offer;
- quickly scan the website and social media of the organization advertising the position;
- think of questions you’re likely to be asked and start formulating answers mentally.
These steps are relevant, but they won’t provide you with enough information to make an informed decision. So what else can you do?
Here are our tips to ensure you make the right decisions for your next job.
Do your homework
Before you even go for an interview, try to find out more about the hiring organization:
- Check out online reviews of the organization.
Google, Glassdoor and Indeed are good places to start.
- Briefly analyze the organization’s presence on LinkedIn.
Check out its publications to see what’s important to it, and look at who the employees are and how long they’ve been with the organization to find out what kind of profile they like and estimate the staff retention rate.
- Call on your network.
Ask for information meetings with former or current employees. Above all, don’t rely on gossip: go to the source.
Ask questions
Now that you’ve done your research, draw up some questions to ask during the interview. Be sure to ask questions about the position, the team, the manager and the organization.
- Questions to find out more about the position:
- What are the 3 main objectives I will have to achieve during my first year in the position?
- How will my work contribute to the objectives of the department, team or organization?
- How will my performance be measured?
- What does onboarding look like in terms of activities and training?
This is also the time to decipher any vague or incomplete sections in the job offer concerning the job’s requirements.
- Questions to find out more about the team :
- Will my work involve collaboration with other colleagues or departments?
- How often do team meetings take place?
- How does the team communicate?
- Questions to ask your future manager:
- What is your management style?
- How do you react when an employee makes a mistake?
- How do you ensure that your team grows professionally?
- What are your values at work?
Use the interview as an opportunity to assess cultural fit: this is when a candidate broadly shares the same values as the organization. This may seem a simple thing to determine, but there are two hurdles for candidates wishing to check for cultural fit…
- The difficulty of defining and delimiting the concept of cultural fit;
- The difficulty of capturing, during a simple interview, the information needed to determine whether there is a cultural fit.
- Here are some questions you could ask in an interview to help you validate your fit with the organization’s culture:
- Are there opportunities for internal staff movement?
- Can you tell me about the organization’s culture and give me examples of how this translates into everyday life?
- How often and in what style does your organization communicate?
- Why do your employees like working here?
- What are the organization’s main challenges?
These questions will often tell you more about the organization’s culture than the job offer itself. And don’t hesitate to visit the premises whenever possible, and ask to meet the team.
In short, remember that the process of selecting a candidate involves a two-way assessment: it’s not just up to the employer to make the decision. To avoid disappointment, it’s best to play a proactive role before and during the interview to determine whether the position and employer are a good fit for you.