Employer Interview Questions

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In preparing for your interview, you should be armed with a list of employer interview questions to ask that are relevant to the opportunity. Asking good, insightful questions tells a hiring manager a few things:

• You've done your homework.
• You're trying to put the pieces together and need more information to draw conclusions.
• You're interested in the opportunity.
• You're smart.

Asking good questions is a great way to make a lasting impression. These questions should help!

HOW DO YOU MEASURE SUCCESS IN THIS ROLE?

Candidates want to know how they'll be measured. What are the key performance criteria by which they are evaluated? Is this a numbers driven organization, with everything else being secondary? Is there consideration for pipeline activity? Are people rewarded for generating leads or accounts for co-workers? What softer skills are important?

IS THIS A BUILDING SITUATION, MAINTENANCE OR TURNAROUND?

Different skills are needed to be successful in each of these environments. A building situation requires someone who can open doors and make things happen in terms of new business. In a maintenance environment, there's likely to be a strong current client base that needs to be nurtured, maybe deepened, with new business being a part of the job, but not the main focus. A turnaround will require both building and maintenance skills, with a heavy dose of customer service thrown in. Turnaround means that things are not working. There may be service issues that have customers leaving for other service providers; the territory may have been vacant for a while, so relationships are stale. Turnaround is harder than building or maintenance -- be prepared to discuss strategy and game plan for getting things back on track.

WHAT IS THE MOST IMPORTANT RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE PERSON IN THIS ROLE?

The answer to this employer interview question will give you a sense of what's really important in this position. This could be sales results, or building a high performing team. You're also looking for someone who can actually answer the question here. Does the hiring manager know, without hesitation, what the key deliverables for this position are? If your boss can't tell you what's most important, how are you supposed to deliver?

WHAT KIND OF PERSON ARE YOU LOOKING FOR?

You might also ask this in terms of the ideal candidate for the role...listen for characteristics that parallel your background and skill set. You can use these points to reinforce your presentation, indicating why you're a good fit for the job. Likewise, if you hear some things that are lacking in your background, you might be able to compensate. For example, if the hiring manager wants someone from a particular industry and you don't have that background, you can talk about why your skills are transferable to a new industry, and how you intend to move up the learning curve quickly.

WHAT ARE THE DEPARTMENTAL GOALS FOR THE COMING YEAR?

It's important to understand what the big picture looks like when you join an organization. Knowing the company's strategic plan, along with the department's tactical goals for the coming year, gives you a backdrop for deciding if this opportunity is right for you. Do the goals sound reasonable? Probe for how they compare to previous years -- and whether the department has met their goals in previous years. What's the track record? How seriously does the organization take its planning process? Is it a bottom up or top down approach? While there are no right or wrong answers here, you may have some preferences in terms of the environment you choose.

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Remember...employer interview questions can make a difference in who gets invited back for a second round interview. Candidates who don't have any questions appear uninterested in the opportunity at best, and lacking intellectual fire power at worst!