Interview Questions for Employers

---

There should be some variety in the interview questions for employers that you ask. Think about your last interview. You probably met with someone from Human Resources, along with the hiring manager, and maybe the hiring manager's boss. If it was a second round interview situation, you might have met with people who will be in your peer group or on your team. These people will all compare notes. With few exceptions, the questions you ask each person should be different. Your peer group questions will differ from the questions you ask your future boss' boss. Use our interview questions for employers to make a great impression on the interview team!

CAN YOU TELL ME SOMETHING ABOUT THE DEPARTMENT'S PLAN? HOW ARE THE TARGETS SET EACH YEAR?

Listen for how much input staff has in setting targets. Is this an organization that plans realistically? Or one that sets pie in the sky targets that no one could meet? I like companies that plan from the bottom up -- and when the powers that be get ahold of the numbers and start changing them, come back down for a reality check. There's nothing wrong with aggressive targets. But, if they are totally unrealistic, then you're setting yourself up for failure.

FOR SALES ROLES: HOW MANY PEOPLE ON YOUR CURRENT TEAM ARE CONSISTENTLY HITTING THEIR NUMBERS?

If there are 10 people on the team and only 3 out of 10 are hitting their numbers, what have you learned? I can think of a number of things:

• the targets are unreachable;
• the company carries dead weight;
• the hiring manager is not very good;
• the product/service is not very good;
• pricing is wrong for the market;
• you get the idea!

IF YOU THINK ABOUT YOUR MOST SUCCESSFUL PERSON, WHAT IS IT THAT SETS HIM/HER APART? WHAT ARE THEY DOING DIFFERENTLY THAN OTHERS IN THE GROUP?

This is a great interview question for employers! It suggests that you want to emulate the most successful person on the team and you're thinking about how your skills might parallel this person's. The hiring manager, if they're any good, should not have trouble answering this question. Listen for things like work ethic, ability to build relationships, follow up skills, ability to anticipate client needs, good interpersonal relationships with internal departments and similar characteristics. Getting this laundry list allows you to reinforce skills that you possess that parallel these winning traits.

AGAIN, FOR SALES PROFESSIONALS: DO YOU HAVE A LEAD GENERATION PROGRAM? HOW ARE LEADS GENERATED AND DISTRIBUTED?

You need to understand what the company's expectations are around lead generation. Some companies require sales professionals to generate their own leads and set their own appointments; others have formal lead generation programs, which means the sales team is never making a cold call. You might be a strong closer, but hate to cold call for appointments. Put you in front of a warm body, and you can make magic! But, put you on the phone "dialing for dollars" and it's a disaster. You need to understand your own skill set and your preferences. This is not a good place for mismatched expectations!

WHAT RESEARCH TOOLS ARE ARE AVAILABLE TO ME TO SUPPORT MY WORK EFFORT?

Does the company subscribe to information resources that will give you the latest trends in your industry or function? What technology do they use to keep up to date on market trends? If they're not spending any money in this area, you need to question how much support is given to the team.

---

Pick and choose among the interview questions for employers found on our site and we know that you'll impress even the toughest hiring manager. Having questions ready gives the hiring company insight into how you think, and shows interest in the opportunity.