Daily Inspiration 5-23-13

"Where do you see yourself in five years?"

-- All too common job interview question

Sometimes I just think of strange things. Today I was thinking about job interviews. Since I've been a sales manager since 1975, I've hired a lot of people, and I've employed a lot of different tactics and questions in the interview process. Some were just total experimentation, others testing expert theories.

Then I began thinking of the job seeker and how so often they don't know what they are getting into and many times the odds are against them in various ways. I know this from personal experience of working for employers, and by observation watching others go in and out of a position more quickly than would have been imagined at the beginning. I'm talking about well qualified people who know how to perform, are skilled in what they do and still they are in and out all too quickly.

That idea took me back to the questions at the interview and the fact that the job seeker asks such lame questions because they don't want to jeopardize getting the position, and they want to put their best image forward. This caused me to think that this idea is not such a great strategy. Indeed, it may be a recipe for failure.

So, I took it upon myself to create a list of appropriate questions to ask potential employers--especially those with whom you are excited to potentially work with. Feel free to add more of your own. Here they are:

1. How will my performance be measured specifically?
2. Will I have control over each measured parameter?
3. If so, what kind of control?
4. How will the company support and encourage my successful performance?
5. In what ways is company growth analyzed and measured?
6. In what ways will my growth within the company be analyzed and measured?
7. When I have any problems or issues (within the company), how can I expect them to be addressed?

I didn't want to make it too long, but I think that these questions are extremely important. Some times I have been expected to perform and be measured by that performance without any control to speak of over how to achieve that. There have been many times where question 7 would have helped a great deal to know up front. I've been under the bus plenty and I know others have as well.

Some companies measure everything surrounding growth in number of sales and/or dollars of income as if the reality of life would always and forever have that on an upward trend. In down times, and they do come as we all know, how can we grow in other ways and have it accepted as growth?

Regardless of my experiences, these questions may be of benefit as long as there is not a desperate need for the job. Better to have one with serious potential for success than one that was not questioned.


How Old Are You? Oh, Sorry, I Can't Ask That Can I?

Spread Some Joy Today--Turn the tables. Now, you're in charge!