Have you ever interviewed at a company only to find out later that they are in reality completely different than what they showcased themselves to be? Here’s something I wish I would have known sooner: you are interviewing a company as much as they are interviewing you.
It’s a two-way street. Yes, companies are interviewing prospective employees. At the same time, with just as much intensity, it’s important for prospective employees to thoroughly interview prospective companies.
This article targets recent college graduates who are starting their careers in the maze known as the “real world”. However, there are gems of insight that can benefit you at any point in your professional career. If you resonate with these tips, please share this with someone who would benefit from reading this.
It’s Not About Having The Right Answer To a Trick Question
It’s the night before the interview. You’re starting to get nervous. You’re reviewing your resume to make sure you know your experience down-pat, as it pertains to this particular job. None of this is bad or wrong, but if you’re anything like me you’ve made this mistake countless times: it’s not about having the right answer to a trick question.
It’s important to shift your mindset. Instead of worrying about having the perfect response to trick questions, start thinking of good questions you can ask. Research the company online. Read the glassdoor reviews. Do your due diligence and realize you are in the driver’s seat. You are in control.
Here are some questions you can ask, both of yourself and to the company:
- Is this a place where you want to start your professional career?
- Does this company feel like somewhere you’d enjoy coming into every day?
- Does the culture foster openness and innovation, or does it seem like people are closed off, fearful, and unhappy?
- Does it have a proper support system for you to grow?
- Who do you report to?
- What are the goals for the growth of this role two to three years down the line?
- Is it encouraged for employees to create relationships with people in managerial and executive roles, or is there a strict, old-school hierarchy in place?
- What are some of the biggest challenges with the role and how are they best solved?
- Where is this company headed five to ten years from now?
- What are the values of the company and are they lived by the employees on a daily basis, to the best of their ability?
Ask these questions directly to the hiring manager you are meeting with. Ask respectfully, politely, and courteously, but never be afraid to ask. If you don’t ask these questions, you may be surprised to end up finding out that the company is not what it seems from the outside.
Find Out Who They Really Are As a Company
I’d like to emphasize something because it’s so incredibly important: being prepared is not so much about anticipating the questions they’ll ask – it’s more about knowing who they really are as a company, and how they are a fit for you just as much as you are a fit for them.
What are your greatest strengths? and What are your greatest weaknesses? are typical questions companies will ask you. These are impersonal questions that shield you from knowing the truth about their company. You don’t need to memorize responses to questions like this. Be honest, be yourself, and then quickly shift the focus back to them by asking more questions.
Look the hiring managers in the eyes and ask them: Be totally honest with me as if I were one of your best friends. Do you actually see this role going anywhere? What’s your vision for the role?
When they respond, read their body language to determine if they are lying to you or not. Do they seem confident, laid back, genuine, and at ease? Or do they seem nervous and fidgety, like they’re hiding something? Trust your intuition – vibes don’t lie.
Consider Doing a Trial Period
There’s only so much you can find out in an interview. A great strategy to find out what a company is really like is to go in and shadow someone in a role similar to yours for half a day to a full day. If you still aren’t sure about the job and company after doing this, offer to do a one-week, several-week, one-month, or several-month trial period. This is infinitely better than being stuck in a permanent role that’s simply not right for you.
Say to them: I want to be 100% sure this is an excellent fit for both of us. I’d love to do a trial period for this role for [your suggested time period]. If either of us is unhappy during the trial period, we can depart as friends.
I’ve never done shadowing or a trial period at companies I’ve worked for, but I sincerely wish I had. I ended up finding out that many of the companies I worked for didn’t practice the values they preached, but I found out too late.
A lot of dysfunctional companies will claim that employees lie to them in the interview. Once again, let me emphasize this is a two-way street. It’s time to call out companies on their double standard. The truth is hiring managers lie to prospective employees just as much, if not more, than prospective employees lie to hiring managers. Recruiters, human resource professionals, and hiring managers often make their company seem amazing, when the truth is the culture is nothing like they described it to be.
You may not always be able to get the opportunity to do a trial period, but it’s worth asking about if you aren’t sure you want to work at the company in the long-run.
There Are Sometimes Desperate Situations
I’m completely aware there are sometimes desperate situations where you have to take the job, because you have little to no money. I get it – I’ve been there. This article is not targeting those situations. This article is targeting those who often put self-imposed restrictions on themselves because they falsely believe the company they are interviewing at has more power than they do. A company only has the power you give it. Don’t let a company rush you in an interview process, and don’t let it force you into doing something that is not in your best interests.
Even if you are in a desperate situation, take a job to get some money in your bank account and then start interviewing elsewhere. There are always options.
Some Mistakes Are Inevitable, But We Can Still Reduce Them By Taking Responsibility
All leadership starts with self-leadership. To lead yourself and take charge of your career, it’s important to be proactive. Never assume anything and take full responsibility for finding out the truth about the companies you are interviewing at.
Let’s be real here – some mistakes are inevitable and it’s not always your fault. Sometimes a company is so good at deceiving you, no matter what you do you won’t know the truth until you go and work there. That’s life and it happens (in that case, you pick up the pieces and start interviewing elsewhere). But we can still reduce the number of bad jobs we accept by being more discerning in the interview process. By proactively researching a company, asking more questions, considering the possibility of shadow days and trial periods, and remembering that the interview process is always a two-way street, we can set ourselves up for long-term success in our careers. And perhaps most importantly of all, this will allow us to avoid stepping into a company that doesn’t have our best interests at heart.
Jeff Davis is the author of The Power of Authentic Leadership. To connect with Jeff’s team and learn more about how to succeed in the workplace as a leader, please email his Executive Assistant at meg@jeffdspeaks.com or call 800-315-4832.
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