The number one reason people love or hate their job is their boss. Job interviewing is not all about the “job” itself. It’s also learning about the people and the corporate culture. Remember, a job that sounds good doesn’t necessarily mean you will like it if it’s a mismatch with your desires of how the workplace culture should be and if personalities conflict between you and your boss and coworkers. From experience, you should know that the environment for each job is different and managers also have different styles, so get clarity on these subjects during the job interview.
Related: How Long Should A Resume Be?
Here’s what you need to ask your potential boss to assess if the job is really right for you:
1. How would you describe the corporate culture?
A poor match with corporate culture can mean an unhappy work experience. If you think about it, you’re spending most of your time during the week at work – as much as 40 hours in most cases for full-time workers. Ensure you’ll be working under an environment that you will enjoy and that you can be productive in.
2. How would you describe your management style?
Management style is a big deal because a poor match can hinder performance dramatically. If you are the creative, go-getter type who seeks freedom to work independently, a boss who is a micro-manager may not be the best fit. Managers with a tendency to look over your shoulder every moment and who want to give feedback on every aspect of your work may hinder your performance and make for an unpleasant work setting. On the other hand, if you are one who likes clear-cut plans and direction, and you have a boss who is a macro-manager and hardly present, that can also hinder performance.
3. What do you look for in a member of your team?
This question will help determine what type of qualities are necessary and perceived as valuable to succeed on the job. If it matches up with what you have to offer, you know it’ll be a job with challenges you are ready for. At the same time, the response to this question allows you to customize your communications to further impress them.
4. What’s expected of the individual that fills this job?
Understanding the manager’s goals for you and for the position will offer insight on whether the job presents challenges you can realistically succeed in. You also want to know that the goals and expectations set are reasonable before accepting the job.
How long have you worked here?
Someone who’s new to the job and someone who’s been around for a while can tell you several things. If they are new to the job, there may be a stronger bond you can form with the individual because you are both in a similar situation of being the “new hire.” If they have been on the job for a while, that can tell you this is potentially a stable employer to work with and one that employees are happy to work for. Understanding how long the individual has been on the job can also help you customize questions so you can get the most information out of the interview.
For example:
For someone who’s new to the job, you can ask: “What’s a major challenge you faced being new on the job here?” The response you get may hint at potential challenges you may face as well.
For someone who’s been employed with the company long, you can ask: “Can you tell me how you got started at the company and how you wound up where you are today?” The response you get will offer insight to whether promotions are typically fast and if growing within the company comes easy.
Each one of these questions are important to ask on top of specific job-related questions because it can help you properly assess if the opportunity is right for you..
Don Goodman’s firm was rated as the #1 Resume Writing Service in 2013, 2014, and 2015. Don is a triple-certified, nationally recognized Expert Resume Writer, Career Management Coach and Job Search Strategist who has helped thousands of people secure their next job. Check out his Resume Writing Service. Get a Free Resume Evaluation or call him at 800.909.0109 for more information.
Disclosure: This post is sponsored by a CAREEREALISM-approved expert. You can learn more about expert posts here.Photo Credit: Shutterstock
Is your job search turning into a grind with no end in sight? It may be time to take a step back and reevaluate your entire approach.
In cold weather climates, the beginning of spring is a time to clean the house and get organized—a practice known as spring cleaning. Through the years, spring cleaning has taken on a larger meaning with people using the time to organize and declutter things in their lives.
For professionals on the job hunt, a little spring cleaning (metaphorically speaking) could be a great way to reinvigorate your job search. Here are a few strategies your job search spring cleaning should include.
Reevaluate Your Job Search Approach
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Make a list of the last handful of jobs you applied for and see if you can identify any positive or negative trends. Consider things like:
How did I learn about this job?
How did I apply for the job?
Did I earn an interview?
What was the ultimate result?
A lot can be learned about your job search approach just by answering these questions and identifying patterns. For example:
Negative Trends
You discovered five jobs through job boards, applied to all of them via the job boards, and never heard back from any of them.
The common pattern here is applying through job boards. This isn't to say that job boards don't serve a purpose in the job search process, but they have their limitations, and you can't run your job search entirely off of them. When you apply through a job board, there's a good chance that your materials will never get past the applicant tracking system (ATS) and never be seen by an actual person.
One simple fix is to research who the hiring manager or recruiter is that posted the position and email your materials to them directly.
The more efficient fix would be to take a proactive approach by putting together a bucket list of companies that you want to work for and start making connections on LinkedIn with people who work at those companies. You may already know some people who work there or have connections that can refer you to some individuals.
This is a great way to network your way onto a company's radar.
Positive Trends
You applied to three jobs via referral, were invited to two job interviews, and made it through multiple rounds of interviews for one of the jobs before being passed over for someone with a little more experience.
The pattern here is that getting referred to a job by a professional acquaintance is a great way to land a job interview. This indicates that you're leveraging your network well and you should continue to focus on your networking efforts.
The next step is to review the interview process and determine what went well and what needs to be improved. Sometimes the interviewer will provide feedback, and that feedback can be valuable. However, not everyone is comfortable with giving feedback.
Chances are you probably have a good idea about areas of improvement and the skills you need to gain. Put together a plan for addressing those shortfalls.
The good news in making it deep into any interview process is that it indicates that the company likes you as a potential employee (even if the timing just wasn't right) and the experience could be a roadmap to a job with that company at a later date, or another similar opportunity elsewhere.
Give Your Resume & Cover Letter Some Much-Needed Attention
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Are you continuously sending similar resumes and cover letters to each job opening with only minor adjustments? If so, your strategy needs some serious spring cleaning.
The reason why it's so important to tailor your resume is that throughout your career, you acquire numerous skills, but the job you're applying for may only be focusing on 6-8 of those skills. In that case, those skills must rise to the top of the resume with quantifiable examples of how you successfully used those skills at previous jobs.
Remember, recruiters go through hundreds of resumes. They need to be able to tell from a quick glance whether or not you're a potential candidate for the position.
While updating your resume, you could also spruce up your LinkedIn profile by highlighting the skill sets that you want to be noticed for by recruiters.
As for writing a good cover letter, the key to success is writing a disruptive cover letter. When you write a disruptive cover letter, you're basically telling a story. The story should focus on how you connect with the particular company and job position. The story could also focus on your personal journey, and how you got to where you currently are in your career.
If your resumes and cover letters aren't unique, now is the time to clean things up and get on track.
Build Your Personal Brand
Just because you're looking for work doesn't mean that you don't have anything to offer. Use previous career experiences and passions to build your personal brand.
Ask yourself, "How do I want other professionals to view me?"
Pick an area of expertise and start sharing your knowledge and experience with your professional network by pushing out content on your LinkedIn and social media accounts. Good content can include blogs, social media posts, and videos.
By sharing content about your experiences and passions, you slowly build your personal brand, and others will start to notice. The content could lead to good discussions with others in your network. It could also lead to reconnecting with connections that you haven't spoken to in years, or making new connections.
You never know when one of these connections could turn into a job lead or referral. The trick is to get on people's radars. So, when you're cleaning up your job search, be sure to build a plan for personal branding.
Maintain Healthy Habits During Your Job Search
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Your job search is important, but it's even more important to know when to pull back and focus on personal health and spending time with family and friends.
There are actually things that you can do for your own enjoyment that could help your job search in the long run, such as:
Grab coffee with a friend - It's good to engage in light conversation with friends during challenging times. And if your job search does come up, remember that most people have been through it themselves and you never know when a friend may provide you with a good idea or lead on a job.
Volunteer - Volunteering is a great way to get involved in the community and help others. In addition, if you develop a little bit of a career gap while looking for a job, you can always talk about how you filled that time volunteering, if you're asked about it during a job interview.
Continue to focus on other passions - Are you a fitness nut? Blogger? Crafter? Continue to do the things that bring you happiness. And if you're in a position to profit from your passion through a freelance job or side hustle, even better!
Spring is the perfect time to clean up and improve your job search so you can land the job you want. If you're struggling to find a job, follow the tips above to reinvigorate your job search—and watch your career blossom!
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This article was originally published at an earlier date.
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