Job Interview Questions

Of course, the company will have a lot of material promoting the community in which it operates. But also collect independent information from real estate agents, chambers of commerce, and other responsible agencies. The following is a checklist of issues you should be conversant with as you and your family make a decision. Most of these issues deal with cost.

HOUSING OR RENTAL COSTS

• Mortgage costs
• Real estate taxes
• Home owner insurance
• Utility costs
• Electricity
• Water
• Heat
• Natural gas
• State income taxes (if any)
• Local income taxes (city, county, township)
• Personal property taxes (if any)
• Other assessments of taxes
• Commuting costs

OTHER ISSUES

• Public schools
• Commute
• Crime rate
• Culture
• Worship
• Hospitals

There is a wide variety of practice in this area, so be clear. Many company relocation policies address such points as:

• Do you provide reimbursement of closing costs for the sale of my old house?
• Do you provide reimbursement of closing costs for the purchase of my new house?
• Will the company assist in the sale of my current house?
• If I can’t sell my old house, do you have a program that will buy it?
• Can the company provide a loan for buying a house? If so, what are the terms?
• If I need to rent while looking for a house, will I be reimbursed?
• Does the company pay for house-hunting trips in the new community? How many?
• Does the company provide reimbursement for temporary living expenses? Any limitations?
• Does the company provide reimbursement for the shipment of household goods?
• Does the company provide reimbursement for the storage of household goods?
• Does the company provide reimbursement for the shipment of family vehicles?
• Does the company provide reimbursement for the tax gross-up of the taxable portion of moving expenses?
• In the event my landlord is unwilling to release me from my lease, will the company assume the obligation for the lease?

COMPENSATION

• What are my salary, commissions, and other compensation?
• How often will I be paid?
• Am I entitled to stock options?
• Am I entitled to noncash compensation?
• Am I entitled to the use of a company vehicle?

BENEFITS

• What are the insurance benefits to which I am entitled?
• Life insurance?
• Major medical?
• Surgical?
• Hospitalization?
• Disability?
• Dental?
• Mental health?
• Eye care?
• What is the extent of these coverages?
• What will be my cost for carrying these coverages?
• Are my dependents covered?
• Is there extra cost for dependent coverage?
• Is there a retirement plan?
• If so, is it contributory or noncontributory?
• What is the employee’s contribution amount?
• What is the retirement benefit amount?
• Is it funded with pretax dollars?
• Is there a 401(k) plan?
• If so, what are the details?
• Is there a stock purchase plan?
• Does the company match contributions?
• Is there a charitable gift–matching program?
• Is there paid sick leave?
• If so, how does it work?
• Is there a tuition reimbursement plan?
• Are there company paid holidays? What are they?
• What is the company’s vacation policy?
• What other benefits does the organization provide?

RESTRICTIONS

• Do I have to sign an employment contract?
• Do I have to sign a noncompete agreement?
• Do I have to sign a net-use policy?
• Do I have to assign rights to intellectual property?

Before you ask questions, take a close look at the written letter of confirmation and compensation summary that the employer will give you. These materials will address most of your questions. If not, by all means ask to speak with someone in human resources to satisfy yourself. By the time you make a decision, you should have details on all of these issues.

1. Corporate culture is very important, but it’s usually hard to define until one violates it.What is one thing an employee might do here that would be perceived as a violation of the company’s culture? This question reveals a sophisticated understanding of corporate culture as a force most easily observed in its violation. Typical responses are lying and other ethical breaches, but listen for other clues.
2. How would you characterize the organization?What are its principal values?What are its greatest challenges? This profound question demonstrates your deep interest in the organization’s makeup.
3. How would you describe the experience of working here? Here’s a question that goes to the interviewer’s experience of corporate culture.
4. If I were to be employed here, what one piece of wisdom would you want me to incorporate into my work life? This is a strong question that not only asks the hiring manager what he or she considers most important but also assumes that you are already on board.
5. What are a couple of misconceptions people have about the company? Every manager is frustrated by the way he or she thinks the world sees the company. Here is your chance get two pieces of critical information: how the hiring manager thinks the world perceives the company and what he or she believes to be the truth.
6. Work-life balance is an issue of retention as well as productivity. Can you talk about your own view of how to navigate the tensions between getting the work done and encouraging healthy lives outside the office? On one level, you want to find out how workaholic your prospective manager and the company are. On another, you want a clue about how the company handles the important issue of work-life balance.
7. How does the company support and promote personal and professional growth? This is another way to ask how the company culture promotes a healthy work-life balance.
8. What types of people seem to excel here? This will engender more conversation about personality styles and attitudes that mesh well with the culture and those that don’t. You bluff your way through this question at your own risk. Why would you want to go to work where you would be at war with the prevailing culture?
9. Every company contends with office politics. It’s a fact of life because politics is about people working together. Can you give me some examples of how politics plays out in this company? It’s a slightly risky question because “politics” has such a negative connotation. But the reality is that every organization is a political organization. The politics at family-owned companies is much different than the politics of large multinational companies. The issue is, with which are you more comfortable?
10. What have I yet to learn about this company and opportunity that I still need to know? A great open-ended question for the interviewer to elaborate on an important point you might not have considered.