4 Questions You Need to Ask During Your Job Interview

Jim Hopkinson, Salary.com contributing writer

When you’re sitting in the hotseat of an interview, it’s natural to think about the immediate here and now: How do I answer all these questions, land this job, and negotiate the highest salary? Salary.com has plenty of resources to help you out. But at some point, the interviewer is going to finish grilling you, turn the tables, and ask, “So, do you have any questions?”

Asking good questions is important for several reasons:

• It shows you’ve prepared for the interview and truly care about the position.
• It shows confidence when negotiating salary, since you want to come from an equal position of strength, not desperation (you are interviewing THEM for the best fit just as much as they are interviewing YOU)
• It increases the chance that you’ll actually be engaged and happy at your job, by looking a year or more into the future and making sure things beyond salary – culture, fit, career growth – are in place.

Average candidates will ask average questions, or worse, simple facts that could easily be looked up (Err, umm…how many employees work here?). And while you want your basic questions answered, here are four you might not have thought of, based on an interesting Future of the Workplace slideshow on Business Insider by Aimee Groth and Max Nisen.

 4. “What type of training do managers receive?”

If there’s one thing that can make or break your happiness at work, it’s your manager. A great manager can champion your work, advance your career, and be a mentor for life. A bad manager can make your day-to-day life miserable. This is especially important early in your career, and for younger Generation Y workers, who could make up 40% of the workforce by 2020. As the workplace changes and gets younger, it’s going to need younger managers that can adapt and relate to changing demographics.

However, according to the Zenger/Folkman training database, the average boss begins managing people at age 32, but doesn’t get leadership training until they’re 42. Great companies are always thinking about developing and retaining their best talent.

Also inquire about the percentage of female leadership, and how that has changed over time.

 3. “What is the office layout and does it change depending on the kind of work being done?”

For years, one question you were told to ask is “What is the company culture like?” Certainly you want to make sure your personality is a match, whether it’s a buttoned-up law firm or laid back creative agency. Progressive startups have pushed their culture to the point where it is almost an extension of college campus living, filled with food, foosball, on-site gyms, and napping stations.

But moving forward, Groth and Nisen contend that the actual design of an office has never been more important. Here’s why:

• Arguments can be made on both sides for an “open office” layout. Does it foster collaboration, or have we just created a room full of 50 individuals wearing headphones?
• What percentage of employees work remotely? In the future, the presentation states that “assigned desks or cubicles will be less necessary and less common.”
• Will you even report to a central office? With a greater number of freelance and contract employees, anywhere from co-working spaces to coffee shops could serve as home base.
• How can companies get creative with space? Cranking out an individual project, collaborating with a small group, or presenting to clients… each situation requires a different atmosphere for getting work done efficiently.  Continue reading . . .

Article by Jim Hopkinson and courtesy of Salary.com