What are you looking for in your next position? Many people can identify what they don’t want and that’s a good start. Ask this question: “what does it look like?” Try to envision the physical conditions and create a list of activities you would be doing on a typical day. Don’t forget these things:
What is the culture of the ideal work environment?
Is it fast paced? Technology focused? Employee-centric? Heirarchical?
How do you want to structure your time?
Are the hours flexible? Can you work from home? What are the schedules of other people who work there?What kind of people do you want to work with?
Are they similar to you? Different than you? Older, younger? What are their backgrounds/experience?What kind of manager do you work best with?
Are they hands-off? Do they provide direction?For those of you who like checklists, you can reference this:
So now what…You have to develop really good questions that will lead the interviewer to answer these things.
The idea is to go into each interview with the criteria you are looking for, just like the interviewer has a list of criteria they are looking to hire for (ie, job description). The more specific you are in your wish list of criteria, the clearer you will be in reaching a decision.
Hannah Morgan speaks and writes about job search and career strategies. She founded CareerSherpa.net to educate professionals on how to maneuver through today’s job search process. Hannah was nominated as a LinkedIn Top Voice in Job Search and Careers and is a regular contributor to US News & World Report. She has been quoted by media outlets, including Forbes, USA Today, Money Magazine, Huffington Post, as well as many other publications. She is also author of The Infographic Resume and co-author of Social Networking for Business Success.
