Either way, you are probably eager to learn all you can about the job, your employer, and the company. But before you barrage your employer with hundreds of questions about every minor detail of the job, consider some areas to cover. Then see if you can find these things out from other places first – either on the internet or from people who work, or used to work, there. The company may even send out an intro pack, which is a useful start – but sprinkle it with salt.
1. The logistics
First thing’s first – you want to know where you are working (first-day note: which entrance do you use, who do you ask for), when you are going to start working, what the hours are, the dress code. These are the kind of things people forget when considering the bigger picture, but these logistics are what you will have to deal with every day. Considering the company, its ethos and its people are important, but it will be you who has to decide what to wear every morning and you taking that long commute. Ask around via friends and friends of friends who already work there – the official hours, for instance, maybe 9-5, but the boss may set value on everyone being in earlier. The first day you should be early anyway.
2. The people
Ask what sort of people you’ll be working with, who will be on your team or in your department, how big your team is, and whether there is a high degree of group project work – or will you be working primarily on your own? Understanding who you will be working with is key to your decision, and will help you fit in, should you take the job. Unfortunately, your new boss won’t tell you if any of your colleagues are annoying, lazy, unmotivated or unpleasant, or who will chip away at your happiness and enjoyment of the job – you will find that out after you start. Stalk your future boss on the internet, LinkedIn and Facebook. You may find useful info about them.
3. The ethos
Finding out the real ethos of a company or workplace isn’t easy. Often, you have to dig below the corporate PR spin saying the company is “cutting edge” or a “world leader” in innovation, entrepreneurial thought and diversity. Ask your potential employer what the company considers its most valued principle or ideal. Ask for real-world examples of how these ideas are put into practise: how is its commitment to environmental protection shown in how its does business? Again – ask people who have actually worked there if you can.
4. The role
Knowing what you are going to be doing day in, day out is important to know whether you want the job or not. But don’t only concentrate on the day-to-day aspect of the job – consider wider, longer term projects, the potential to progress and how many people you will be managing. If you are moving into a managerial role, a full briefing on your team isn’t “nice to know” – that should be a given. If it isn’t, there may be something wrong. You need to know what you are getting into.
5. The cash
In an ideal world, salary would not determine whether you take a job or not: in that utopian world, you’d take the job because it’s the best way to get the most out of yourself and your career. But back in reality, how much you get paid matters. You have bills to pay, credit cards to slay. Ask what the salary is and work out what your take-home pay is – can you afford this job? Ask if it’s negotiable: in some jobs, and in my own experience, if you don’t work to negotiate your salary up, your new employer may actually lose interest. Is there a performance review, how does that connect to pay, what other benefits are included? The importance of these to you may vary depending on your family situation – but that may also change. You may only want salary and gym membership now – but what will be important after you marry and have kids?
This post was originally written and posted by Peter on CityAM: https://www.cityam.com/5-questions-you-should-be-asking-prospective-employers/